St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1899-04-05
Stories of Kipling.

In a couple of pages on MY FIRST
Book" which Kpling contributed TO
McClure's four or FIVE years ago, ne toiu
something about the way IN WHICH MS
verses were written, saying:
"Bad as they were, / burned twice as
many as were published, and OF the sur
yiyors at least two-thirds were cut Gown
at the last moment. Nothing can DC
wholly beautiful that is not useful ana,
therefore my verses were mace 10 eaee
off the perpetual strife between the man,
aper extending his advertisements ana
nv chief fighting for his reading mater
They were born to be sacrificed. Rukn,
hin the foreman of our side, approved
nj them immensely, for he was MUSTN'T
NJ culture He would say. Your poetry
very good, sir: just coming proper length
today. You giving more soon. one
tb;rd column lust proper. Always can
take on third page Mahmoud, who set
them ND. had an unpleasant way OF re-
ferrine to a new lyric as Elk aur chlz-
one more thing-which never iiKeu'
The lob side, too, were unsympathetic'
because | used to raid in their type ior
private proofs with old English ana
Gothic headlines. Even Hlndoo does
not like to find the serfs of his rs cut
away to make long SIS. And IN TINS
matter. week by week, my verses came
to be printed in the paper
"Of course these verses Immediately at
tracted the attention OF the English OK
lies in India, and scores OF people soon
began to demand the publication OF inc
RHYMES in book form. This was niue
more than Kipling had bargalned tor
when he dashed off his lines as the exi,
oencies of the paper or the inspiration OF
The moment suggested. Here again we
NAV quote his own words;
4 real book was out OF the question:
that knew: but Rukn.Din and the ot1ce
nlant were at my disposal at a price, II !
did not use the Office time. Also, mad
handled in the previous year couple OF
small books, of which was part owner,
and had lost nothing, so there was puilt
sot of book, lean, oblong Docket
wire.stitched, to initiate ID. y. govern
ment envelope, printed on one SIDE only,
hound in brown paper aud secured with
red tape, and addressed to all heads OF
departments and all government othcials'
and among pile of papers would nave
deceived Il CItl IL VI lNNhblt
OF these books we made some nun
dreds, and as there was no necessity 'or
advertising, my public being tony hand
took reply postcards, printed the news
of the third OF the book on one SIDE, INC
blank order form on the other, and post
ed them up and down the empire IRON
Alden to Singapoor, and from Quetta te
Colombo There was no trade discount
and, reckoning tweIves as thirteens' NJ
commission and no credit OF any kint
whatever. The money came back II
poor but honest rupees and was transfer
red from the publisher, the leit-han'
pocket, direct to the author the right
hand pocket Every copy sold in a few
weeks, and the ratio OF expenses TO pro
fits, as remember it. has since preyente
my inuring my health by sympathiz'nn
with publishers who talk OF their RISK
and advertisements.
HIS EARLY DAYS.
AT an early age Rudyard was sent
England for his schooling. He prove
an able scholar, and kept his place in h
classes throughout his career Their
Strange to say, he never seemed to STUD
seriously and continuously as other st
dents, but was always ready tor lal
or some practical joke, which kept HI
frequently in disgrace and prisoner
the school, During his frequent terms
confinement to his quarters he CONCEIVE
the idea of editing a weekly and pubhs
ing school newspaper. This aroused q
admiration of the professors, and TIT
and there he made his first reputation
writer.
In 1882, when only sixteen, he return
to India, and began at once to earn
modest monthly wage as reporter a.
sub.ed.tor of the'Civil and Military I
zette, fourteen-page daily.
Besides occasional reporting outsi
the office, Kipling's daily work on I
Civil and Military Gazette was brett
/. To prepare for press all the telegra
of the day. Q. To provide all the
tracts aud paragraphs. 3. To me
headed articles out of official reports,
4. To write such editorial notes as
might have time for. 5. To look
orally after all sports, out station
local intelligence. 6. To read all pre-
except the editorial matter. He II
have had to do more, but, roughly spe
ing, for a few, very few, hundred:
rupees a month he did the work o
least two men, and in his odd MONT
of leisure wrote his verses and sketc
some of which have been published
He published in India "Departn
Ditties" and "Plain Tales from
Hills" followed by six small hooks
military, native and social life in Ii
including Soldiers Three"
Kipling left India in 1899, and tr
led in China, Japan and America,
thence went to London. He like
work in London, and occupied chan
in Villiers street, just opposite Cha
Cross Station, where he labored freq
" throughout the day and far int
night for he grew enthusiastic over
net idea and was loath to leave 1T
il had taken to itself something lik
manent form. This kind OF thing C
overdone, however, and Mr.. Kip
health was seriously affected by 1t.
the completion of his first novel,
Light That Failed" he found 1t
sary to take long rest.
HOW HE WAS NAMED.
Kipling tells in an interesting N
how he was called Rudyard
Zone day there was picnic 81
the young people of the neighborh
a pretty little English lake betwe
villages OF Rudyard and Rushto
far from Burslem. John Kipling
Of course and there he met prett
lish girl Mary Mcdonald, the da
of Methodist minister at Endon