Evening star., 1943-12-30
This and That
By Charles E. TrdceUeU

BETHESDA.
Dear Sir:
You had a piece in the paper about
pelllng the cat, and you said that YOU
couldn't buy collar with a bell on it
Tor cat, that the bells had gone to
war. because they needed the metal.
Not all the bells have gone to war.
evidently, because I found some yerv
nice ones at Christmas in a 1O-cent
store. They came three to a card. at 10
cents for three; I took them apart and
made very nice belled collar for
our cat.
The metal is saved on the cat collars.
but Is not saved in the bells themselves |!
Maybe this means something.
Sincerely, M. j."
*x
These small bells are probably some
the manufacturers had left over from
past seasons.
II you want to put them on a collar,
all right, but they don't come sewed on.
All the Government can do is to make
general rules; there will be many reser-
vatlonS and what seem to be infringe
ments and violations
These small bells were intended for
the ladies to wear ON their coats, to give
them merry holiday jingle.
1t will be bad news for the cats. that
bells can be secured, after all
These fellows want nothing to wear
except their fur suits
These suits have an amazing auto
matte action which keeps the wearers
warm outdoors and comfortable indoors.
Old Tigey, for instance, who spends
most of his time outdoors, even in zero
weather, can come indoors and lie for
hours touching warm radiator, without
the slightest harm or evidence of dis
comfort
The moment he goes outdoors, the
muscles holding the hairs contract, and
so place them that they form the best
shield against low temperatures.
This is wholly automatic reaction.
The coarse outer hairs of the small
animals are held in such position that
they make tents or umbrellas, while the
wear on humans.
There has been great deal of laugh
ter, through the years, over long under
wear, but there is nothing else which
gives as much protection.
The sensible person will laugh at
"longies," since that seems to be the
thing to do, but he will go right ahead
wearing them, too.
Return of the long underwear habit
probably would do a great deal toward
cutting down the incidence of colds and
the "flu." This Is particularly true of
December, the most treacherous month
of the year.
IT people were covered up, they would
avoid the chills in this month which are
SO dangerous. Mostly city folk are not
properly dressed for December. The
month catches them unaware. (No pun
intended; the writer here is not smart
enough to use puns)
There would be no USE however of
wearing long underwear in December
or any other month, if houses, offices
and stores were not kept so hot.
Despite wartime restriction on fuel,
many places are far too hot for long
underwear. 1t will remain a question.
then, whether it is best to be on the
chilly side, most of the time, and not
sweat when going outdoors, and being
at a proper temperature outdoors, but
in a slightly moist state indoors, and
going out with perspiration on the skin,
even though covered up with an over
coat.
These are practical questions of every
day city living in the winter. It should
be fashionable to talk about them, be-
cause health and sickness are serious
topics of discussion, even if 1ongies"
somehow are not. We have often
thought that the American sense of
humor, while a blessing. also has its
drawbacks, not the least of which is
that we often tend to laugh at, and so
disregard, matters which, after all, are
serious and need honest, serious dis
cussion.