Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-12-02
AND THE CAT CAME
With II Was the concssenated
Order Of Hoo-ioos
SIGNIFICANCE or The FELINE
And . L,xend Cosoernins the Cree
ssoa er the Order In she nyssersous
Days az ske fsoicmtes


trsilsd II his heels ssiked into The
Mortoa yesterday sflsrnoon aud hung
square sheet u cardboard against one of
the pillars In the Office. Then the man
lighted . cigar and went mp stairs.
while . crowd gathered around the
cardboard II bore the portrait OF q
black cat The cats back xss arehed
to dromsdary hump Its tail vas
curled like . figure a Ia white eyes
glistened and its white mouth grinned.
aud il wasn't like any other cat that
ever existed. There was disseution
among the crowd a. 30 the significance
Of the feline. Some held Il 30 b 90 al
legorical representation Of the famous
kitty which plays % prominent part
In wetl.known society gama II might
have been the alleged feiinus author Of
the popular legend. there never was a
minute when your sunty wasn't In II"
But 10 wasn't After time the man
with the ulster returned and tackled up
another sheet Of pasteboArd. This one
bore the icgcnd. -Room No. 2 10 the
Hoo Hoo headquarters"
Concatenafed Order OF Hso-Hoo.
There was no longer any mystery
about the cat The Concstcnated Or
der OF Hoo Hoo had made It's fret ap-
pearancs In Michigan. The man In the
ulster was b. A. johnson Of Chicago.
Shark OF the Universe. Mr.. johnson
doesn't devote his entire time 10 being
Shark OF the Universe. however. Dur
ing vacations he 10 secretary Of the Luh-
Der Trade Journal Accompanying Mr..
johnson was J. Sam Wright OF Benton
Harbor, Vicegerent Shark. They spent
the entire afternoon in receiving appli-
cations for membership. and last night
q concstenation was held, at which nf-
teen novices took the Biographical de
gree. or the Degree Of ths Playful Kit
ten.
The Copcatenated Order Of Hoo Hoo
was founded in Gurdon. Arkansas, Jan
uary II. 1892. Membership ID confined
10 lumbermen. newspaper men. general
travelling agents for railroads, railroad
officials and persons engaged in the
manufacture or sale OF woodworking
machinery. Ii has 800 members in
twenty five states The objects Of the
order are the health, happiness and long
life OF the members. The list Of officers
is an imposing one. consisting Of the
Shark Of the Universe. Senior High
Hoo Hoo, Junior High Hoo Hoo. SERVE
noter. Holy Bojum,. Bandersnatch. Gus
tocatian, Arcanopener and Gurdou. The
black cat is the emblem Of the order;
the figure 8, symbolical VI the nine lives
OF the cat, appears in all the work. The
initiation fec amounts 10 $3.50, and the
annual concentrations are held on
the ninth day n the ninth
month. The headquarters Of the order
are carried In trunk belonging TO the
Shark OF the Universe A book is
issued TO each member which contains
the names and addresses OF all the other
Hoo Hoos. IL one Hoo Hoo strikes a
strange town, dead broke, all he has 10
do is 10 call upon another Hoo Hoo,
present bis credentials, and the brother
is under obligations to perform any ser.
vice from buying bottle OF beer TO en-
dorsing a check.
Legend OF the Order.
The Hoo Hoos have a legend that ia
| the days OF the pyramids there was q
far more perfect civilization than ours
The soul OF health, happiness and good
fellowship was Ia the first Ptolemy. and
| as the black cat was worshipped in
Egypt, the black Get was the symbol of
the Hoo-Hoo. When Ptolemy died. the
spirit OF the Hoo Hoo was transmitted
to his successor. aud each in turn be-
came the Shark OF the Uni.
verse. According TO some writer's on
Hoo Hoo ology there were nine OF these
Ptolemies; others contend there we're nine
dynasties. All agree that when the last
OF these Sharks was stuffed with spices
and laid beside the mummies OF his
fathers. Egyptian civilization went by
the board. aud the land Of Rameses be
came tougher than Chicago. The spirit
OF the Ptolemies is supposed 10 have de
scended 70 the Shark Of the Universe Of
the present order. and il is his mission
10 carry on the work Of restoring the
glorious pre-Adamite days when the
morning stars sang together and prom
issory notes were never protested at the
bank OF the Nile. This 10 the story. al
least 1t may not be well authenticated;
but anyway the modern Hoo Hoo is a
good fellow. and is what 10 known in the
nth ward as "a tree times winner
Peace TO him and his. and more hives "a
lives OF his black cat.