[Professor ROBERT WALLACE, of Edinburgh University, has been
defending the cat as a useful member of society and a defence
against the ravages of plague, and encourages the breeding,
collecting and distributing of types of cats known to be
"superior ratters."]
In these days of stress and passion
Feline charms are out of fashion,
And the cult of Pasht is coldly looked upon;
But cat-lovers may take solace
From the words of ROBERT WALLACE,
Who's a scientific Edinboro' don.
Cats as lissome merry minxes,
Or impenetrable Sphinxes--
Leonine, aloof, impassive, topaz-eyed--
Leave our staid professor chilly,
For he clearly thinks it silly
To regard them from the decorative side.
It is _not_ their grace, now serious,
Now malicious, now mysterious,
That appeals to his utilitarian mind;
But, when viewed as extirpators
Of disease-disseminators,
Then he looks with admiration on their kind.
For if cats should ever shun us
Rats with plague would overrun us,
And they're bad enough on economic grounds;
For their annual depredation
On the food-stuffs of the nation
He would estimate at twenty million pounds.
True, O Puss, romance is lacking
In your latest champion's backing,
But at least he isn't talking through his hat;
And if, after all, what matters
Is to have "superior ratters"--
Well, he pays the highest homage to the Cat.
* * * * *