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Show SOME CAT SUPERSTITIONS PREVALENT CENTURIES AGO A tramp cat was found "sucking the breath of a farmer's child" at Gladstone. Glad-stone. Mich. Tho New York World, alluding editorially to tho survival of this superstition, says that, it is probably proba-bly "a form of the temperamental antipathy an-tipathy to cats which exists with h3'stencal manifestations in man- por-sons," por-sons," and it refers to tho investigation investiga-tion of cat fear by Dr. Weir Mitcheil, who gave to the disease a loud-sounding Greek name, says the Boston Her- Tho superstition of tho cat's delight in sucking the breath of a human being is an old one. (Tho wonder is that so many cats lived after their enjoyment.) Topsell, in his "History of Four-Footed Beasts " (1607), which is largely a compilation, states the fact and assigns the reason. His account is so curious that we quote it in full: "It is most certain that the breath and savor of .cats consumo the radical humor and destroy the lungs, and, therefore, there-fore, they which keep their cats with them in thoir beds have the air corrupted, cor-rupted, and fall into several hectics and consumptions. There was a certain coni-pnny coni-pnny of monks much given to nourish and" play with cats, whereby they wero so infected that within a short space none of them were able either to say, read, pra or sing in all the monastery, and, therefore, also, they are dangerous in the time of pestilence, for they aro not only apt to bring" home venomous infection, but to poison a man with very loosing upon him; wherefore there is in some men a natural dislike and abhorring of cats, their natures being be-ing so composed that not only when they see them, but being near them and unseen, and hid of purposo, thoy fall into passions, frettings, sweatings, pulling off their hats, and trembling fearfully, as I have known many in Germany; the reason whereof is because be-cause the constellation which threatened threaten-ed their bodies, which is peculiar to ever' man, worketh by the presence and offense of these creatures; and, therefore, there-fore, they have cried out to take away the cats." Henry III. of Franco could not stay in the room with a cat, but thero aro other animals, and there arc plants, fruits, etc., that have been antipathetic to men and women. Even the sight of roses has caused many to swoon. Bleeding Bleed-ing at the nose followed the presence of apples in a room, and the secretary lo Francis I. used to stop his nostrils with bread if an apple was on the table. Others could not endure a pig served in an- form. An eel, though in a pic. distressed dis-tressed a learned man at Antwerp. Dogs and hedgehogs have caused fainting spells. Trasmus was feverish if ho saw a sea fish; Marshal d'Aloret wns sick at the stomach when ho looked on a boar's head: Tycho Brahe's knees were turned to water at the sight of a hare: the duke of Encron fainted at the sight of a leveret; Bayle had convulsions if he heard water dropping from a faucet: Turcnno was weak when ho saw a spider. spi-der. The list of these strange antipathies anti-pathies is a very long one. There was a time when all these fears wero attributed to pro-natal influence. This explanation is not now in favor. Why should a robust, healthy, sane man turn 'pale, sweat great drops, have a queasy stomach, and bo mcntnllj' distressed dis-tressed when thero is in a room a cat which he does not see, when ho has no reason to believe that a cat is present? Nor does it matter whether the case be tho ordinary cat of the alley and roof, raccoon, angora, maltcso or manx. |