Evening star., 1925-09-20
This and That
By Charles E. TracetOeH.

The cat, Jack spratt. has gone in
for radio.
His principal role to date in rela-
ton as this new science and art Is that
of changing the capacity Of the an
tenna.
This he does by laying his striped
body on the lead-in wire, as it runs
around the floor at the bottom Of the
Dashboard.
Jacks knowledge of radio is about
as limited as mine. but his hold on
the great principles Of feline govern
ment is strong.
He may know nothing at all about
electricity, but he knows q great deal
about how a good cat ought to act
under each and every circumstance.
Therefore he is well aware of the
fact that the one and only place in
the room where the humans do not
want him to lie IL the one and only
spot he wants to place himself.
Cats are like that.
Forbid them entry to a closet, it
will not be long before they manage
to sneak into it. Cats will insert a
deft paw in an almost closed door,
and quietly pull it open, SO that your
first intimation of their presence is
when you find them curled up on a
suitcase in the rear of the closet.
Friends of cats can recall scores of
such instances. Nor is it necessary
to formally forbid a cat to occupy a
certain position of vantage. They are
mind readers, and can tell where you
do not want them to go, merely by
looking at YOU
This is not just cussedness in the
cat.
If it were, we might have to apply
much the same reasoning to our pre-
cious children. who manifest the same
perverse impulses at times.
No, the cat has lived around man so
long he is a great deal like him. That
is all.
The cat Jack, therefore, loves to
park his tiger-striped length along
the lead-in wire, running from the
antenna to the radio receiving set
Now we know perfectly we'll that
the lead-in wire ought to be put on in
sulators, and all that sort of thing,
but we also discovered, some months
ago, that there is a great deal Of
theory in radio, and that II you do not
want to bother with it, you can get
practical results in almost any old
fashion.
Wherefore, we run in the Iead-in
wire right on the floor at the bottom
Of the Dashboard. But it would make
no difference where we put it-Jack
would get on it, just the same
We get a station tuned in nicely.
1t is coming in in great fashion. We
settle down to some solid radio en-
joyment. -
,. In comes Jack Spratt So
He looks around inquiringly, as if
trying to decide whether to get on the
couch, the chair. or up into the win
dow SILL -
We know, however, just where he
will go. -
Right over to the side Of the room
he walks, with all the grace of his
tribe. Chose who do not like cats
call such walking "slinking.') -.5
Imagine us with one of our fine 10
cal stations tuned in to a hairs
breadth. There are no rough edges
tonight. The music is pouring in Just
as it should. The execution. is fine,
and the modulation at the station is
perfect. .}sr
This is radio at its best. -s,-k
Then Jack Spratt lies down on the
lead-in wire. - ~
"Whee-ee-ee-ee!" groans ) the
tube, as the capacity Of Jack'sl56
inductance or whatever you call itsb.
BY introducing himself into the cir
cult, Jack throws the whole works out
Of kilter. There Is nothing to do but
tune in all over again.
X y
That's easy enough, of course. We
give the dial flip, and in she comes
again, sweet and pure, smooth on the
edges. like velvet.
Jack stretches laZily.
BY altering his adjustments in this
manner, he again plays havoc with
the Impotence, or whatever 1t Is. and
we get another disturbing howl in our
set land no doubt neighbors for blocks
around get howls in theirs.) Yes. we
have that kind Of a set.
The music resumes its accustomed
sweetness in our ears. after we tune
in again, when Jack Spratt decides to
turn over.
No sooner does he roll. than he rolls
us out OF tune. Good humoredly we
turn the dials, and get back into coA-
cord with sweet sound, when
Jack waves his tail.
Anyway, we have found out what
an important part the cat-whisker
plays In modern radio reception!