The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-12-26
AN ESTIMATE Of K|PL|NG
A St. Louis Savant Who Was With
Him in India Talks of
Rudyard,
Fortunate in Choosing Field
Cultivated But Little Be-
fore His Day.
Not Being in Government Employ He
Was Untram eIed by Official In
reference and Frowns.

Sr. LOUIS Dec 25.-Capt. Clement Nj.
Bellairs, now residing in St. Louis, was for
ten wears from 1861 to 1871, an officer in
the Royal Havre artillery in India. He is
a finished scholar, great traveller, and Il
man of rare literary attalnments. He was
asked to-day for his views on the literary .
works of Rudyard kipling. In the course
of long conversation on the subject Capt. (
Bellairs said:
"Rudyarl Kipling has been as fortunate
as was Rider Haggard in his choice of
new field in which to dress the stage for his
characters. and as long as he confined him |
self to British India. its society and the |
scenes of its most modern campaigns, Just /
SO long has he been able to attract both at |
tention and admiration. The comparative
" unknown details of the military and
social life of the men and women
who strut the stage of the great de-
tendency of England in the far east as
its leading characters cannot fail to be of
interest to those who are curious to know |
how English habits, English laws, and Eng
lish rule can be grated on population of |
200 Hindu and Mussulman fellow |
subjects of the Kaiser Hind. In paint |
ng the details Kipl ing has proved himself
master hand, both fearless and attrac-
tive.
''Teeming with interest, as are even the
commonplaces of everyday life in India, |
there have been but very few Englishmen
who have devoted themselves to writing
about them. The very great majority Of
tho English whose lots are cast in the great
peninsula are in the direct employ of the
crown, either military men or civil servants
md fr.r hos hn ayp 0e at rr,ffi
cial shortcomings after the manner of Kip
ling is at at least frowned down, if not
even actually forbidden. Writing to the
papers or the publishing of fiction founded
on fact, in which the picturing of tho fol
bios Of senior could possibly be suspected,
would bring down the wrath of the mag
mates of Indian officialism on tho head of
the venturesome junior who attempted it.
'Not being in government employ, Mr..
Kipling has been entirely untrammeled by
these considerations. and in his rare collec-
ton of stories about India he has awaited
himself to the utmost of his opportunity.
1t has been suggested that in these stories
he has-that he must Interchangeable
the peculiarities of the Anglo-Indlan mill
tary, official and social systems. This is
not, however, exactly or even generally cor
rect. Here and there his points are no
doubt somewhat everdrawn, but on the
WHOLE his coloring is not guilty OF splash
ing, and where he can see that he means his
plAsteIluR W DO LluASpalent. his greatest
fault as writer OF good stories-and this
applies especially to his works when brought
to this side of the Atlantic-is to be found
in the copious interlarding of his English
with Hlndostanee words and expressions.
This fault no doubt arises from the fact that
in India. whether in the drawing room, the
mess. or the court house, Hin
dostanee words and idioms find
their way into almost every sen
tence. This is especially the case in Ben
gal, evidently the only part of India where
Mr.. kipling is at home. kiplinc's relapses
into Hindostanee are occasionally fatal to
the chances OF any one but an Angl Indian
understanding the matter he is reading.
For instance. in one Of the latest of his
works, The Story of the Gadsbys' he car
his climax-the deathbed scene of dying
bride. The young wife is delirious: the
husband is sitting crushed, III an adjoining
room; the chaplain is administering him
consolation in the shape of brandy and
soda, and the doctor. hopeless comforts
him as best he can with the platitudes of
the 'ln-the- midst-of- life We re-in- death
description. incidentally the ayah lady's
mald) calls to a man outside 'Punkah
chords. Ihore is nothing in the text which
could explain the remark to the ordinary
reader. and the story progresses in the di-
rection of the fatal weakness of the one
ana OF the increasing consolation to
the other of the principals until
the watchful ayah suddenly schreik.
fusse ena agya. From this moment be.
woman.
10 the initiated the change is practi-
cally simple. The ayah, noting the cold
ness OF her mistress has simply ordered the
man pulling the punkah over the bed tt
'punkah chords cease tanning and, sub
sequently discerning new action of thu
lady's skin, knows that her mistress il
saved, and announces it. by the glad shou
OF 'Pusseena agya,' the sweat has come.
10 the ordinary American who has no
mastered any OF the tongues of the gorge
GUS east. the eliminating point of interes
in the story of The Gadsbys' must ever re
main lost for mis- want of knowledge of tn
Hlndostnnee equivalent of the verb to per
spire. This is not clever authorship.
1T is not possible that the Kipling storie
could ever be as popular IN America as
England. for here there is no such special
interested class to appeal to as there
across the water, but still many of thel
would be attractive anywhere. Perhaps tt
very best OF them, or. at least. the one mo.
powerfully written is that entitled 1.-The Ma
That Was" All of the stories of the thr,
soldiers. Mulvany. Learoyd, and Ortheri
are delicious. and in few of his produ
tons Mr.. Kipling shines brightly in Patio
His Wee Willie Wrinkle, Thrown Away
best in this line. while the fun fairly spa
kles in his Taking of Lungtunepon," al
many other of his stories. Everyone shou
read kipling's short stories even if he h
never learned how many annas there are
rupee, or the joys contained in genuil
Madras pawn curry. My own experien
has borne out the truth contained in tn
singular and seemingly exaggerated skete
The Big Drunk Draft In short, Rudya
hpllngs stories represent the only Walt
Die attempt to penetrate and portray I
native social system of India that has be
made since Capt. Meadows Taylor wrote
remarkable Confessions of a Thug"
do You know?"
You will never have a better chance
visit the delightful climate of the sur
south, renew your health and energy, en-
Yourself at the same time. and for less Il
staying at home, paying doctors bills.
your return you will find yourself at le
Yae1 nnIlf H.