The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-10-27
kipling's kim"
Eagles Rev ew of the
Latest Popular Book.

Aipling ever wrote in prose. kim was
E boy born IN India Of Irish parents, and
VINO, left an orphan, became a Iow-caste
street boy. Lahore waif; and couse-
ouently native in all save blood, and
the wit, mental initiative and poise which
IS IRISH in adroat OF ali environment. As
Aipling says Of his creation:
He knew the wonderful walled city OF
Lahore from the Delhi gate TO the outer
1ort Ditch; was hand in glove with men
VINO ieC lives stranger than anything
41aroun al Raschid dreamed Of; he lived
n life wild as that OF the Arabian
Nights, but missionaries and secreta-
RES OF charitable institutions could not
see the beauty OF il His nickname
through al the wards was Little Friend
OF All the World And very often, be-
ing 1.-THE and inconspicuoUs. he executed
commissions by night on the crowded
housetops for sleek and shiny young men
OF fashion. It was intrigue. OF course
he knew that much, as he had known
ali evil since he could speak-but what he
loved was the game for its own sake-the
stealthy prowl through the dark gullies
and lanes, the crawl Up z water pipe,
the sights and sounds OF the women's
world OF the. fat roofs, and the head
long flight from housetop TO housetop
under cover OF the hot dark"
This Hindu Tom Sawyer falls IN with a
red lana, a pious man from the north,
becomes his disciple, his travelling com
panion 10 beg for him, and so they set
out over India, the old. learned. 7vriakled
priest hunting with desultory determine
ton lost River Of Healing mentioned
n the Holy Books. This is the theme
which plays through the book, coming
back. sweetly. heroically again and
again-the love OF this yellow old scholar
and the little Irish boy turned TO an ORR
entail by circumstances. Literature offers
nothing more touching.
Now, the genius in Kipling's book Is
this: He has constructed harnouiously
from scene, character. converse, and the
best OF AL he has reproduced with II all
the movement. the rhythm OF India The
story moves slowly, Orientally, with color,
incident and promised climax enough
thrown in 70 dlspel the monotony which
IS surely not n India, but which elbows
almost invariably into books about India.
This is the books great charm, a charm
probably lost IN the story's magazine
publication. for Kim is distinctiveIy in
glliles the reader from his own atnnos-
phere and gets him into India, IN touch
with its color. its castles, its tongues, /
endless and including sven the occasional
'drone and boom" OF Chinese.
Take the description OF the Grand Trunk /
road: And truly the Grand Trunk Road +
IS a wonderful spectacle. t runs straight. I
bearing without crowding, midas traffic 4
.
lie as exists nowhere else IN the world.
Il was wonderful TO kim. There +
were new people and new sights az every
stride-castes he knew and castles that
were altogether cut OF his experience.
They met troop Of long-haired. strong
scented Sansis with baskets OF lizards
and other unclean food OF their backs,
the lean dogs smiling al their heels.
These people kept their own side OF the
road. moving az a quick. furtive Jog-trot,
and al other castles gave them ample
room; for the Sansi Is deep in pollution.
Behind them. walking wide and stifly
across the strong shadows. the memory
Of his leg-irons still On hiZa. st>ode one
newly released from the jail; his fun
stomach and shining skin TO prove that
the government fed its prisoners better
than most honest men could feed them
selves Kim" knew that walk well, and
made shriu Jest OF II as they passed.
Then an AkaI. a wild-eyed, wild-haired
Sink devotee in the blue-checked clothes
Of his faith. with polished steel ouoits
Elistening on the cone OF his tan blue
t1rban, stslked past, returning from
visit 10 one OF the independent Sink
States. where he had been singing the
ancient glories OF the Khalss 70 college
trained princeliags in TOP boots and
brooches. kim" was care
fl not 20 irrftats that nan. Tor the
AkaIfs temper IS short and his arm is
quick Here and there they net or were
overtaken BY the Gsfy dressed crowds OF
whole villages turning out 20 some local {
fair; the women. with their babes on their
hips. walking behind the men, the older I
boys prancing o. sticks OF sugar cane. {
dragging rude brass models OF locomo- 7
tlves, such as they sell for = hSlf-peany.
lr flashing the sun into the eyes OF c
-r betters from cheap toy mirrors.
enc could az glance see what each had 6
bought and II there were any doubt about &
il one needed only 10 watch the wives :
brown arm against brown .
arm. the newly purchased duh glass 6
bracelets that came from the Northwest. c
The merry makers stepped slowly. cali s
ng cut 10 the other and stopping 70 bag 2
-Ie with sweetnest sellers, or 20 make {
/ prayer before one Of the wayside :
ih-ines-sometinaes Hindu. sometimes I
Standardization the low caste OF both y
reeds shared with beautiful impsrtiali- '
= a solid lire Of blue rising and fall $
Y Ike the back Of a caterpillar IN o
,aste, would swing up through the quiv- g
ring dust and trot past 20 a chcrus OF
brill cackiing. That was q sang OF ,
hangars-the women who have taken AL ?
he eubankments Of the Northern rail- a
rays under their charge-a fat-f0oted, q
ig- bosomed, strong-limbed. blUe-petti- q
GATED clan Of earth-carriers hurrying q
.orth or news OF 3 job and wasting 10 =
inc BY the road. They belong % the T
aste whose men do not count. and 5
hey walked with squared elbows, and +
winging hips and heads on high. as suits a
women who carry heavy loads. 4 little s
ster q marriage procession would strike r
,to the Grand Trunk with music and 4
houtings. and smell u marigOld and n
asuine. stronger even than the reek OF II
he dust one could see the brides n
hooly. q blurr OF red and tilsel. stasEer- II
y through the haze. while the bride y,
rooms bewreathed pony turned aside 70 81
sstch q nnouthful from a Passing fodder c
art. Then kin would 5oia Jhe Kent =
= IRE Of good wishes and broad jokes. Z.
-ishfng the couple a hundred sons and 10 2,
auehters. as the saying Is SIN more ns
,+e-estinE and more TO be shouted over n
vas when q strouing 5eweier with some %