THE "ABSENT MINDED BEGGAR."

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 10540, 29 December 1899, Page 5

THE "ABSENT MINDED BEGGAR."

d THE QUESTION OF THE COPYRIGHT. 0 KIPLING'S AUTOGRAPH COPY. t- OATON WOODVILLE'S PICTURE. n - # PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE IN * NEW ZEALAND. k """""" Shortly before Christmas, it may be rejr membered, a correspondent wrote to us lf suggesting that we should reprint Kipling's poem, "The Absent-Minded Beggar," to- , f gether with some of his other poems, for * tbe benefit of the Patriotic Fund. We 1 pointed out that it would hardly be right ■> to take another man's property, without his permission, even if the proceeds were to be j devoted to a good object. "I We cabled, however, to some friends in ' London, asking them to see the proprietors - of the " Daily Mail," who are the owners of tlie copyright, and endeavour to get per- _ mission for us to reproduce the poem in • New Zealand for tbe benefit of the Patriotic ' Fund. r We received the following reply; — "May reproduce words only, contributing J 50 pounds to • Mail' fund here. Reply." In answer to this 1 , we again cabled to i | our friendi, »tating that "words only" ' would be of no use to us, a« we desired to produce a pomplete facsimile of the autograph poem, with Caton Woodville's picture. Yesterday we bad tbe satisfaction of receiying from our correspondents a cable message, stating that they had secured for ua from the '"Daily Mail" unrestricted permission to reproduce both words and picture. We are thus in a position to offer the public of New Zealand a moat intereiting memento at a moderate oost, while at the same time they wiu have the satisfaction of knowing that the proceeds of the sale will go to provide for the wires and children of the soldiers who are now fighting for the Empire. "Tbe Pre-***-" iapoe of "The AbsentMinded Beggar " will bo a reproduction of Kipling's manusoript of the poem, as written for the " Daily Mail" and Cato-n Woodville's magnificent picture of " The Absent-Minded Beggar," drawn specially to illustrate the poem; also a spirited portrait of the author. The price will be one slulling. We should add that we are indebted to Messrs. Whitcombe and Tombs for the original copy of the work as issued in London, from which our facsimile is reproduced. We -regret the alight delay which has occurred owing to the Christmas holidays and the negotiations with the owners of the copyright. Our readers, however, will probably agree -with vs that there is more than sufficient compensation for the delay in tlie facts— ll) ThM we jwe enabled to offer them an exact reproduction of what is probably the most interesting war memento ever produced. (2) That we are able to offer it, and they will be able to purchase it, with a clear conscience, knowing that we are neither infringing the law, nor the rights of another. The proceeds of the sale will be remitted to the "Daily Mail," to be added to their fund, and paid in Mr Kipling's name. The objects to which the fund is devoted are thus set out in our London contemporary's columns:—"Tlve money to received goes, without deduction, to that fund which seems to us most carefully and promptly administered in the interests of the wives and children of our soldiers (Home -and Colonial) and our sailors in South Africa." | The first donation made by the "Daily Mail" from the money received by their sale of the poem, was £2500, sent to the Soldiers' : and Sailors- Families Association, a fund at i the head of which is H.R.H. tlie Princess of i Wales, and which makes allowances to the i wives and children of men on active service, ' belonging to any branch of tho services, in- t fantry, cavalry, bluejackets, artillery, engi- i neers, volunteers, irregular troops, reserve, ■ or serving in any capacity ashore or afioat. i The work of reproducing "The AbsentMinded Beggar" in this form is a somewhat 1 heavy undertaking, but it is being carried J out with all possible despatch, antt we hope - to place copies in the hands of the publio jn y the course of two or three days. '