New-York tribune., 1902-05-16
ON CATS.
LOVING ANALYSIS OF THEIR TRAITS

THE SOUL OF CAT AND OTHER STORIES.
BY Margaret Benson 12mo, 1p. Xi, l63. G. +.
Putnams Sons.
Miss Benson's stories deal rather more with
psychological analysis than with incident; and
incident with her is almost always subordinate
10 the consideration Of motive and the play OF
emotion. All this he it understood. relates
solely to the life and mental processes Of ami
mails, of whom she speaks who has pene-
trated into the innermost recesses of their
souls Cats. dogs and birds-incudng hens and
a peacock-are the especial objects of her exami-
nation and sympathy and it is evident from
her delightful discussions that she has much
more than the ordinary human regard and
friendship for these friends of hers.
She sees the same differences in the charac-
ters Of cats, for instance, as in human beings;
and 10 those who profess TO like the char
ecter' Of the cat puts the counter question. do
they like the character" of the human being?
Thus Persis dainty lady, pure Persian. blue
and white, silky haired. Of whom first
told is cat of extreme sensibity, of passion
ate temper. OF character attractive and low
able from its very intensity. She had had kit
tens. and from having loved them much when
young. came hate them they grew up
with hatred founded on jealousy alone. She
had black grandson. Ra. who liked comfort.
could get the food he desired he did not care
how or where it was given him. But with his
grandmother this was different:
Persis's sole desire was that she might be
desired; the invitation was the great point, not
the feast: she lay purring with soft intelligent
eyes, which grew hard and angry if her dusky
grandson appeared in the open door She would
get down from the lap which she was lying,
strike at the hand which tried to detain her,
and-but by this time Ra had been removed and
peace restored.
Hers was a troubled soul. and Miss Benson
thus points out the reasons why:
It was not the animal loves and hates which
were too much for her-these she had ample
spirit and courage to endure-but she knew
jealous love for beings beyond her dim power
of comprehension. a passionate desire for praise
and admiration from creatures whom she did
not understand. and these wakened strange
conflict and turmoil in the vivid and limited
nature troubling her relations with her KIND
filling her with black despair and painful
passions, and now with serene hah under
stood content. Who shall say whether Great
ure like this ever utterly perish? no"
shall we who know little of their nature pro-
fesa TO know so much Of their future?
In Joey and Matilda Miss Benson presents US
with the contrast of parrot intellect and emo
ton. Matilda's intellect is supreme; Joey loves
passionateIy and his hate, deep as the Black
Sea. is vindictive and remorseless." Joey, in his
early days looked upon Matilda with an emo
ion beautiful and strange.
self-control is a foreigner to that hot South
sTn nature, and without pause Tor thousht ne
extended a claw-it was all he could do,to me
ady In a moment Matilda stopped and bit II;
and as he screamed with pain and anger she
cropped it and burst into a hoarse mt OF laugh-
:er Joey never offended in this way again.
put this repulse is the reason of his deep re-
Eengeful jealousy of Matilda
Joey whistles Pop Goes the Weasel" and
,anges upward through Scotch airs to Walther's
.Preislied.' Matilda's intellectual interests pre-
serve her from the first named vulgarity. She
sevotes herself to observation for the training
sf her mind and when she is not observant she
: recording the results OF her observations.
She can open her cage door and squeeze through
L to freedom.
This performance drives Joey to the verge of
mania. He, too. pulls up his door. but he does
-'s6f -lz-,ozy how TO hold il and il bangs down
again and leaves him violent with rage. While
Matilda is running about as gay as a lark
Taffy, the collie dog is responsive, intelligent,
bvable, ready to impart his joys and sorrows,
,ntering into ones life far more than is possible
or any other kind of animal. Once a policeman
aad to ring his front doorbell for him, and ever
since he had a strong affection for the force.
1 had 20 wait at the jail once when he man
aged by repeated Establishments TO scrape ac-
suaintance with the constable on duty: Out OF
The corner Of n eye ! watched him laying small
offerings Of pebbles ana sticks at the police
mans feet. AS these could not tempt, he sought
sut q small battered tin toy. which the police
nan solemnly picked up and laid aside Finally
raffy rummaged in the bushes and returned trl-
amphant bearing an offering that could not fail
% please-a tramp's boot. The man was utter
" melted. and with furtive foot 1erked peoples
but of the gravel for the dog TO fetch.
Miss Benson is more struck by the indvidu-
Atty and the varying force of the personality
Of animals the more intimately she knows them
They have wills essentially as free as our own,
but with DINNER inteIigences: these wills are
more at the mercy of their passions. and leave
them more at the mercy Of the spiritual infiu-
.nces that flow out from US TO them. This is
he keynote of Miss Benson's amusing accounts
IF the tame animals she has known and Of the
aaH humorous. half serious, but wholly sugges-
1--WE analysis of their characters that she gives
N her "Epilogue."