New-York tribune., 1899-12-17
SOLDIER AND ARTIST.

TWO KINDS Of ABSENT MINDED BEGGAd
Max Beerbohm in The Saturday Review.
Thackeray declares. in the twenty-s!xth cAi
ter Of "Pendenns," that he, Ike Warrirg.
is quite ready % protest against the d0ct-
that men of letters. and what is called gen
are % be exempt from the prose duties o. 2
daily, bread winning. taXpaying life and
not 10 be made 10 work anu pay like thei. nag
bors" | suspect that Mr. Kip.ing. also, wa
be quite ready % protest" Nor, / at
would ThaCkeray have disapprOVcd Of The 4
sent-Minded Beggar' If be- had heard IL red
in the cave Of Harmony (Or whatever the ?.
was called. And yet the doctrine Of that pf
is on all fOurs with the very doctrine" vi
made him and Warrington SO angry. For DO
good work the man Of letters OF Ot any other
is as poorly rewarded 10y his country as is
soldier in time Of peace. and his very power
good WOrk-that constant abstraction ani
sorption without which good Work caanil
done-dOes disable him from performing n
and prOfitably the prose duties u ciizegs
He like the soldier, IS i'll balanced, loFS.
Nature has not given it him both ways
is a creature 10 be dealt gently with, % Be- I
given many lapses 70 be 'let or many III
which other men must be made 90 perform !
ia. moreover. creature 10 be- endowed os.-
he cannot earn, and because his efforts 70 a
are the destruction Of his work. This Seems
Mr. Kiplug's parallel plea seems 10 you 81
robust and righteous. II NJ K!p.tg 4
called the artist-and how apt.y he 1a
have called him.-an "Absent-Minded B5s'E
and made him the subject Of an appaa. % n
YOU would not have given single shining |
he had said:
When you've had your glut of "N-kob' 7
"StIky" the unClean, ..-..
when you've chucked the bones ot 'D09
the crows, -
VIII you kindly drop 4 shilling 10 my A'D' I
BOURNE ~.
you would doubtless have Sont even h' ~
BOURNE empty away. And yet. IS the af,s,i
not one for pity and homage and SuccoI. -
not he, too, rcnOunce and I've hardly "
and Obedient and enduring True. al DIS =.
he accepts willingly. because he lo,'
He rejoices in his work But SO does 70.
in his. The soldier loves fighting; ou' ~
make him less hero? The soldier wy
twenty men is hOnored by you. rlgnt! >, -,
courage. But the artist may produr :" "a.
pleasure twenty masterpiece, ana 30,
them-if you take them Al alas - -.
course For him whom your charity NE
able TO produce masterpieces you '@A '@1
thought whatsoever. Il admit tha'' il -, d
fund might be rather hard 10 adnlihI''
creetly) And the mere notion tha' sueI 4,
is to be pardoned, on account ot ms lY'r' ~.r..
thing which would be unpardonaole u - "a
that is altogether outside the rahse -
comprehension. Yet Mr.. kpllng can " " 80
your hearts and your minds ana yVuI
for the soldier The contrast is signliT4,,ss y.
art Of warfare still appeals 10 you az,
arts still appeal only % an emoa'l as. rs
Do not imagine that / think singls !, asl
shillings for the Kiplins fund mlssNem ,.si,s
admire less warmly than YOU those VA,
courage and endurance which your So.n n
displaying | am as much moved do -,
glory and horror OF war But ny 6ss sgi
not bounded by my admiration OF me W.
displayed in actual violence. Ar ""
heroes for me-.