Understanding Rudyard Kipling's "The Gods of the Copybook Headings"

Friday morning, while listening to the Glenn Beck Program, I was multi-tasking, and found myself surfing on Twitter. I came across a tweet by @Tanapsuedes that said, "Gods of the Copybook pages is Kiplings poem said by Glenn Beck. It is about the destruction of men wrought by Fabians remaking world." (In a later tweet, it was corrected from "Gods of the Copybook pages" to "Gods of the Copybook Headings," the correct title.)  I ended up spending quite a bit more of my morning hours Friday, trying to find the poem, and then reading it.

As it turned out, I found the self-study project very intriguing. I kept learning more and more about the poem by Kipling. So, I decided that I would put this blog up about the newly popular poem. It turns out that the the last part of the poem was used in a video trailer for Glenn Beck's thriller novel, "The Overton Window." Of course, as always, I've included the video below so that you can see it for yourself:

Video provided by rightscoop

George Bernard Shaw,
another spooky dude

As you would probably guess, Glenn Beck and the guys (Pat and Stu) had fun with it on June 10, 2010, when the Huffington Post didn't know that the verses in the trailer were from Rudyard Kipling. As I was soaking all of this in during the wee hours of the day, I recalled hearing that segment. That memory inspired me all the more to dig into finding out more about Rudyard Kipling, and which lead to learning more about the Fabian Society and George Bernard Shaw. That turned out to be my project on Saturday morning.

And after all that time I spent, here's the thing: There is no way that I want to try to share everything I learned. It would take a book. I can only tell you that the one thing I learned is that you would need to know that Rudyard Kipling was writing about the Fabian Society in this poem. And what is even more important, is knowing more about the Fabian (Socialist) Society. Knowing who some of the big players in the Fabian Society is an even bigger shock to those of us that know the names, but didn't know what these people were up to in their spare time. Names like George Bernard Shaw, H. G. Wells, Cecil Rhodes...

The one big thing I can do for you to make reading this blog post worth your time is to share some resources with you so you can check it all out for yourself. One of the first things you need to do is read the book by Dr. Stanley Monteith, "Brotherhood of Darkness," from cover to cover. You will also want to watch the Glenn Beck show on the Fox News Channel. Glenn provides the basic info that is worth the further research, despite what his detractors want you to believe.

There is a reason why President Obama would like you to not be watching Fox News or Glenn Beck. Obama knows that if you look into things, with some basic and easy research, you will know what he actually stands for. And isn't it weird that some of his biggest supporters are college students, who I thought were supposed to be learning how to be open minded while gathering information.

If I thought you had the time, or that you would take the time, to watch a few videos, I would be adding them to this post. But if you do have a few minutes and want to get started learning, for a good starting point, watch this.

Video provided by TheREALjohnny2k

If you do what I have suggested, you may learn enough to understand what Rudyard Kipling's "The Gods of the Copybook Headings" is all about. You may learn enough that you may go wake up your neighbors. Just sayin'...

Video provided by TheREALjohnny2k

The Gods of the Copybook Headings

By Rudyard Kipling

Published in October of 1919

Video provided by TheREALjohnny2k

As I pass through my incarnations in every age and race,

I make my proper prostrations to the Gods of the Market Place.

Peering through reverent fingers I watch them flourish and fall,

And the Gods of the Copybook Headings, I notice, outlast them all.

We were living in trees when they met us. They showed us each in turn

That Water would certainly wet us, as Fire would certainly burn:

But we found them lacking in Uplift, Vision and Breadth of Mind,

So we left them to teach the Gorillas while we followed the March of Mankind.

We moved as the Spirit listed. They never altered their pace,

Being neither cloud nor wind-borne like the Gods of the Market Place,

But they always caught up with our progress, and presently word would come

That a tribe had been wiped off its icefield, or the lights had gone out in Rome.

With the Hopes that our World is built on they were utterly out of touch,

They denied that the Moon was Stilton; they denied she was even Dutch;

They denied that Wishes were Horses; they denied that a Pig had Wings;

So we worshipped the Gods of the Market Who promised these beautiful things.

When the Cambrian measures were forming, They promised perpetual peace.

They swore, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes would cease.

But when we disarmed They sold us and delivered us bound to our foe,

And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: “Stick to the Devil you know.”

On the first Feminian Sandstones we were promised the Fuller Life

(Which started by loving our neighbour and ended by loving his wife)

Till our women had no more children and the men lost reason and faith,

And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: “The Wages of Sin is Death.”

In the Carboniferous Epoch we were promised abundance for all,

By robbing selected Peter to pay for collective Paul;

But, though we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy,

And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: “If you don’t work you die.”

Then the Gods of the Market tumbled, and their smooth-tongued wizards withdrew

And the hearts of the meanest were humbled and began to believe it was true

That All is not Gold that Glitters, and Two and Two make Four

And the Gods of the Copybook Headings limped up to explain it once more.

As it will be in the future, it was at the birth of Man

There are only four things certain since Social Progress began.

That the Dog returns to his Vomit and the Sow returns to her Mire,

And the burnt Fool’s bandaged finger goes wabbling back to the Fire;

And that after this is accomplished, and the brave new world begins

When all men are paid for existing and no man must pay for his sins,

As surely as Water will wet us, as surely as Fire will burn,

The Gods of the Copybook Headings with terror and slaughter return!

As posted on USACTIONnews.com

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