The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-12-30
From the Louisville courier-1ournal.

lates the President upon declining
 A to enter into the spirit of a pro posed presidential 'possum hunt in North Carolina and declining a doubtless well meant and wholly hospitable invitation. The Billy 'Possum" jest was rather poor one and the appelation had no ap- plication and no adhesiveness. And pos sum hunting, as the Sun insists, is not really among the glories of the chase" The possum is not fleet of foot or game. Freed where he can be reached by climb ing he may be caught by the tail and carried home, or shaken out of the tree and picked up alive by any fairly active boy. Taken fat or lean he is not fighter, and possum hunting if not less a diversion than a quest among those who engage in it, during the season of ripe pawpaws and during the persimmon season that begins in the golden and red autumn and continues well into mid winter, is not upon a par with fox hunt ing. But when the Sun asserts that ." pos sum has no place upon an enlightened menu the heat of argument stretches the blanket of truth, or the ignorance of the writer betrays him.
 Of course, the enlightened palate doesn't necessarily crave 'possum. A diff ference of taste is an unalterable condi- ton, and to argue about whether a dish is tempting is fatuous and breeds bit terness of feeling and mutual contempt without settling the point discussed. But it is by no means true that nobody who is enlightened" likes possum, and that the supposed succulence of the meat is merely "a theme for merrment upon the part of southerners who write eulogies upon it."
 'Possum is indeed somewhat rich, but so is roast pig, which is delcacy net only in Europe and America, but also in Cathay. There are many kinds of opos- sums.
 Of course, Kentuckians know of their own experience that 'possums are good to eat, although doubtless much more popular with lovers of ''pok chops" than with lovers of pate de foi gras and caviar. But to convince the Sun that it is in err TOT, and that the 'possum is not merely a topic for humorsts in the south, ol elsewhere, we quote an entirely serious article in the Encyclopedia Americana, a work not open to attack for lightness and frivolous insincerity of statement;
 "The flesh of all of the larger species of opossums is eaten, and that of Nhe Virginia opossum is regarded as a wood land delicacy in the southern states. The flesh Is usually baked and eaten with roasted sweet potatoes"
 The great Audubon is referred to as an authority, but it is not necessary to, go to the works of naturalists to prove baked 'possum edible. The proof of the 'possum Is in the chewing of the bones. The Suns assertion that nobody of ex perience and discernment ever eats pos sum, when anything else, even channel catfish, is to be had" betrays the writer again. Perhaps he means to compare tic yellow eat" or mud cat with 'possum, to the disoredit of the latter. Channel cat is by no means despised by persons with educated palates. Millions of pounds of channel cats are taken for ex- port in the waters of the gulf states an nually, and the catch of the "trot' and "brush'' lines is so great that a collecting service of tugs is employed in some places. Of course there is a large local consumption of "cats'' in addition.
 The "bue' cat, a species of channel cat that thrives in the cooler and swifter waters of the Ohio, Tennessee and Cum berland, is rated as a game fish and is prized as food. In the publications of the United States fish and game com mission it is mentioned in a breath with the black bass one of the most delicately favored fresh water fish. The fact that the trouble has been taken to introduce the channel cat in California waters is proof of it's worth. The mud cat of the southern rivers is a thick skinned and rather repulsive looking type which likes sluggish waters and thrives in stagnant ponds. The French in Louisiana call it
 gouion." Evidently the original meaning of the term is fraud" or "cheat" But "gudgeon'' is name given in English to several kinds of small fresh water fish. Even the mud cat is not such "goujon" as has been painted. ''Its nesh
 is excellent" says an authoritative work, Food and Game Fishes of America and is often sold. dressed, for that ,sf the flvoritc western channel cat lblss