The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-08-23
KIPLING AND THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
A Few Remarks Based ON a Recent
CrawfOrdsville Incident.
Literature.

1t seems to be an inevitable experience
In the progress of a truly great writer from
other sSme snnds eHas ho one pes1Go or an.
will rise UP and call him immoral, with the
result that thereafter that authors books
are excluded from the shelves of that par
ticular superintendent's Sunday-school IA.
brary.. Mr.. kipling is now suffering from
this distinction. the worthy head of an In
diana Sunday school having decided that the
work Of the author of the jungle books Is
unit reading for the young, and, perhaps.
700 powerfully constructed to be easily on.
set by the teachings of the institution over
which he presides. The gentleman is surely
to be congratulated upon his courage, If not
upon his literary Judgment. When one con-
siders the wonderful hold that Mr.. KiplinR
has upon the attention of the English
speaking people all over the world 1t be-
comes at once evident that IL is, indeed. a
brave thing for an Indiana Sunday-school
superintendent to characterize his work as
immoral; and as for its fitness for the
young, he must, indeed, be a person Of I'M
usually strong convictions who will place
his own Judgment against that OF those &C.
complished educators of the periodical for
great portion of Mr. Kipling's writings.
Editors are, of course, not infallible, but we
think IL a safe assertion TO make that the
esteemed student OF the literary require
ments OF young people, through whose ac-
quiescence Mr.. Kipling's efforts along juve-
lie, Is about the least fallible in the profess
sion she adorns. Wherefore, IL would be
manifestly unwise to accept as final, or. in
49, "a kAlO
dictum of the gallant Quixote of Indiana
II may be, as the Boston Transcript AYERS,
that this gentleman is able to fall back upon
a precedent that Boston regards as distin-
guished. 1t may. indeed, nave happened
that a ~well-known divine some years ago
caused the exclusion of Mr.. kipling from a
similar library In the classic shades Of Cam
bridge, because the story complained OF
held up before the boys who read it the
most drunken, despicable sort Of character
as an ideal hero" We say IT may be that
this happened, and, seeing the statement
that II ola happen in the Transcript, we
ii really SO came about. But we find IL lard
to convince ourselves that there Is not some
error In the expression or the clergyman's
reason. Our respect for the clergy is SO
great that we cannot quite bring ourselves
to think OF one OF them making so palpabla
a misrepresentation as that Mr.. kiplin4
ever held up a drunken, despicable sort OF
character as an ideal" II is needless to
thing of the sort. If he were the kind OF a
man who could or would do that sort OF
thing he would not be the positive force in
life and in letters that he is to-day, and IL is
known TO all who can read between the lines
that have come from Mr.. kipling's pen that.
If there is one thing he has set out to do In
his literary work, II is TO place before the
minds of his tmpressionable readers lofty
ideals of manhood and of human sympathy.
Mr.. kipling has, OF course, written books
that should not be placed on the shelves OF
Sunday-school Libraries, but these books are
not to be excluded; they should simply not
be included. The Sunday-school superin-
tendent capable of realizing the distinction
modesty withal which should prove a shin
ing example to those whose moral welfare
he has at heart. To first include an unsuit-
able book, and then with public pronounce
able vacillation Of mind and suggests Q
taste for self-advertisement.