The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-03-27
MR.. KIPLING AT SCHOOL
a TELLOW-PUPIL RELATES SOME IN
TEREsTING "REMINISCENCES.
Franks and Incidents That Account
for the Peculiar Conduct of Messrs.
..StnIky and Company
Michael G. White. in the Independent.

IL Is generally conceded that I'm the lives
| Of all men who rise to great distinction the
| infiuerces which are brought to bear upon
| them during their earlier years leave marks
| which are never effaced. that in the boy is
| 10 be discerned much OF the forthcoming
| man.
As in the case of Charles Dickens this APP
| pears also, in measure. to be that of the
| foremost literary man OF the end of the CEN
| fury. Rudyard kipling, who was better
! known to the writer as simply Gigs
| Gigs the irrepressible fellow. always in some
harmless mischief. always playing off some
| joke upon either one of the masters or his
schoolfellows. no respecter of persons. and
/ not caring one jot what good or evil opinion
those held of him with whom he came in
daily contact
And this trend OF disposition was certainly
| inclined to be fostered by the environment
| in which Kipling found himself at the
United Service College. Westward Ho. dur
ing the six or seven years between the time
he left India child and returned to that
| country almost a man.
Shortly before his first arrival in England
| the United Service College had been founded
! with the principal object of educating the
| sons of civil and military Anglo Indian Off
4 GERS at Westward Ho. North Devon border
| ing on that romantic country made known
| to many readers by Blackmore's Lorna
4 Doone"
/ Whether it was that the authorities of the
1 school considered 1t good policy. i'm order TO
retain the hundred and twenty odd scholars
| they had already secured and to encourage
| others to join the college. not to enforce too
| strict discipline. one cannot tell; but GER
| tainly the order maintained was decidedly
| lax, the boys being permitted TO roam over
the country in predatory bands bird nest
| ing. poaching for the love of the danger
| and engaging in desperate fights with the
| Appledore "cads," in which the victory was
never admitted to be on the side of the lat
ter.
1t is safe to say that it was not long before
| the farmers and country folk came to most
strongly disapprove of the new establish
ment at Westward Ho. for which there is
also no doubt ''Stalky, McTush and Beetle
| were not little responsible
The chief field of adventure however. per-
haps for one reason because from the first
it was put strictly 'out CT bounds" was the
great cliffs of Bideford bay, stretching from
| Westward Ho for sixteen miles by Clovelly
to Hartland point. and in places from three
to four hundred feet high-North Devon S
| massive ramparts against the furious on
slaughts of Atlantic waves.
Up and down these dizzy heights the boys
would climb, sometimes with the aid of a
| rope, but more often alone trusting to
steady nerves and agile feet, In search of
birds eggs and young jackdaws, for which
latter there was always good market in
| the school. Both in securing and i'm train
ing the birds Kipling and his two chums
were regarded as experts.
SOME HARSH LESSONS.
The whole life at the college was of a very
| rough and tumble description, which, looked
at from Il certain point of view may per-
haps have been good one. a lesson how
To receive with equanimity any subsequent
buffets OF fortune. The cane was in fire.
quent use. both on the part of the masters
and the projects upper sixth form boys
TO whom the greater part of the out OF
school order was delegated. but which chas.
tizing the boys took very much in the way
! of joke.
The dormtories were long, bare, unheateC
/ rooms. perishingly cold in winter. but from
the windows of which wide view could bt
had of the Bristol channel. with the cliff:
or Lundy island looming up upon the fal
storm ragged and shook the foundations o
the building. the boys would be awakened
| by the distant booming of the signal gun oil
Northam Burrows announcing that som,
| unlCclSy vessel was in distress BideforC
bar. Next day the boys would hurry dowI
} / the long stretch of shore to view the almos
, l cert2 in wreck.
Although the fees at the college were de
| cidesny high, the food supplied. though o.
fair quality, was cooked and served up in
, an abominable manner. the carving OF tn,
i | masters. who themselves Jared sumptuousl,
. | in a room of their own, being of that Gu
> and slash description by which Il hungr!
| yodngster might receive either "a cindereC
; | ,norsel that would cause ferret to turn uI
i huge chunk OF
! and half raw meat sufficient TO delight thu
r \ jaws of a tiger.
| whispered through the school that the coun
, | ell was coming, when shortly after. two o
l three important looking individuals de
, | seconded upon the college from somewhere
\ and. escorted by the head master and tn
| secretary. made tour of inspection. on
. | such occasions the dinner was all that coult
be desired, the meat well cooked. and. wha
, | was more TO the point. plenty of spots IL
i the dog, or currants in the pudding, o
, | which each boy received n most liberal por
, | ton. On beholding and tasting such fare. 1
Is needless ITO, to say; the council expressst
boys! there was the next day, when tn
| council had returned to the place from
This unpalatable and unappetizing die
| necessitated liberal patronage Of tn
tuck man, as the varying means of tn
I | individual would permit, and from whom
; favorite order was jam. bun and cream.
| for two pence, or four cents. upon a rapit
1 | succession of which the author of tn,
| White Mans Burden did oftentimes grea
| execution.
NOT A STAR PUPIL.
: 1t is coincidence. worthy of notice t.
| those parents whose children are not per
| haps, so devoted to their books as Nigh
seem desirable, that not only Kipling bu
both his chosen companions evinced little
ambition TO stand at the head of "a class
| The whole world is aware Of the pedesta
upon which one of the three now stands
but IL may be interesting also TO call e
mind the fact that the other two. when thu
time came passed brilliantly into the scien
| tifie branch of the British military service.
An an illustration of KipliEg's behavior IN
| class. there was a certain geography master
| who greatly favored the drawing of sections
/ or the earth'S surface. showing the noun
| tain ranges, rivers. lakes, seas, strata, etc.
| and which were generally executed by hi
f; pupils on sheets of foolscap.
| At first the master was cOntented will
| quite ordinary distances between two giveI
| points from London to Edinburgh. Paris
| TO Berlin. and forth; but gradually M
| came TO tengthen them out to alarming
| extent-Chcago to Timbuctoo Nladivostocl
| 10 Goa. Cape Town To Moscow. which. Will,
/ / embarrassed nf no hCx esffrr