The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1921-02-17

Danielson, which was greatly enjoyed
by all. This was one of a series Of
enjoyable parties that have beer
staged in the neighborhood this win
/ ter.
School commenced Monday with
Miss Martha Poehler of Green Bay
Wis, as teacher. The young lady
/ comes well recommended and we hope
i this our first. winter school will prove
successful. ".
RUDYARD KIPLING'S
POETRY ANALYZED
Miss Mary Gardner opened the pro.
gram Of the Faculty Club Wednesday
evening with a brief study Of the
poetry of Rudyard Kiylink. The sub.
1 ject of the evening was "Moderr
British Poets" Her paper follows
AS I am primary teacher, mus,
do things in a primary teachers way
I'd like to ask what your mental re.
| action was when my subject was an.
nounced-"Kipling." know you are
normal people. / was trying to prove
you average people, for these three
poems, so the critics say, "Mandelay,'
DANNY Deever," and "Gunga DIM
come to the mind Of the average per
son when Kipling is mentioned. p
You will be glad that the habit of
the primary teacher to illustrate all
she gives is strong upon me when
tell you that Mr.. Lee, the most good
natured man in town, has consented to
sing "Mandelay" for us. The words
of the chorus on these cards were
written by Miss Tullius, the most good
natured woman in town. We are hop
ing you'll prove yourself the most
good-natured faculty in the state by
singing them as heartily as when you
were high school boys and girls.
(Here the song, "Mandelay," was sung
by Mr.. Lee, the choruses on the cards
referred to above being sung, also by
the faculty. ~.
I have no less authority than DR..
Palmer of Harvard for being brief
upon the subject of Kipling as a poet.
He goes so far as to predict that crit
les of future generation may even
apologize for writing a specific chap
ter upon Kipling's verse; they will
not need. to apologize for it's brevity.
DR.. Palmer holds that in all poetry
there must be manifest reason why
prose would not have served the au-
thor's purpose equally we'll. Does
Kipling's poetry show that it is the
result of an urgent need of metrical
utterance? Do his poems suggest the
poet driven into song? DR.. Palmer
considers writer's thought is ex-
pressed in poetry only when his feel
ing has driven him to sing what he
cannot say. A continuous forcing of
ideas and expression persists in vir-
tually all of Kipling's verse, so many
of his critics claim, except where
jingle is all that matters, as in the
Barrack Room Ballads, in which
rhyme and beat are essential to in
spiration. Do you resent hearing
Kipling's poems called excellent, cold
craft literary exercises which leave us
in precisely the state of mind in
which they found us? Will you agree
with the critics that the Departmental
Ditties, and the greater part of the
political poems are mere verse or
doggerel, not poetry at all? Perhaps
you prefer to think Of Kipling as the
unfortunate victim of capricious
public, who blows now hot, now cold.
It is matter of literary history that
Kipling's first work was greeted with
widest admiration, the most extrava-
giant praise, until the critics, consid--
ering it too true to be good began to
qualify, to hedge, to discover defects
as they were bound to do. The result
has been unsparing denunciation of
Kipling as poet every since 1902.
One luke-warm defender accounts for
some of Americas adverse criticism
on the ground that Kipling's tone Of
BLESSED are the English for they
shall inherit the earth" CRATES on
American ears and nerves. We shall
have to grant that the thought of 10y
atty and service dominates Kipling's
poems. One critic has conceded that
on law, order, duty, restraint, obed-
fence, discipline, hang all the law and
the prophets Of the great mass of
Kipling's poems. 1t is true that no
poet has sung of the sea or Of mans
strife with the sea as Kipling has. Of
the Romance of Things, as they are, he
is the first and greatest singer. His
ballads are about ordinary men and
things, so his appeal is made to the
emotions of the average man.
What we recognize as sentiment
Kipling approaches with the nervous
braggadosia school boy uses in or
der to conceal his softer feelings.
Critics have found coarseness in his
sentiment, crudity in his thought, a
breadth rather than fineness in his
perceptions. Subtle or unusual emo
tons are beyond his power Of express
sion. An English critic describes Kip
ling as blessed born innocent who
has never grown up, who is never
quite, at home in the world, but who
wanders through it, a little alien and
elf-like. a little envious of the happy
folk in Houses. Perhaps this accounts
for the inconsistency that one, whose
writings, it has been conceded, pos
sess the instinct of fellowship should
be credited with personal declaration
of Independence: 81 will write what I
please. I will not alter line. If it
pleases me to do so will refer to her
Gracious Majesty bless her-as the
little fat widow of Windsor, and fill
the mouth Of Mulvaney with filth and
oaths. / will not meet people. If I
am on shipboard and prefer passing
~, ~ 4ivoo ~, %ho ey,o ol,,,c =. ,,ooro