The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1903-02-08
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4 Distorted Facts
-. R. F.rEnAn. c0pyrisht.l

,.,. R. FREEMAN. copyrisht)
M p. rev Rudyard Kipling a hundred years
4 ~ fame =, Of course, from his works
10 row II - founded upon his short stories
ift w snd his verse. Both are essential
lpiin w n ;nasination, but works in which
srd q - he children of his imagination,
/, hries,rs w.. Add breathe because Of vesture
v n '.s,snment Of reality a Teaity mat owes
y n a,,,.s 10 the wonderful taeuities ior OBJ
81 It's Greater 49,. -, 80.
...,sstsnding the fact that mueh OF TINS
violing's, worthy as 1t is to compare
EA n Y hsst OF its kind in history, was produced
~ W Il, return 10 England by way OF Amer
nv ~ il remained for his story OF thus
q = ',uoonosedly truthful account OF ms OBJ
rA ~ n hiring him oat into the glare OF the
H'l r.s, n publicity where he has posed ever
rn 81, seathing criticism in this work of
ass.od its people particularly those Of the
ssu", ~, FIRST attracted attention TO Kipling
WI w. .sr,st Of time, to his other and better
trs n, ;dsa at that time Of the American,
~ Tam this criticism, is epitomized in one
f'sas ,s,inr verses OF his poem Of that name :
tntayed, iioglcaIi S'a'S,
Z, -,st, n embarrassed gods, nor fears
= AXE the iron hand Of Fate
4, match with Destiny for beers.
e., KinlinTs position was one Of mo-
,,,ber than OF note, but generally the
NW :; ne press aroused by the outspoken
f''. Il HE book subsidized as his genius made
as v ~, IN his later work. People read his
nNn g,anse they liked them, and he was not
I. catering upon that cumulative period of
,.,,r whose zenith is not yet reached.
Ir, n. ar,oro Sea TO Sea, the name given by
~. a his book of travels he seems to most
\ s.ls.v show no the American folies and
A .9s.. when he cites individual instances, re-
'..,., n, conversations with street acquaint-
~, nd chance associates, setting forth their
,,,-,,,.s and absurdities as characteristic, pro-
~, vb.n all is said, rather sorry picture OF
/ 4. im,dean. An instance of this nature in
4 ....,,i,n with his tour of the West fell under
l. ,.te, year ago, and if the rest of the
tauttsjsde incidents" which Kipilng used as
I'M a hsten down the lid of the coffin he had
.,,,r,d for American dignity, American man
w ,ra IN fact. everything but American BUSH
~ ,hisrprist, which latter he did not happen
IN ,,troyt Of at the time, have no more truth
4 4 Zen than his stories of poor old Yankee jim
Y d. Yellowstone San Francisco, Portland, Salt
Elis, Chicago and other Western cities have lit
+ X, reason to care longer for the smart OF the
liz tilt he laid so unsparingly along their IN
&sh,d western backs.
lsasa.ring the shameless way in which this
nD d the old hunter and trapper is patched
+ = su Of whole cloth, there is good reason to
EkF,s that, in this much talked of book OF
Enws, Kiplings imagination has reciprocated
10, service Of his observation in his works OF fc-
! hm and helped him to construct effective and
6Entd instances where the real incidents OF
B u tip would not bend to his purpose,
A gh,n decided upon trip to the Yellowstone
\ PIX sumner before last / anticipated nothing
sth 50 much pleasure as a stop-of at Yankee
VI, where Kipling stopped, and days fishing
Yankee Jim's canon where Kipling ished,
ldr.i myself listening to the desperate old
lEiss hlood-curdIing tales of Indian warfare
iN Is Kipling had listened, and ! even went
V In as TO invent a wild story Of my own with
4 sah to cap out one OF his when the opportunity
lsrd just as Kipling had tried to do.
8vHsd TO know what had become of Diana OF
az Crossroads the beautiful country girl that
D Iphhg met and J wanted TO learn of a hun
nv ether things that Kipling said and did on
= 7cnentous occasion Of this visit But the
atlssi was all on Kipling's account, for my
= MFg toward Yankee lin was almost one OF
&'SssRinee, aroused by the formers descriptions
Y ne soldblooded manner in which Jim recited
! 'orss Of the revolving Indian crueties he
+ Id Witnessed
lf'gne my surprise then, when l had jumped
NJ 'Ne train and hurried eagerly over the few
w hal Separated the hack from linn cabin
Nlhg met at the door by a benevolent looking
" nan with white hair and beard, clean and
~ eIess whose manner, as he grasped my
4 ~ ana babe me cordial welcome, betrayed
/ gNuenan and courtesy rarely found in the ru-
honuer sections Of any country, ! no
w aEost at once, however, a shade of anxiety
'aet which became more pronounced as
anns espesited my bag and rod on the floor
y nk'n the chair he had set for me, blurted
ht Georges Il had heard he preferred to
Nasd BY his surname) they told me in
s.ssAoa that you had met all the famous men
4 wi came up this way, and I have known
~ '@ years through Kiplings account OF
~ y, want you to tell me some of the Indian
' W you told him
= Natayored to hide the look of pain and an
I. 'as mat came to his face, and at once be.
nAhs most volubly, but in forced and
I'IN manner that I, even in my singlenes.
r5 .agoss TO hear Of Kipling, noticed without
Ia 'old you | had met all the notables
Wen | guess have; all of them
hts. to the time the railroad was built
EI,,',nsn @sy told you of the time that Boil
4. T ~. 'eetured down there on his way out from
hsiv Noi Well, you see, Bob and hi.
a., IN ,sopped a whole day with me when the,
m ps ana we got to be great friends. Hi.
Il , !lsht out here in the kitchen wher,
H. 'lpupg now, and rolled up their sleeves
&aH0s ' Z. IN, me wash the dishes. They wer,
i tsur Is Uncle jim before they had been here
Nv .' sas people down there persuaded Boil
&Assbal. Ee,ure in Livingston, and drove il
Il, ,s sa l0Fiy miles to hear it. When the lee
EMa Ia ossF Bob came TO me and asked m,
h sat III. ..usat Of it. Mr., Ingersoll,' said I, 4
Il b niDs :. !, lsli you, 4 like man that speaki
Shi I saia he go on Well. Mr.. Ingersoll,
! esndr lang you're making a grevious mistak,
ss,a i. Up there and hurting the feeling o.
1. u. whole audience, just for the sake O.
VI nav w. Two that happen to think as you do.