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Rudyard Kipling’s 7 Rules For Life In London
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Rudyard Kipling was an English short-story writer, poet, and novelist. He is famous for his tales of India, and his stories for children. He was born in Bombay, and is best known for writing The Jungle Book
Kipling was one of the most popular writers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1907 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, making him the first English-language writer to receive the prize, and to date he remains its youngest recipient.
On June 9th of 1908, when Kipling‘s youngest daughter, 12-year-old Elsie, prepared to visit London, he gave her a letter, which included this list of ‘rules for Life in London’.
Rudyard Kipling’s 7 Rules For Life In London
Dear Bird,
I send you a few simple rules for Life in London.
- Wash early and often with soap and hot water.
- Do not roll on the grass of the parks. It will come off black on your dress.
- Never eat penny buns, oysters, periwinkles or peppermints on the top of a bus. It annoys the passengers.
- Be kind to policemen. You never know when you may be taken up.
- Never stop a motor bus with your foot. It is not a croquet ball.
- Do not attempt to take pictures off the wall of the National Gallery or to remove cases of butterflies from the National History Museum. You will be noticed if you do.
- Avoid late hours, pickled salmon, public meetings, crowded crossings, gutters, water-carts and over-eating.
Ever your
Daddo
(Source: O Beloved Kids: Rudyard Kipling’s Letters to His Children)
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Posted on: 3rd May 2012
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