THE CAT IN ART 121 



patiently through the pleasant task which for cen- 

 turies has been assigned to all Persian pussies in 

 the East, — the reading of the " Arabian Nights," 

 from the first page to the last, twice in every year. 

 Vastly different from these mysterious darlings 

 is the sober simplicity of Burbank's honest cats ; 

 or the tigerish fierceness, so frank and free, of the 

 splendid creatures drawn by Delacroix ; or the in- 

 nocent playfulness of Lambert's kittens, almost 

 as well known and well beloved as those of Mme. 

 Henriette Ronner. In truth, Lambert and Mme. 

 Ronner may be said to divide the honours easily 

 between them, the larger share falling to the lady's 

 lot. Their pictures hang in the Luxembourg and 

 other great modern galleries. Prints and photo- 

 graphs have made their work familiar to the world. 

 They should both be held in some degree respon- 

 sible for the great wave of cat-worship which has 

 engulfed all Christendom in the past twenty-five 

 years. The lively affection which Mme. Ronner's 

 cats inspire in every heart has softened the asperi- 

 ties of life for the whole feline race. No one can 

 look without love upon these pretty creatures, these 

 baby pussies all gayety and grace, scrambling with 

 foolish temerity over chair and table, radiant in 

 their self-sufficiency, and always the objects of 

 deep maternal solicitude. 



" Kittens, than Eastern Houris fairer seen, 

 Whose bright eyes glisten with immortal green." 



