Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-21
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES 3. TRACEWELL.

Americas foremost woman essayist
antedated Mr.. Van Vechten by score
OF years, her "Fireside Sphinx" hav-
ing first been published by Houghton,
Miffiin Company in 1901.
A reprint was put out last year,
bearing the coat of arms" OF the cat
on the cover--a black Persian, In pro-
file, on a gold and white shield, with
the motto, "Libertas Sine Lahore"
liberty Without Work..
This volume, distinguished by the
style inseparable from the name Of
the author, presents Straightforward
history of the cat through its centu-
ries OF vicissitudes and finally triumph
as one of the two household pets of
mankind.
The dog and the cat-these two con.
stitute practically the universal house
hold pets, the only four-legged crea-
lures allowed to share the house with
the master.
Monkeys and other animals at
| times, and in certain places, enter
| the sanctum, but, largely speaking.
the dog and cat alone enjoy this boon,
| il 1t may be called that. Both dogs
and cats have been subjected to hu.
man cruelty. in their progress toward
| the goal of equal sharing with man of
| bed and board.
The very word dog has come to
be a term of contempt, when applied
to human being, so Ill treated ana
| despised were these faithful friends in
certain countries.
During the Middle Ages the cat was
| subjected to great cruelty, but even
mankind did not escape the torture,
so perhaps Puss was not singled out
particularly.
Miss Repplier's book, which may
be called the standard cat work, is d.
vided into nine chapters, as BETTING
the animal with nine lives.
The chapters are: 1.-THE Cat of An
| tiouty," THE Dark Ages" "Persecu-
ton" Renaissance" THE Cat of AL
bion," THE Cat in Art" THE Cat
Triumphant" "Scme Cats of France,
and 1.-THE Cat of Today"
Discussing the origin OF the cat,
| our writer declares: However mystic
rious and informal may have been
| her birth. Pussy's first appearance in
veracious history Is splendid one.
More than 5000 years ago she dwelt
serenely by the Nile. and the great
nation of antiquity paid her respectful
! drowsed in the shadow of the mighty
| temples, or sat blinking and washing
her face with contemptuous disregard
alike of priest and people. The
cat cares little to see the world. and
dislikes the discomforts of travel.
Some gracious instinct binds her to
her home. She feels the charm of the
| familiar, and her fidelity to the shell
| tering hearth has made her--now that
her old honours have passed away
the little god of domesticity, the friend
of those who are too happy or too
wise for restlessness.
| Miss Repplier ends her books with
the following tribute: Always by the
| freside. always basking in light and
warmth, always in graceful harmony
with her surroundings dt has been
well said that no house is really fur.
| nished without books and cats and
fair-haired little girls. always a pleas
ure to every well regulated mind
Pussy fills her place in life with that
rare perfection which is possible only
to creature delicately modelled, and
begirt by infiexible limitations. We
are soothed by her repose; she Is un.
fretted by our restlessness. A fine
invisible barrier lies between us. She
is the Sphinx of our hearthstone, and
| there is no message we can read in
| the tranquil scrutiny of her cold
eyes"