On June 9th of 1908, as his youngest daughter, 12-year-old Elsie, prepared for a trip to London, author Rudyard Kipling wrote her a letter in which the following list of "rules for Life in London" was included.
(Source: O Beloved Kids: Rudyard Kipling's Letters to His Children; Image: Rudyard Kipling, via Wikimedia.)
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
