Evening star., 1937-11-28
Research Incentive Leads
To Child Book Authorship
Mrs.CObIerts' Household
Duties NO,U Inspire
Charming " riting.
BY JESSIE FAINT EVANS,

ny J6SSlE FAM EVANSs
A change in her major In the
George Washington University from
English to history and her family's
adoption by q little stray dog were
the factors responsible for starting
Catharine Cate Coblentz along the
way toward the successful authorship
of two recent children's books, whose
historical background has been
checked and found to be authentic
by experts in two of the Capitals
great institutions of scientific re-
search, the Smithsonian and the Car
negie.
Assigned to a tpoic involving source
reference work in the Library OF Con-
gress by her history professor, DR..
Lowell J. Ragatz, at about the same
time the homeless puppy, General
Nuisance" domiciled himself among
them, it was but one more step for
the new student in George Washing
ton Universitys history course to find
absorbing interest in book references
to the domestic animals brought to
this country by its early explorers and
settlers.
Encouraged by Prof. Ragatz, there
crept into her history notebook ref
erences by page and chapter to ac-
tual facts concerning those animal
friends which sailed with their mas
etrs across unchartered seas and faith
fully accompanied them on their
quests of daring exploration and set
tlement in the New World.
Famous First Settlers.
Among them were the bull which
came to Vinland the mule that car
ried the absent-minded Columbus
from the convent with the Abbot's
blessing; the dog, 'Leonico," or Lit
tie Lion" which belonged to Balboa
and first saw the Pacific with him;
the horses that accompanied Cortez,
Coronado and Cabeza de Vaca, found
ed new strain, and were the first
settlers to remain where there were
no white inhabitants; the English
mastif which sailed on the Speed
well, and the little Dutch spaniel
which came over on the Mayflower;
that was ordered to be hanged be-
cause she caught mice on Sundays,
and so on down history's scarcely
known but glamorous pages.
OF these historical animals, their
biographer says, In my research l
was fascinated by the changelessness
in the habits and customs of do
mestic animals down through the CEN
turtles, in contrast with the vast
changes which have taken place in
the manners and customs and even
the language Of the peoples of the
earth"
A confirmed diary enthusiast from
her childhood, she conflded to certain
OF these early personal memoirs that
she hated history because it is such
dull reading. and it is so seldom any,
one ever tells you anything interest
ing that you would like to hear about"
Finds Formula.
Later, through the teaching of va
rious Sunday school classes and her
love of telling stories to children, she
developed feeling for the type Of
historical story in which she herself
WAS interested and that she found
children liked it too.
Next, as the result OF her university
source reference work in history, she
from time to time came to write GER
tain stories having to do with mans
early animal friends on the American
continent, which she submitted to and
had accepted by various childrens
magazines
Never even remotely, however, did
she even dream OF her experimental
ton with these true stories in his
tory" as she came to call them, lead
| ing her anywhere in particular.
Then came year in Arizona as
her husbands unofficial assistant in
his radiation measurements on the
sun. taken far out in the desert on
absolutely cloudless days. He is Will
liam Weber Coblentz, eminent physic-
ist OF the Bureau OF Standards, rec
ognlzed the world over and honored
by its scientific societies and boards
OF award for his original research in
infra red, planetary and stellar radia-
ton, in connection with which, the
American Medical Association has
made him a member of its Advisory
Committee to determine how it may
best be made to serve the needs of
ailing mankind.
Pieces Together Idle Time.
When her household tasks had been
completed for the day and the rec
ords in connection with her husbands
tabulations written up for him, there
remained many odds and ends and
corners OF time" as Mrs. Coblentz
refers to a leisure, which might not
have been so considered by many Of
us. Often her work table was a cor
ner Of her distinguished husbands
kitchen sink shop" where they had
together. previously manipulated the
changing of the glasses and screens
used in his scientific experiments, or
she had Transcribed the notes concern
ing his findings.
In this environment the narrative
OF the life stories of the animal friends
that had accompanied man to
our continent developed into Mrs.
Coblentz's first book, which her pub
fishers have called animal Pioneers"
It was accepted by the press of the
Atlantic Monthly Immediately upon
its presentation to them, subject to
Mrs. Coblentz's own stipulation that
she be permitted to check her sources