Semi-weekly Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1897-1901, 1901-08-27
THE AMERICAN TENDENCY
TO GO TO EXTREMES.
Az Ilustrated In the Chahee W
ABOUT Kipline-Some OF inc h'"e""-
For IL,
From the New York Sun J

From the New York Sum-
II seems sometimes that many
Americans have singular glit 1or
setting up and casting down i"olS;
For few weeks somebudy Is pralseu
and netted extravagHntly made nsro
and deni.cod. Millions read raptiy
IF the color of his hair ard CT his
favorite breakfast dishes. Before
long. safety and reaction come II
the statue before which the wo'shlpers
loved TO kneel the canse only the iee1
of clay ard they throw bricks at tue
head which they used 10 "reatne
with roses. Recent American 10
stances of this tickleness OF popular
favor are not wanting, bet 1t Is mora
polite TO take az English example.
When Rudyard Kiplirg lay ct the
point Of death, as was Supposed IN
this town. there was n surprising
demonstration OF 60 general p1nlic
repret. la fact, it was little TOO
general and eStravagant tn bn hnso-
lutely simple and sincere. Some OF II,
we snspsct. was merely oil Indication
of the extent to which Mr. hipllng
was Known. great muny persons
| had read his books. but great mary
more had read about them and him ID
I the newspapers. We don't imagine
that the car conductors ard elevator
hoys and policemen who showed such
a solicitude for his health were or are
| in the hebit of stuuyirg his works.
For The moment he was d great pub &c
character. Just as Cresceus is today or
Fitzsimmons was a few months ago
At any rate a vast amount Of sensl'
bility was shown. Mr. kipllng was
made much of, taken to the bosom oil
the American people, all but drowned
| in the ocean of molasses. 30 he went
| his way and his American wnrshlppe's
vent their way and forgot about HIM
mostly. Life is short and Just at
present it is fall of ''bes selling
rovels witch you must read or rad
about Literary taste changed. II
| the MISS Nancys of criticism, all the
droolcrs Of sapless commonplace, all
/ the tame cats OF Literature spat ard
sputter at this wretched kipling. He
vas low, be vas brutal, ne was Iro-
! fame, be was Vulgar; be Tas-in short,
| he was wildcat aud no pretty little
! drawiug.room russ. Tne South
African war broke out. So did Mr.
Kipli?e. Berg thorough going
British imperialist patriot, eide. That
gave the American ant,.K ipli CITES a
hold. Probably the majority of Amer
leans sympathize with the Beers
| Here was an excellent opportunity to
jump upon the brutal imperlsllst
! Kipling. Some of his war verses
have not been admirable from lit
erary point of view, but his purpose
in writing them was not literary. tie
! knew he was sure Of a great auaience.
No other living Englishman is so
heard ny the far flung British lire, as
| he would say, the Greater England.
His latest production Is had poetry !;
it 10 rot poetry at all; hut it is a
piece OF military ard administrative
criticism which he wants to hammer
into the heads of bis countrymen.
From We don't krox how many
new spapers. poll -parrotting, one
another, comes squswk over Kip
lirg's degenera2y, the waning of his
genius, his inhumHnity and so or.
The Absent Minded Beggar' is
poor stuff enough in form, but 1t is
anything but "heartless. " 1t is an
appeal TO the heart for the men who
are fighting EnPlNnd's battles Mr.
nipllng's cal acity for tho generous
syn pathy with fallen foe is evident
in his verse on Gen Jouhert. We
quote from memory one stauZa:
| ale shall not meet the onset of our van
In the doomed city when we close the score,
! But DER his grave, that holds noble man
our deep. mouthcd guns shall answer his once
more.
Great or little, bad or good, Kip
ling has not charged. He is the same
Kipliug that was slobered over by
men who abuse him now. He is
paying the penalty of extravagant
praise, Most of the present censure
of him is just as excessive.