Jottings from the Editors Desk

A very successful meeting of nearly 50 heard Ian Fullerton give an extremely well researched talk on Kipling and South Africa, with an emphasis on the political side, though Ian’s photographs of the green, greasy, Limpopo river illustrated some of the background to the ‘Just So Stories’, as did his comments on Indian elephants appearing in the illustrations in an African setting! His maps, pictures of South Africa at the turn of the century and his explanations of Boer politics and the background to military decisions, and the fact that when he was living in South Africa Ian knew the places he talked about, made the whole era come alive.

Our membership continues to grow, with 6 new members joining at the meeting. Numbers of members per se are not that important, but it helps in spreading the cost of room hire, and in attracting good speakers, though thanks in no small part to Susannah we have done very well so far, in that department.
Dates of our meetings for 2008... yes tempus fugit... are being negotiated. We have a joint meeting with the Jane Austen Society when Professor Harry Ricketts will talk, and copies of his Kipling biography will be available on 19th April. Other dates for the year are 28th Feb: Poetry readings and discussion with Susannah Fullerton. Further dates TBA - 28th June, 23rd August, and 25th October.

It has been suggested that we devote a meeting to readings of our favourite Kipling verse and we will try and organise that next year. We do need people to take charge of the catering on a regular basis, and someone to take charge of the website project. Please can we have some volunteers!

A copy of the letter we have received from the Kipling Society in the UK is printed in this newsletter. It is very nice to have all our efforts acknowledged!

A photograph of Ian Claridge, our treasurer is also printed here. It is not generally known that Ian is a godson of Rudyard Kipling, Ian having spent time in India, but unfortunately Ian was very young when RK passed on, though Ian’s parents knew him well.

I will arrange name tags for our meetings, and will try and get them ready for our Luncheon meeting on November 4th, remember the date! - D.W.

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Study Notes

Jane’s Marriage (notes by Lisa Lewis)

These notes are by courtesy of the Readers Guide.

Publication history

First published in Debits and Credits following the story “The Janeites”.

Notes on the text

Good Sir Walter … stair Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832). In the first edition these lines read: “Good Sir Walter met her first / And led her up the stair.” When it was pointed out to Kipling that Scott outlived Austen by 15 years, he joked that she must have been in Purgatory in the meantime: but altered all subsequent editions to “followed her, / And armed her up the stair.”

Henry and Tobias Henry Fielding (1707-54) and Tobias Smollett (1721-71).

Miguel of Spain Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616).

a Hampshire gentleman … Him and Jane Kipling is perhaps thinking of Tom Lefroy, a young law student from Ireland who met the 20-year-old Jane Austen while he was staying with relatives in Hampshire. He was not yet earning and neither of them had private means, so the relationship was discouraged by his family. He later married an heiress. Kipling may not have known, or have forgotten, that he outlived Austen by many years. The other, less well documented, romance in her life was a man she is said to met five years later at a seaside resort in Devonshire. He is supposed to have died suddenly, bringing this relationship too to an abrupt end.

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A Kipling Quiz

Each phrase should help you identify a character in Kiplings prose or verse.
Answers, and the context in which they can be found, will be in the next issue of the Drum.

1. His field equipment was a piece of twisty rag and a goatskin water bag.
2. Lit a smoke signal for her daddy.
3. Jangled his keys in weariness and wrath.
4. Was spanked by his relatives.
5. Not the least of our merchant princes.
6. Had an amended law named after him.
7. Stole an egg.
8. Filled old ladies with kerosene.
9. Used flower pots as stepping stones.
10. Rides the tallest horse he can.
11. Breakfasted on cold rice.

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A Kipling Poem

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