The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-30

ana the result 1uSttneS the statement OF q
friend that Kipling's memory is so mar
velous that character or phrase or sit
uation idea appealing TO him is forever
after in his possession. ready on tap for
literary exploitation" He tells us himself
that his tales were collected from all
places and all sorts of people-from priests
in the Chubari from Ala Var the carver,
Jiwun Singh the carpenter. naneless men
in steamers and trains round the world;
women spinning outside their cottages in
the twilight, officers and gentlemen now
dead and buried, and few, but these are
the best, my father gave me"
In the preface to "Lifes Handicap" ne
relates the advice he received from Gobind,
a holy man in the Chubari: God has made
very many heads. but there is only one
heart in all the world among your people
or my people. They are children in the
matter of tales Tell them first of
those things that thou hast seen, then what
thou hast heard, and, since they be chill
dren, tell them of battles and kings, horses.
devils. elephants and angels, but omit not
to tell them of love and such like" AL
this Kipling has done, except to devils
and angels. There is little of the super
natural in his work. There is no magician
who grows tall trees while you hold your
breath ana no Sndke-CndIn6T except NOW.
gil. the jungle child. There are. however,
not infrequent references to native super
stition. We find striking example in the
apology of Bahadur Khan for killing his
master: HE said he was a handsome child,
and patted him on the head, wherefore my
| child died. wherefore / killed Imray Sahib."
| THE Strange Ride of Morrcwbie Jukes'' in
| troduced him to another, and even worse,
| superstition, while 1.-THE House of Sudhoo"
| furnishes a peculiar combination of super
stition and ''black art"
| Nowhere does Kipling show a finer per-
| ception than in dealing with children, ana
especially in telling of their SORROWS. Little
| Muhamid Dina tiny, plump figure in a
| ridiculously inadequate shirt, which came
| perhaps, halfway down the tubby stom-
ach"-is the hero of a pathetic story of a
| short life. Little Tobrah, orphaned and
alone with a blind sister, whom he thrusts
| in well, ''for it is better to die than to
| starve," fathoms the depths of childish
misery "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep" is so
| realistically told that ones curiosity is
aroused to know whether Ixipling himself
had not at some time figured as a black
sheep in the estimation Of an "Anti-Rosa,"
whose method of training children consist
ed of portrayals of the wrath of God ami
|
/ terly fearless young pagan, about six years
old''-who "broke the holy calm of the SUI
| preme Legislative Council in order that
| the members might assist him to coerce
too lively goat-is a very interesting young
ster. So, too, is Wee Willie Wrinkle, who
| has high notions of honor.
THE ANIMAL STORIES.
! The jungle stories give us a wonderful
| picture of animal life They are fairy
| stories in sense, but they are not like
| other fairy stories lever thought or won
| dered." There are no giants or griffins or
| elves or squidge-i-cum-squee that swallers
themselves From the camel, with is
| silly neck a-bobbin like a basketful G.
snakes and HATH the elephant. the hero
| of the Sack of Bhurtpore down TO the
| little mongoose that calls upon Nag the
| cobra to come UP and dance with death,
| they are ordinary animals with ordinary
| limitations, except that they have in their
midst the man-child Mowgli and that they
| have the power OF speech. Otherwise wa
| find the regulation talon and tush and
claw" and the presence Of Mowgli and Of
| speech does not lessen 1.-The risk and the riot
| of night" The stories of Mowgli are full
of freshness and vigor. The style is cap.
tivating and attains probably higher de.
| gree of literary excellence than any OF
| Kipling's other prose writings. Some Of the
laws of the jungle, which were taught to
| Mowgli, might well be incorporated in other
codes, especially that which runs:
| But the head and the hoof of the law
| And the haunch and the hump is-Obey"
| Indeed the latter seems to belong not
alone to the jungle in India. Discipline duty
| and obedience permeate both the civil and
military government. They were in Scott's
| "a
led young Devin-when his men deserted
| hinl-to stand his ground, sobbing you've
killed me, you cowards,' as he dropped,
| cut by an Afghan knife, from the shoulder
| strap to the center of the chest" And they
and shame-pulled these same ''cowards'
| back again into the fight until "as a sponge
| is chased round the bath tub by the hand
| of the bather, so were the Afghans chased
| by them. They held men to their places in
| famine and epidemic, in heat that charred
| in solitude that threatened insanity.
Most story writers have given woman th0
| star part she has been the leading figure
| around which men were stationed in more
or less submissive attitudes Her joys or
| sorrows, or the joys or sorrows occasionedL
| by her, have been the theme. When she,
| left the stage the curtain dropped Kip
| ling has rather reversed this order. Even
| in those stories where love appears man Is
| generally the essential element and woman
| an incident, so far as the action is con-
| cerned. He tells of all sorts and conditions
| of men. There is at least one pink and
| fnttish youth" There is "a man-dowd."
| There is one who carried the curse of an
unstaunched speech" There are two bold
| bad drummer boys who did everything
| but lie." There is Gunga Din, 'the finest
man ever knew who is now, accord
ing to his blographer.
"Squattin' on the Goals,
Givin' drink to poor damned souls"
| There are gentlemen rankers, out on a
| Spree"
OTHER TYPES
There are many stories of clean, whole
some fellows who knew their work and did
it. We are not often advised whether these
men are large or small, fat or thin, hand
some or otherwise. These elements do not
enter much into their work, which speaks
for them.
Lieut. Bobby Wick, who, when cholera
was on, was more in request in the hospital
tents than the chaplain. Osborne, who did
his work in the solitude of the forest and
who knew Mowgli. Yardley-Orde, the head
of the district. who died at his post, and
Tallantire, his deputy. Strickland OF the
police department, who "dabbled in I'M
savory places" who knew the lizard song