The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-04-23


knowsedxed Nr. Kfpiing's genius. we
depreeasa, and euaeavored to account for
His exsravasant popularity.
In this connection. says q London PERI
odscal. @the beginning OF NJ hpling's
leaserszip vas the .sR1e<saonaLr
II that poen 10 the foundation 81 his per-
sonai fame. which ..folas In" at least. all
who speak his language en- this orb O.
the earth let Us for q moment vfex II
with q critics eye. to discover. II We can,
how firm a foundation it Is, To pAss it,
in2erfectiens by would neither - COM
pliuensary 20 II sor TO IT. author.
That the Greater Of the brave but drunk
en-. rolHcking and Notwithstanding in-his-
ossn-liSsss Muiya ney; but the verscious
chronacier OF the life and license of the
British solaier In India, sswhere the best
is Ike. the worst" .swhafs there arer's no
ten commandments etc: that the aa-
thor OF the Ballad OF the Bolivar. whose
sailors exult in escape from storm and
ned. we euchred God Almightys storm.
bluffed the eternal sea-" that the narrator
Of poor Tpmapp1e trS1kaasp1tg Heath.
worlds 1t cut him like knife" and, that
made British officers dying Kosiem
sweetheart. with her last breath. and with.
at least, as mucn pathos as biasphemy.
make her Mohammedan prayer into a
powerful declaration OF love to her lover.
There is no God but thee, beloved
could and should write so humble. penn
tent and pious as well as grand an ode as
the RecessioTlal, was enuegh to astonish
anyone. and il especially astonished and
pleased all Engiish-speaking clergy and
college professors the world over They
saw. or thought they saw In him sort OF
converted ST. Paul The influence of the
church and OF universities, colleges and
other seminaries, Is sometimes decried.
We think Kipling's fame illustrates its
power. Another illustration OF this same
power is found in the fact that the only
book whose sale exceeds that of kipling's
books is Moody's Hymn Book,
There is still another reason why the
English admire this ode. 1t is said to have
been composed at their good queens sug-
gestion for her Jubilee and shows Kip
ling most eloquent and patriotic advo-
cate Of imperialism. Why should this
endear him to US? Now it may seem Hog
icaI and absurd to find fault with a hymn
fer being religious, yet We consider the re-
ligious by no means the grandest element
in the Recessonal. The religion Ia X is
summed up in the expression, Lest We
forget" Lest We forget what? Our de-
pendence upon and our obligations to the
Almighty? So DO it. but what has that to
do with the burden of the song the trans
itiveness of all the .'pomp and glory OF this
world? VIII not Englands as well as
our little might pass-whether she or
We remember or forget? whether we pos
sess humble and contrite hearts or not?
whether we indulge in frantic boast and
foolish word" or not? We confess that we
have heard this '.lesr We forget so
harped upon. so many changes rung in it,
that we are sick and tired Of 1t. and would
We could forget 1T. Does one mild criti-
eism need any apology, when Kipling
himself thought there was enough that
was puerile In it to consign ii to the waste
basket. from which, they say. 1t was res
cued by his wife,
Whatever his faults no one can call
him too superstitious or sickIy sentiment
tai But it is not all maudlin or bum
combe
The "farfiung battle line
SAC ana shouting uleS
THE captains and tne kings DEPART
Far called our navies melt away
'On dune and headlapd sinks the fire.
'Lo. all our pomp of yesterday
Is one with Ninevah and Tyre."
I'm reeking tube and iron shard"--and
"Ali valiant dust that builds on dust!"--
are noble expressions, somewhat weak
ened. Of course. by the rest of the poem
The best or this poem is but gorgeous
radiation upon the hackneyed old sic
transit gloria mundi. Shakespeare, of
course. leads Ia this as In almost every
line Of thought and expression.
The cloud-cappd towers. the gorgeous
palaces.
The solemn temples. the great globe itself.
Yea, all which IL inherit, shall dissolve
And like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind
Shakespeare's statue in our ffor ara we
not all subjects OF King Shakspearc?')
grandest temple, Westminster Abbey,
holds In its hand q scroll upon which can
be deciphered. of this passage. only tae
words abe solemn temples thus. for at
least several centuries, furnishing a tri-
unphant protest against this very proph-
ecy of his.
Another much admired variation. upon
this same theme is found at the close of
Macaulay's review of Mtfordfs Greece.
where the great critic looks forward 10
the time when q lone fisherman WILL be
rienaing his nets on the spot where Lon
don now stands by the river or ten thou
sand masts
Rare Old Ben Jouson says OF Shakespeare.
''He was uei of an age. bur for all time"
We can Justly and truly say Of Kipiing
not. perhaps. that he IL for all time but
that he IL the NEST considerable voice of
this age and generation. which sufficiently
accounts for the ssrofg hold he nas upon
our common race.
Having presumed 10 gently scan IA sa-
cred ode. and We fear thereby shocked
sone Of our good readers, we shall en-
deayor- 10 o:Yses thls hscuhratiass by Print
ing elsewhere Two ~ his witty society Tyr
les His muse lightly trips Prom grave
ia gay. fraIn lively 10 severe" Oar read
erS VII perhaps thank US for calling their