The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-04-13
noMINo p.,MeRs of rHs car.
They Are Mysterious and UnfmtlaommhYa
Evem 10 Modern scaenee.

IL AAEZ&
Ehey Ara Mysterious and U-nfAthomnhl
Evea 10 Naodern scaenee.
That q cat san come home In the face
Of almost incredible difficulties Ii Der.
fectly certain. Thus, to take q fact "a
an instance, q cat was carried from j
town on the northeast coast Of Fife to D
house near Perth. It went In d basket
BY train 70 Leuchars, where IL changed
Tor Dundee, and at Dundee changed for
Perth. Next day, about Z In the morn.
ing, this cat was observed 10 run down
the avenue OF its new home with q pur.
poseful air. On the third day IL ap-
peared ut its old home.
Now, how did that cat achieve its
journey? Did it take q bee line across
country, and, IL 80, how did 1t know its
direction? Or did 1t run to Dundee. cross
Tay bridge [the railway bridge) and 80
along the line to Leuchars, negotiating
the Eden ct Guard bridgea We can
hardly suppose that 1t SWAN the Tay.
Or did it go round by the head or Loeb
Tay-a long rough journey by the Kill
Lin, where q cat might meet many dam
gers and teraptations2 The perils OF q
cat on the road are innumerable. Every
collie dog chases it, every g-amekeeper
has q gun for it, every boy is ready with
q stone. Indeed we never see a cat ON
it's travels. No doubt it runs by night.
There Ia the hypothesis that the cat ann
by train, changing at Dundee, and achiev-
ing the difficult maneuver at Leuchars.
wherein many men have failed. going
back to Dundee or getting to Cupar.
though not n Of them was like him
THAT win to Cupar." This method OF
transit, which needs agile acuteness OF
reason In any man, may not be beyond
the powers and intelligence Of q cat.
But oil conceivable ways, from the
bee line across country and over rivers
to the course round Loeb Tay, are full
of perplexities. That the cat simply
rode on q broomstick behind a witch Is
an hypothesis which brings us into un.
friendly contact with modern ideas of
progress. Somehow the thing was done,
and done in 48 hours. A dog spoken OF
by Mr. Romanes ran from Vienna to
Mentonne, bnt died of fatigue. The cat
was as well and sound as usual. We
may speak of instinct and inherited apti.
tude. but to find its old home Is of nc
use TO q cat in the struggle for existence.
Cats, much more than dogs, are ind.
pendent of q home. They can take to
the heather, the forest or the back green.
Thus the cats which fo~rtuitously devel
oped the power Of ''homing'' would lie
no better off than other cats and not
more fitted TO survive and bequeath their
accomplishment 10 their Progeny.
In face of these facts our boasted
science Is dumb. We know little about
cats. but cats know . great deal about
Faculties ST this kind made the cal
. mysterious power in the middle ages.
He was roastod alive that his unknown
protector might come and rescue him by
altering words Of prophecy. This very
fact proves the existence OF q feline se-
cret society which nobody studies. FOR
are all apt to neglect the facts which
underiie and inspire the truths which
are called superstitious. Cats have very
probably q underground railway.
London Saturday Review.