The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-11-09
THE SINCEREST FLATTERY
9. or MIR. RUDYARD KIPLING-A SLIGHT
INACCURACY.


This is not tale. Il Is conversation
which had with a complete stranger. |
You asked me Why talked with him have
no very good reason 70 give. l would sim
p'y ten YOU 10 spend three hours Of solitude
ln that same compartment on that same
Anc You may not know the line, which j,
neither YOUR loss nor the cOmpany's gain
1 DO, ANA I had spent three hours alone on
DO. And AZ the end Of three hours lOngeC
for human converse. ! was prepared 4
falh Persian poetry % an assistant commits
sioner; was ready 10 talk 10 any one abou
anything. l would have talked 10 partial
do1-talkcd kindly. too.
50 when the complete stranger got in
began 40 once. You see, did not know
fbrn that be was an inaccurate young man
Thought ho was a nicely-dressed. average
.nrcim.n. 10 never does 10 Judge from aI
n.aranccs. once knew a I. e., or, rather
irpter OF the Bombay side knew him-bul
tb.t Is another story. First we talked wea.
ther. and then we talked horse. lie smoked
my chcro0ts. and told him several things
which were quite true. lie began 10 lOok
little uneasy. a. 10 he were not used TO tha'
Erl off,lk. Then he told me the story OF
m. little mare which he bought in Calcutta
a.. r1te rs. 10 for her. 10 was thought by
bt- friends at the time that he had been toe
generous. she had a very bad cough and a
plaiutiNe look ia the eyes.
Of have now had her for two years ne
said. slowly removing my cherOOt from his
Inns. ~and She has not got over that cough
vet. ~nc also continues to look plaintive
lut she is fast. The other day drove heI
sixty miles along the road in an ekka.'
was given % understand that the time
had been i've hours twenty minutes and a
decimal. Well, a cOuntry-bred mare Will
co almost any pace you like to ask. !
should have thought about believing the
man. u he had not pHt In the decimal. AS
if was. / never really wanted 10 call hlm a
liar until be- picked up the book which |
bad been reading. Ii was copy Of "Plain
Tales from the Hills" and it lay on the seat
by my side. have liking for that book,
and often read IT,. IL is good book.
-Can YOU understand" he asked, "why
that book is so popular in England Per
htp~ YOU will allow me 10 explain. |
understand books as well as ! understand
horses and men. First, note this: Even in
your scnooldays you probably saw the
difference between the prose OF Cicero and
the conversational Latin of Platus.'
This last remark enabled me TO place the
man. he vas. II seemed. "a full-sized Oxford
rrl1. They are fond Of throwing their edu-
cation about like that. Which is lOathly in
them. But they do il. | explained to him
that had never been TO school.
well. then. % come down TO your level,
IN. continued. You have read English
books. and YOU must have seen that written
l.rlish is not like spoken English. When
u. speak. for instance-tO take quite a
minor p0int-Wc often put full stop before
I.. relative clauses-add them as an after.
Thought
winch struck me as being true.
"But when we write we only put a
clmma The author Of Plain Tales From
tur lliIls' saw this, and acted on the prln.
ciule. lie punctudtcd his Wrltlngas ne did
bis speaking; and used more full stops than
aut man before him. Which was gerius.
think am not sure, but | hink-thal
at this point biushed.
secondly, the public want TO be mystlhed
They like references 10 things OF which
they lave never heard. They read the
sporting papers for that reason. 80 this
man Mote Anglo-lndian life, and put very
little explanation into il. 1t was all Local
color. ID YOU suppose the average cOckne'
knows what "P. W. ID. accounts arey ID
course hr doesn't. But he likes 10 be treated
a-if Iedid. The author noted this point
And that also shows genius. Thirdly, the
rlblic do not like the good man, nor
tu they like the bad man. They Ike
tle muu-Wuo-has-sOme-gO Od-in-him-aiter-
aI. IL am cynical SAYS our author, land
desperately worldly, and somewhat happy
rD-lucky. yet /, the same man, am inter.
,~t.d in children. Witness my story OF
u0i- and my great goodness TO Mu
hlmmel Dn With all ny cynlcism,
have a kind heart. Was | not kind
even unto jellaludin. am the man-whO
hI- gOOd-iu-h im-aiter-all. Love me
.G MUS again. FOurthly, take the subject
mIff.r-~oidiers. horses and nlrts. Ol
iu.-e three the public never weary. |. may
ul, have been genius 10 have seen that
And the public like catch words. / knew a
.Il once who did the seriO-cOmic business
af tu.-but that is another story. To recOg-
n.l. Toe beauty 90 catch-wOrds may not he
genius either. But il is genius TO say more
Illu yOu know, aud 10 seem % know more
than tou say-tO Doe young and 10 seem old
Il.r. are people who are connected with
Obj. Government OF India who are so high
flIf one knows anything abOu; them eN-
..nt themselves. and their own knowledge
.-Aen superficial. Is our author afraid
N.tl bite lie speaks Of them with freedom
nIf with Ntcueness. He says, Up above.
Amid public admire the freedom, ana
u.t.r notice the Nagueness. Bless the dear
public.
lle train and the complete stranger
stopped simultaneously. | was not angry
elbow d1 y0u come 90 know the workings OF
Oboe authors miud;" asked.
pl, tAis question calmly, and | waited
90 -ee him ,hriyel.
ile never -hriyelled. He was getting
DOB, -un-ea-e out from under the seat. 81
am Obs author" he said blandly. GOOD
900 fn'In.' Then he got out.
W. Was -0 bland that should have quite
believed DINA If had not written the book
MYSELF As 10 is, feel by no means sure
lH.Uflt
Which i, curious.
u.-oF MIR. WALTER PATER-MARCUs Al
SLOANE STREET.
Above AN. there was at this time de
-Il. abroad o. attain that which was best
lf bad spread over the country like great
wave. iis furthest ripple reaching even u
OH. lower and more common minds, and
awakening IN them an intelligent serious
Dress. "a newer and brighter perception OF
tl.Ir0wn immediate good, and the Will t.
secure il al any cost 70 others. In seemed
a- DO were, a stray fragrance from the old
school 40 Cyrene, blown By some petulen'
wind down the ages, and lighting at last
u.lu this weary OyerwrOught civilization
Az least this lucent, ilamellke devotion u
...f-this strenuous. almost feyerish wOr
ship ri the egO--was there, wildly present
among men. aud like TO some new religion
Iu It- qnlmating power. And If upon its
l,h altar the happiness Of others had TO be
.t-uhced % personal and individual ends,
illt sacrifice was ever made-as. indeed, all
,l.n must be made-in perfect simplicity
and hOpeiulness. There was no tetchy, iret
ono complaining. The individual and his
IDEAL being one. his hottest act was to please
himself An that was lost, with that pur-
posse was well Lost the highest and puresl
lorm OF ascciicism was the utter devotion u
.eI
Interchangeable, as he had ever been,
n all sweet Influences himself
strangely dominated by the beauty OF this
ness spirit. standing AT the corner OF the
ODD Via SlOanenss, he felt almost ialn'
"itn The longing 10 do something's little
ia.ns. perhaps, but still sOmething-tC
salw h0w he loved himself. The public We
h..le,- snow-white or scarlet, sapphire OF
-ich-cOlor-passed before him in gorgeous
procession from the distant circus. To him
a, indeed, 70 others each color had an
inucr meaning, and was not only decora
i've. Il was an appeal, voice that called
Tome into us. BE part Of US. Come K
%. dreamy south or 10 the burning west
Come an the way. all the wayW
The afternoon bad been broken by show