Evening star., 1925-01-13

The friends of cats are awakening,
rallying to the defense of their four
footed allies attacked on all sides by
the cat haters. Recently l printed in
The Sunday Star a letter from one of
the latter, who declared that cats are
sly, sneaking quadrupeds," and said
that he, for one, was fed up on
cats" The response has been iliumi
mating.
Il have just read your column in
The Sunday STAR" writes G.. H. B.
Keep on writing about cats, regard
sless of G. b. F.'s opinion. If he
doesn't like il, let him take another
paper. Let's hear some more about
Jack Spratt."
M. j. X. R., employed in one of the
great Government departments,
writes:
I'VE are not fed up on cats. On
the contrary. do let the good work
continue. Several of your feline es-
says l have considered worthy of
living within the covers of what l
had always considered the eats IL
lad, and what | was expecting to see
you cite as such.
"Can 1t be that you are unfamiliar
with Agnes Repplier's The Firesde
Sphinx" If 1t has not yet come to
pleasure to introduce 1t to many life
long cat lovers, though the book was
published in 1901 feel that there is
a great deal of pleasure in store for
you, and that your appreciation of
those essays is certain.
And do you know Kipling's The
Cat Who Walked by Himself? You
will find it among the Just SO
Stories, and while not wholly in the
most admiring vein, is truly. so far
rs IL goes, perfect delineation of the
cat.
80 much so that years ago l bor-
rowed a bit of Mr.. Kipling's phrase
ology in designing my bookplate. 1t
is a copy of this plate that 1 offer
as guaranty OF my devotion to the
mutual little friend and as a pass
port to the court of his defense"
NJ. p, school child, writes: "I
like the stories you write about Jack
Spratt, and l am afraid the man who
said in The Sunday Star that cats
had no affection for peoples does not
know cats very well.
II know that cats have affection
for people, because two years ago.
when I had scarlet fever, our cat,
Mosqudto-Sketa for short-came ev-
cry night to the door of my room and
cried. He did not come up there to
get something to eat, because there
was nothing up there for him to eat;
he simply came because he was lone
some for me.
''At that same time Kenneth, my
brother, was staying with some
neighbors. Every time Kenneth came
to the door Sketa would hear his
voice and come running to the door.
He looked up at Kenneth and cried
as much as to say, I'm lonesome
Sometimes Kenneth fed the chick
ems for the people next door and
Sketa would go over there and cry at
the chicken fence where Kenneth was
feeding the chickens. Now, Sketa
did not do all these things for some
thing to eat. He was trying to show
his affection for US"
i 4 X
r. w. +. writes: For some time
in fact, ever since you have been writ
ing your most delightful articles on
cats. Jack Spratt in particular
1 have intended to write and tell you
how much ! do enjoy them and how
much I do approve of your doing II.
1 am glad that in spite OF the criti-
cizing letter which you mentioned in
Sundays Star that you intend to con-
tinue the good work.
TT is true that much needs to be
written to make people know and
appreciate the beauty and wonder of
a cat, who is. as you say, a miracle
in fur 1 have, of course, read The
Tiger iE the House. and hope some
day TO own a copy of my own. Have
you read these: Lords of the House
tops Van Vechten; 'Ffreside Sphinx,
Repplier; The Cat Repplier, and
Kittens Fleuron?
My reputation as a cat lover seems
well established the width an