Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1899-03-30

4 tne quiet lnIO nttle DltS.
1t was in this trying environment
that Kipling nevertheless composed
some of his best things. In couple OF
pages on ''My First Book, " which he
contributed to McClure's four or five
years ago, he told something about the
way in which his verses were written,
saying
''Bad as they were, l burned twice
as many as were published, and of the
survivors at least two-thirds were cut
down at the last moment. Nothing can
be wholly beautiful that is not useful,
and therefore my verses were made to
ease. off the perpetual strife between
the manager extending his advertise
ments and my chief fighting for his
reading matter. They were born to be
sacrificed Rukn-Din, the foreman of
our side, approved of them immensely,
| for he was a Muslin of culture He
would say; Your poetry very good
sir just coming proper length today
You giving more soon Onet third col
! umn just proper Always can take on
third page
''Mahmoud, who set them up, had
an unpleasant way of referring to a
new lyric as Elk aur chiz-one more
thing-which | never liked. The Job
side, too, were unsympathetic, because
l used to raid into their type for private
proofs with Old English and Gothic
headlines Even a Hindoo does not like
to find the serifs of his rs cut away to
make long SIS.
And in this manner, week by week.
my verses came to be printed in the
paper
OF course these verses Immediately
attracted the attention of the English |
exiles in India, and scores of people |
soon began to demand the publication |
Of the rhymes in book form. This was |
a little more than Kipling had bar
gained for when he dashed eff his lines \
as the exigencies Of the paper or the
inspiration of the moment suggested
Here again we may quote his own
words
"a real book was out Of the ques-
ton, but | knew that Rukn-Din and
the Office plant were at my disposal at
a price, if did not use the office time
also | had handled in the previous year
couple Of small books, Of which | was
part owner and had lost nothing So
there was built a sort Of book, lean
oblong docket wire stitched, to initiate
a ID. o. government envelope, printed
on one side only, bound in brown paper
4 . 4 ]
dressed to all heads of departments and
all government officials, and among a
pile Of papers would have deceived a
clerk Of 20 years service OF these
books we made some hundreds, and
a. there was no necessity for adyertis-
ing, my public being to my hand, l took
reply postcards printed the news Of the
birth of the book on one side, the blank
order form on the other and posted them
up and down the empire from Alden to
Singapore and from Quetta to Colombo
There was no trade discount, no reck-
oning twelves as thirteens, no commits
sion and no credit Of any kind what
ever The money came back in poor but
honest rupees and was transferred from
the publisher the left hand pocket, di-
rect to the author, the right hand
pocket Every copy sold in few weeks
and the ratio of expenses 10 profits, as
remember it, has since prevented my
njuring my health by sympathizing
with publishers who talk of their risks
md advertisements.
The price received by Kipling for his
work he regards as nobody's business
)ut his own; nevertheless everybody
will feel a keen interest in The British
Neekly's paragraph ON this subject:
perhaps no one receives such large
,rices for his work as Mr. Rudyard Kip
ing He has contracted TO write eight
tories for one of the magazines next
ear. for each of which he will receive
bout gao. This is simply for the Eng
ish serial rights Of the stories. In ad
ition Mr. Kipling receives payment IS
rom America, India and the colonies
his will probably bring up the price Of II
he stories to about $500 each, making II
A. 600 for the year In addition to this N
ir. Kipling receives the royalties for pl
ook publication in England and Amer
"a. luis VIII not huOuuL 10 less tDdn ~
bout CA, 600. so that for each story the
uthor ultimately receives not less than
/, 600 Whether these high prices will
Q kept mp is very doubtful If the
leap magnetism succeeds in injuring
he older periodicals they cannot be IS
iaintained II remains to be seen
neither the public cares much for #
lmes. and il must be remembered that "a
le papers with the largest circulation II
this country do not depend upon ~;
imes at all remember some years ago
T. Kipling contributed one of his best =
eces Of work, better work by a great / 4
.al than he has been doing lately, to a
onthly review The editor informed M
e that not one extra copy Of the pc =
)dical was sold VI
Among the first Of the stories Of Kip -
* TO attract attention was THE Man a,
no Would Be King and later came IL
pm his prolific and versatile pen such
scinating stories as The Phantom ~
ckshaw, The Taking of Iungtung- ~