New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-04-07

fGr granted: and ii is what MI NlpnhE mas 10
say that counts rather than the way IN Whlch ne
saws it. His mastery over language Is great.
His imaginative authority is greater, including
the other gift and for the profound source OF his
strength il is necessary 10 go To his understand
ing Of the passions which sway his figures. to his
insight into the hearts of men. women. children
and beasts. to his control over essentially human
material 1t is his knowledge which makes Mr..
Kiniinr mastprlv writer He illustrates the
exact correspondence between the word and the
Thought the word and the thing which is the
prcrogative Of genius. Take, for example,
somewhat grewsomc line from My Own True
Ghost story" the second sentence in the tale.
''Thore are in India ghosts who take the form
Of fat cold pobby corpses. and hide in trees near
the roadside till a traveller passes Is 1t neces-
sary to point out the adjective which makes TINS
description cut to the bone? or, for another OUT
Of numberless specimens. turn 10 that passage III
"Kaa's Hunting" which describes the swift jour
nry Of the great serpent through the jungle
''Kaa seemed 70 pour himself along the ground,
finding the shortest road with his stead! eyes
and keeping to it," The pour of this sentence
is little less than an inspiration; 1t eXempllhes
the perfect establishment of that intimacy ne
tween language and its fittest mcaping which in
metrical performance makes great poetry In
noetic literature the phrase for this quality Is
felicity With Mr. Kipling it might be used also
were it not that It conveys. besides. sense OF
language admired for its own sake, for its pure
literary value: and one striking phase OF our
authors development Is that his words never
lngcr in the memory as lovely In themselves.
They are perfect rather. impeccable ana mag
zeal. in their imagery in their interpretatNe
mower in their presentation Of ideas with truth
as fresh as 1t is flawless. Carry the analysis
further from the word TO the phrase. from the
phrase to the sentence. and so on up 10 the
page. or even to the finished tale. and you oh
serv. with delight the absence Of mere verbal
charm. the concentration upon the subject mat
ter with simplicity of diction that is almost
naive at the same time trat it is SO cxouisitely
nraciso Many fine illustrations to enforce this
point might he cited as the tempt" interior AT
Rerares wherein Mulvancy experienced his
,ouora bic Incarnation: the deserted. monkey-rid-
den civ Cold LARS sought In the neart OF the
iunrl. by the heroes Of "Kaa's Hunting the
rhastlv sandpit with It's living dead men in The
strange Ride Of MorroWbic Jukes." or any on"
~ those masterpieces Of descriptive writing
through which M. Kipling has made us AT nome
in India. at home among It's sculpturod temples
and palaces It's diugy bungalows. nS rahr"ad'
and st. barracks. Hut perhaps NOR" brilliant IN
its vital qualities than anything els" In the long
list Of pictorial trumphs with which ms pages
are studded Is the passage devoted To spring IN
the Jungle which Mr.. Kipling has imbedded IN
the story called In the Rukh." There you haV"
a natural magic which might nave driven
Thorcau 10 envy Nh Kip.ing offers no meta
physics in this work. lie gives You tn" sights
and sounds and smells e the forest; he tells You
how in summer through the furious May heats,
the rukh rcclcd IN the haze" and when Moweli
enters upon the scene the extraordinary w'l'
child. whose adventures make tho stun ~ IN"
Jungle Book" he comes with no Implication ~
psychological audacity on his creators part but
as a natural being at one with the whole mar
vcllous world t. which the tale gives reality
Then came the rains with roar. and the rukh
was blotted ont in fetch after fetch Of warm
mist and The broad leaves drummed the nigh,
through under the big drops. and there WAS
noise Of running water and Of Juicy green stun
cracking where the wind struck H. and the
lightning wove patterns behind the dense mat
ting Of the foliage TIL the sun broke loose again
and the rukh stood with hot TANKS smoking to
the newly washed sky. Then the heat and the
dry cold subdued everything to tiger color again.
There IL no sense of literary craft here. You
sec the rIkh itself and with that YOU are NOR"
than content. you feel your expcrienc" - natur"
widcned through the gift ~ one 10 whom nature
unveils her secrets YOU are gratihcd with that
indescribable sensation which genius alone pro-
vidcs.
Here. on a fragment - his prose In is most
plant and revealing form. We may leave III" con-
sheraton 81 Mr. Kipng's writings. as prose.
There remain for discussion those generic quail
ties in him which move You t. laughter or 4"
tears the throb ~ adventure. the poetry
Of romance the racy fun and sarcasm. tn"
faith and cynicIsm. the shudd"r ~ animal
fear and the exhllaration ~ animal delight.
which make his men masculine his women
women the latter even In spite ~ them
selves This last qualification is rather forced
upon us in abiding TO Mr.. Kiplings feminine
,vnoe the Mrs IIauksbecs and Mrs. Gadsbys.
who. on the whole. outnumbcr the Ameefas 81
his tales. 1t is hard to admit that the hand that
drew the heroine Of without Benefit Of Clergy
was in It's normal state when It se' itself To
cbronicIlnc the small iecr Of fas; Indian society.
But Ameera proves and does many another
woman in this crowded gallery. that Mr.. Kip
ung's heart is in the right place. that he has ten
dcrnass and taste a. well the smart ViVacity
90 roticoabl I'm his sketches Of 1Simla iiirts And
to turn to his men. who are his major dramats
rcrsonae l. to forget all reservations. I" accept
| them al once for closc companions. They are
genuine men and therefore irresistible" more win
! ming In their faults than many a polished hero of
| roster romance. They are profan" but they are
! generous; they are sometimes chivalious but
they are never too good. and their creator intro
ducos them with much sympathy. with ="
| much humor that they might almost carry con
| yc,ion to a realist. We say almost" for 1t II
| hardly t. be assumed that a realist could quite
accept Mr. Kipling's situations. in the last resort
! For pure audacty they are unique They are
superb in their originality in their weirdness I'm
! the Imagination they presuppose, In elements of
! exotic bcwilderment which the lover Of modern
psychology and Of scenery from ar nm" TN" cor
ncr must find AZ meodramatc as The Castle 81
Otranto" The lover Of romance finds In them the
rost salient and most fascinating c''l"rs 81 Mr.
| Kiplings individuality. For humor OF quality
| nc novel and as rich az any in literature read