Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-23

them out. 1t may take longer than one
cares TO wait. in which case a wire trap
baited with fresh meat will generally
prove sufficiently alluring to hold them
till their owner returns for them.
1t is matter of professional pride that
the ferret man and his sons have never
twice been called to the same building
Having once cleared a building thorough
ly OF rats and carefully nailed up all
their holes the work seems to be perme-
nent. Just why they do not return or
others Go not take their places and make
! new entrances to the network of roads,
~hlch, OF course. remain between the
walls. is unexplained. unless IL be that the
scent Of the rose. rather the ferret
| fingers over ii still.
In Europe the rat question is a much
more serious one than il is here: in Asia
III Is really vital one. In most CONT
Mental countries rats are regarded as a
serious menace TO health. and are known
10 do enormous damage to crops and to
valuable merchandise damage which
each year mounts up To millions OF dol
lars In America they have never be-
come numerous enough in any one place
to be regarded seriously AS plague:
they merely become an unpleasantness
a nuisance in certain buildings which
they lnfeSt. In spite of the fact That
scarcely week goes by without its
stories of rats biting human bengs-,nost
frequently sleeping children. though
sometimes they attack adults - and III
blood-poisoning, and not infrequently
death ensuing. it would be hard to per-
suade Americans to regard the rat as
a serious menace to life and limb. Prob
ably many children die each year as
The result of rat bites die as the
suit OF dog bites. if statistics subject could
be had. But the public that periodically
goes into Mysteries ove- the dog danger
would laugh at the idea Of rat peril.
x**
In Europe they don't laugh at It. They
take ii quite seriously. a regular cam
paign is waged against rats. The govern
mentS take measures TO exterminate
them. Scientific bodies are interested i'm
the problem Of getting rid OF them. So
cieties are formed to wage war to the
death against them. In Denmark and in
other European countries bounty is paid
for dead rats. Rat hunts are a source OF
both pleasure and profit TO the school
children, at once a sport and an industry.
In England "a society has recently been
formed under the most irreproachable
scientific auspices to wage a war of ex-
termination against rats. In France the
Pasteur Institute set itself seriously to
the task CT discovering and propagating
microbe wEerewiti to war on the vicious
rodent-a microbe. OF coursr. which should
D. deadly To rats only. And the discovery
having been made the French government
has in recognition of ii. bestowed upon
DIR. DanyZ. the manager. the coveted dec
ora lion OF commander du merit agiicole,
ard upon his assistant the ''rosette d'of-
ficie.."
HaShngton's ferret man has received
no decoration from a grateful nation; nor
does he. as he might IL he were in Eng
LAND print on his business cards Rat
eXterminator to the crown. or to the
United States government. by special ap-
pointment." He do snt draw a salary as
official rat hunter. nor has he received a
congressional vote of thanks. But when
the rats appear to be walking off bodily
with Uncle Sans buildings Uncle
Sans boats. or Uncle Sans property, he
is sent for and he does his work with
nee tness and dispatch, and retires until
he is needed again.