Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1897-07-14
LETTERS TO THE Nj
The Ancient Greek Method of RiGt,
Fields of the Pests.

A fallacy entertained by mGL,
people regarding mice is that house
cats will kill them. This belief is
proved every day to be erroneous,
A mousetrap is a more sure and
less troublesome method of putting
the pantry's infesters to death,
House cats, as time goes by, are
changing. Formerly they were ao-
tive by day and vigilant by night.
The tendency of improved civiliza-
ton is to make them sleepy by day
and rovers by night. They have
their whims nowadays, requiring
considerable attention. Perhaps the
superior intelligence of the Mar
tians will make them useful. Cats
in Mars may talk, for anything /
know, and mice in Mars may be go
large that they hunt the oats. Both
possess some intelligence, and both
have folklore.
The probability is that the use of
cats as mice exterminators is COM
paratively modern and custom
that originated in the occident. The
story of Whittington's cat indicates
that cats were scarce articles in the
rat infested islands Of the east
where the London captain traded at
the time the cat sold for four chests
of gold. No one who likes cats and
reads the story at this late day can
refrain from slight feeling of
disappointment at Whittington's
parting with his cat. He might not
have been lord mayor Of London if
he had saved his feline friend from
the fiery sun and high spiced meats
of Cathay, but the chances are that
he would have come to the front
with meddling with politics.
The Greeks we're unquestionably
overrun with mice and Bishop Hat
to had troubles Of his own with the
rats. The latter hard hearted prel-
ate lost wealth, dignity and life,
but the Greeks had peaceable and
gentlemanly method Of dealing with
mice that is rather unique. When
q cellar or granary was overrun
with mice, the Greek superstition
dictated that letter be written in
large, readable ancient Greek char
acters, with these words:
"Iadjure you, you mice, now pres
ent, neither to injure' me nor to let
others do 80. give you yonder
field "-specifying one not too far
off-''and if ever catch you here I
swear by the mother Of the gods
will tear you into seven pieces.
The paper containing these words
was to be placed on q large rock in
the field with the writing upper
most. 1t was believed to be efica-
cious, and no doubt there were cases
that could be pointed to in proving
the proposition.
People of the present day, after
waging fruitless and Intellectual war
against the rats with poison and
ice picks, sometimes try writing let
ters to them after the style of the
Greek letter, although not in the
same words. ] have case on unim-
peachable authority. told me last
week. It occurred in Milwaukee.
A housekeeper on Grand avenue
found that there were many rats in
The cellar and storeroom. She wrote
a letter addressed to the rats, polite
y calling their attention to the fact |
hat their presence in the house
was great inconvenience The let
ter pointed out that there was feed
store in the next block where they
would attain better results with
less work. Finally, the letter re-
luested the rats to go as a personal
:avor. The letter was laid on the
over cellar stair one night Next
lay the rats had disappeared, and
we're seen no more. My informant
lid not profess to believe that the
rats were accommodating enough
to move their quarters because they
Understood that she wanted them to
10 SO. Her theory was that seeing
he Write paper on the stair and
;aking it into their heads it might
% some new warlike stratagem di-
'ected against them the rats deemed
discretion the better part of valor,
ind left the place. Rats, like all the
odents, are extremely suspicious. =
Sentinel.