Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1923-12-15

KIPLIAG AND THE
LIGHT THAT FAILED
By Charles Kenmore Ulrich Is
Among Coming Attractions
At The Rylander

1t was my good fortune to be a
reporter on the San Francisco
Chronicle id 1889 when Rudyard
Kipling, then about "a years DID,
who had just arrived from India be-
came a member of the reportorlal
staff. Everything about him be-
traved the man from the Orient
but what impressed me most were
his pronounced accent, his stoeNy
frame, heavy bullying eyebrows and
great goggles. He was in no sense
3 mixer SO that his coming ana
goines during his stay were scarce
" observed by those with whom ne
came in casual contact.
Mr.. Kipling's connection with the
Chronicle was extremely brief
less than a month. l then lived at
No. COS Bush street, in the house
Robert Louis Stevenson occupied
during his stay in San Francisco IN
the winter of 1879-80. Nh Kip
ling roomcd somewhere along that
street and several times we walked
home in company after our 1lnal
copy had been turned in at night.
On one of these occasions he asked
if knew where he might dispose
of some stories he had written
At my request ne gave me two
or three manuscripts to read,
among them being The Light That
Failed" | do not know whether
he wrote this story in San Francis
co, as has been asserted, but l do
know that was perhaps the firsc
man in this country to read it as
he had penned it. | suggested az
ter reading that he submit the
stories to the Sunday editor of the
San Francisco Examiner, known as
"Cosey" Noble He did so and
some days later told me that Noble,
whom he called 'bally ass" had
rejected the stories on the ground
that they were not up to the high
literary standard of the Examiner
Mr.. Kipling was highly indign-
ant and this and other disappoint-
ments at a time when he was in
urgent need Of money, soured him
against Americans and all things
American. He hated San Francis
60, ridiculed its society, derided its
institutions and held the most IA
nous lawyers and orators in the
city in contempt He could not ac-
custom himself ,to even study Of
that American political system of
the brand then managed in San
Frascisco by Chris Buckley, a blind
political democratic boss of great
notoriety in California. All of this
and more he later revealed in his
American Notes"
The future famous author was
unable to sell his stories in San
Francisco, and one day he disap-
peared mysteriously without bid
ding any of us farewell. That he
was writer of signal merit whose
forte was not newspaper work, he
amply evidenced. His assignments
were uncongenial and he infiniteIy
preferred to wander about China
town to doing" funerals and So
ciety functions. 1t was two or
three years later after the name Of
hlpling had created tremendous
stir in the literary world by the
publication of "The Light That
Failed and others of his superb
stories, that we who had known
casually in San Francisco recalled
nm to memory. He had left San
francisco presumably on a FISHING
trip, and as far as l am aware, he
never visited that clay again.
The Light That Failed" is =
paramount perturbation of the f.
nous story starring JacqueHne To-
gan, Percy Marmont and David
Terrence, and is the attraction 1T
the Rylander on Monday and Tues