Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-01-06
Attention Of the World is At
tracted by the Poets
Latest Verse.
His Scathing Rebuke OF the Ma.
ton Causing No End Of
Comment.
Public Amazed at His Slap at
Sports..Some Of the
Lines.

the world in the first days OF the new
year s a poem and that poem is a pas
sionate call to arms directed to the SUI
modern empire.
Kipling's plea for CONSUMPTION in
Great Britain must be regarded as the
climax of militarism and the most omi
nous sign of the times.
1t is too early to describe the effect of
his scathing rebuke of his countrymen
verses may not arouse England but
they will surely do more toward over
coming official ineptitude than any fur
Their lessons the Beers could teach.
The poem which is long. is being
spread turnout the nation. The follow
ing are extracts:
And we sent them comfits and pictures
to help them harry your foes!
And we Wanted your fathomless power
and We Wanted your iron pride,
Ere We fawned on the younger nations
for the men who could shoot and
ride.
Then We returned to your trinkets; then
We contented your souls
With the flanneled fools at the wicket or
the muddied OATS at the goals.
Given to strong de;usion, wholly believ-
ing a lie.
Ye saw that the land lay fenceless and
yet let the months go by,
Waiting some easy wonder, hoping some
oiry,
Idle, openly idle. in the lee of the fore
spent line;
Idle except for your boasting and what
is your boasting worth.
If we grudge a year of service to the
lordliest line on earth?
Ancient. effortless ordered, cycle on
cycle set,
Life SO long untroubled that We who in
herit forget
It is not made with the mountains; 1t is
not one with the deep;
Men, not Gods, devised 1t, men, not
Gods, must keep.
Men, not children or servants, tempered
and taught to the end,
Cleansed of servile panic, slow to dread
or despise.
Humble because Of knowledge, mighty
by sacrifice,
Fenced by your careful fathers, ringed
by your laden seas,
Long did we wake in quiet and long lie
down at ease;
Till We said of strife. what Is 1t? of the
sword, 1t is far from our ken.
Till We made sport of your shrunken
hosts and toy of your armed
men,"
He warns that continuance of indul-
gence in the present insolent ease will
result in the nations remnant lying
down under the yoke. He then proceeds
to demand:
Each man born In the island broke to
the matter of war" which he promises
will result for the salvation of the coun-
try in producing better soldiers.
The first impression on the public
mind was undoubtedly one Of amaze
ment that the national quality of which
English are proudest, the love Of sport.
should be attacked in the singing line:
THE ffanneled fools at the wicket and
the muddied OATS at the goals
This has been like slap In the face
to the whole nation, whose chief con-
Germ at the present moment Is in the
cricket matches in Australia. The coun-
try is already resenting this insult
against its most popular fad, but Kip
iings stroke has assuredly gone deep
enough to cause the most serious self
examination which the season makes
appropriate
England still cries mo" to concrip-
ton, and yet the word has come into the
vocabulary Of practical politics, whereas
two short years ago it was in about the
came category as slavery.
Great Britain's most serious journal.
the Times, endorses Kipl;ng's rebuke,
and while it argues that conscription is
still unnecessary, it proposes compul-
sorry military training in all schools and
suggests subsequent compulsory training
In camps. The idea is endorsed by one
or two commentators in the evening pa
pers, but others rise in angry protest
against CONSUMPTION, the Pail Mall Ga
zette saying:
This cry for universal service Is
mere panic and dangerous panic as
well. We regret that Mr.. kipling should
have lent himself to the viws of narrow
experts with no comprehension of our
military needs"
1t is too early as yet to estimate the
consequences of Kipling's great indict-
ment. 1t will echo and re-echo in the
press and from the platform for many
days, and 1T will have an important ef-
feet not only In shaping public opinion
but in drafting more than one drastic
measure of reform at Westminster.
Kiplng is not the only man who has
flung in the teeth of the British people
bitter, scornful reproaches, at the birth
Of the new year. 1t was q different in
dictment which was framed by Frede
Harrison in New Years address to the
Positivist Society on Wednesday. He
lamented the fact that in the fifty-two
years of his memory of public affairs he
knew Of no time which had filled men of
right mend with such anxiety as the
present cruel war, which could end only
in generations of bitterness and strife.
Parliamentary government had be-
come an abuse without any other sys-
tenn to take it's place. Politicians were
broken up into hostile factions and the
country was becoming the scorn of the
civilized world
MI Harrison said he had uttered his
mind freely about this weary war OF
conquest year ago last New Years
day and all that he had then deplored
as terrible or criminal was now double.
Our terrorism" he said, has driven
the Beers to despair and made the
4. ct L ~.