The morning call., 1892-12-28
IN KIPLING'S INDIA.
Aids to all Understanding
of the Artist.
DRESSING UP HIS SKELETON
Interesting Inform alton for Admirers
of the Modern Realistic
Author.

downtown lOteIs
l.. Banjermassu is in San Francisco on
special duty. but when / explained the
nature Of my errand, consented TO talk ex-
clusively on Kipling and Kipling's India
with the ready goodwill of an enthusiast.
Now. let me tell you something" said
he, (which shows how our misfortunes may
prove our very fortunes.
''In India newspaper man is altogether
out Of the running The strong class lines
which fence about the service and 'the
Civil. represented by the army and the civil
service, form an impregnable rampant for
Indian society, through which no one but
soldiers or Civilians are admitted unless
they happen to be gentlemen of leisure, or
'loafers,' in your unpleasantly truthful way
OF putting things.
Had kipling gone out to India as an
officer or civil service man he would have
been drawn into the great vortex of the
commonplace and remained commonplace
all his life.
Luckily for him he went out as 'an out
sider,' though L suspect his great nature
kicked at the bland and crushing ignorance
of your existence, which makes British
exclusiyeness more hated by the difident
snob than all the rndeness OF the Russian
peer.
However. outsiders see most of the game,
and the sturdy Scotch blood in Kipling
adapted itself TO its surroundings and went
TO work, with the results you know Of.
The British nature Is fair one,
honestly think. We do not catch on TO
merit and worth as quickly as you do. On
the other hand, when We DO recognize II we
hold on to it Loyalty, and no king. queen
nor parliament can interfere with public
favorites standing.
"A clever young American actress, with
whom L had the good fortune TO cross the
Atlantic and managed TO interest on Indian
topics, wrote me later: i am reading Kip
ling with ayidity, but / wish / had you
within hail to translate half of his work for
me. Ii is . nuisance reading kIpllng If one
can't speak HinduStani. What on earth is
a htmutgharP
Now, that is Just like an impetuous
woman. She didn't stop TO think that the
most likely thing man would bawl for in
the middle of his meal would be a servant
Of some sort And all servants in InGia
are divided into rigid castles. each strictly
contlning Itself to one set line OF work, so
that kitmutghar may easily be guessed at
as butler; and il ii should prove to have
been tomahawk, what matter? The story
didn't hinge upon the kitmutghar, or be
sure the artist would have thrown stronger
light upon that picture.
las a matter of fact, very few words
will cover all the HIndustani phrases and
proverbs in kipiDg's works. In India
these are all local slang, and IN Eng and,
where Anglo-Indians are increasing in large
yearly multtudes with retired soldiers and
civilians aud increasing numbers of 'on fur
Tough men from India, they are becoming
everyday slang.
III wouldn't help you. as an American, to
know that woman singing Arch coco,
Jharen coco, is a woman singing n nonSen-
steal baby lullaby about things in the
jungles. BY, baby bunting would answer
your purpose just as well, but II would not
be local coloring, and would be therefore
N nnt a RI nd Is q
realist Of this most realistic period.
Now take my case anu see what those
simple words bring out to me upon the
growing, moving canvas. have to sit per-
fect'y still and watch them. Listen 20 the
description of the picture CLEANING up be-
fore my men tai vision.
Il see picture Of India. The blazing
sun makes Hades of the outside world.
and even inside the great white waled
Government house every one is fretting and
chaflng under the steamy and oppressive
heat
"a lonely little Anglo Indian boy trots
pPeyishly along the veranda, old enough Ia
feel. but not accept, the petty miseTies OF
life pbiiosophically. He has been chased
back from the garden by the bearers and
/ he runs wrathfully down to the Office 10
complain to his father. But the great sahil
Is immersed in important Government dis
patches and big Sepoy sentry absolutely
| refuses passageway to the sacred precincts
OtiitI CtpOyo DtdT away Tie dDRIk,
Cling hoy to n safe distance from the fiery
| 'COronel GubuaT Sahib's' ears.
The forlorn little chap las a happy
thought and wanders up the stairs to seel
| his mother, for be is only years old. and /.
| troubled about something and wants TO bt
| tod il is all imagination.
"But at the threshold of his mother:
| rooms he Is seized by an ayah, as though ht
were committing some great crime, and hur-
ried out into the passage from the grea
cooled punkah-fanned apartments.
"'-S-s-hi The mem-sahib is asleep and
cannot possibly be disturbed and so after
an Intellectual struggle against brute force
| the youngster hurls himself discenseat,
upen the floor and sobs in childish anguish
| starving for the want Of love ana sympathy
denied him on all sides. No, not on al
sides. Hark TO the quick exclamation of the
eager mother seeking her troubled young
one. In another moment pair of brown
arms have picked him up and borne hiu
| away to the back veraDdas. An ugly
tender old face is bending over him rs it,
owner sinks into rocker. and presently
gathered into his own ayah's arms rocking
gently 10 the sweet familiar song OF
"Areh coco ihsreh coco
Jungul Dukki bearo.
| lie falls contentedly asleep. That is tn,
| picture those four words bring back to ne
and more than that. think somewhere il
the great mystery around. as my heart goe'
out to meet MY good old ayah and thanh
her with present understanding of tn,
love that so carelessly accepted in thos,
days. 1t reaches her somewhere and glad
deDs her.
81 needn't tell you what an 'ayah' means
need /? Ii had spoken of my nurse Z
| large-hearted. honest, blowsy-vsaged Eng
| lish woman would have GOT mixed up witt
my wrinkled, brown, old Indian ayah anC
| confused my picture. We must be reals-
| tic nowadays. IL would read funny fo
| you to see a Californian story in which
| cowboys were described as cattle heIds
| men or 'ru5bers' as 'soloshes, 1eggins' al
'gaiters,' and so on"
What does Kipling mean by his con
| slant reference to the hills?
"Yon must understand that life for tn,
| Anglo-lndian is divided into three geo
graphical stages of existence, namely, tn,
| plains. the hills and home
'"Jhe bulk of cities and populations bein!
upon the plains of India, the Government
| officers, military environments and officers
| quarters are all stationed upon the piaipl
at the centers of population.
'ln autumn, winter and spring the eli
mate is bearable and lie swings easil,
along with all the sports, pastimes anC
| gayeties for which India is noted In tn,
| summer the climate is dreadfulIy trying anC
| unfair upon European constitutions. As
| consequence the nearest hills or mountain
4 are used for the erection of sanitariums Il
| which officers send their wives all through
the summer months, running up for coo
| air anu change of climate themselves when
| ever their official leave falls due or the,
can coax a medical certificate.
''Ti.ese hill sanitariums' develop int
| hill stations with the increase of visitors
the erection of hotels, opening of stores am
4 SO forth.
'1he heights vary according to the geo
| graphical luck of the stations concerne,
| and the amount Of money appropriated fo
| the purpose.
| IPor
| 'bilP 1000 feet high and only money enough
to make a road 1000 feet up the mountain
| There they have TO rest content.
| There are SO many OF these sanitarium
that one speaks generally OF being up il
the hills unless one Is at Sima or Ootaca
| mund. the two most fashionable hill sta
tions of India.
Every summer the Government moves