POET AND PATRIOT

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 24, 23 August 1928, Page 6

POET AND PATRIOT

KIPLING SOCIETY.

PRIVATE AND SUBALTEEN

LONDON

At the annual luncheon of the Kipling Society, M'r Gilbert Frankau mentioned that Mr, Rudyard Kipling was recently offered five shillings a word for an article. "TfyV continued Mr Frankau, "is the only time that England has ever been able, to compete with Am,eiicaMQU the dollar basis. Mr Kipling refused the offer, ' saying he never w rote to order.

The '.'Earl of Birkenhead described Mr Kipling as "a great story-teller, a groat poet, and a great patriot." "His allegiance f'p/the Empire and particularly to the private soldier and the subaltern,"- he continued, "has always struck me as a very .characteristic tendency in the work of. Surely no one has ever quite understood with such .v.ivid intuition what the private soldier was saying and thinking--'■!lu the same way I recall many sketches which ho has given us oj the subaltern, and particularly <oT tfte subaltern in tho Indian Army in his heroism and in his sport. Indeed I have seldom to this day read that superb story of his drawn from the polo field', 'The Maltese Cat,' without' recalling some of the feelings of emotion which I experienced when I first read it." Major-General L. C. DunstervJle, the hero of "Stalky and Co.", who presided, referring to Mr Kipling's dislike of publicity, said: ''He wrote to me a little while ago stating: ( 'How wquld you like to be put on 'the operating table and dissected while you are still alive for the amusement of other people. (Laughter). ■ A message in Hindustani sent to Mr Kipling s at h,is home at Burwash, read.: "Your society pray lor your prosperity and favour, and pray that the Almighty creates you