THE BOOK OF THE CAT. 



and to admit that there may be another side 

 to a question. My own position to-day is that 

 I am as much interested in the fancy as ever, 

 but I do not find the necessity for doing the 

 work in so severe a manner now, for there are 

 so many capable of carrying on what has 

 been done, and the future is pretty well assured ; 

 so that for the health of the fancy at large 

 it is better that too much should not be 



called a " beast," I hope posterity will say 

 I was a " just beast." 



It might be as well to refer to the score 

 card to show where in cases such as we have 

 had to contend with it has done a great deal 

 of good. One hundred points make perfec- 

 tion, and the question arose in one's mind 

 before using the score card as to whether the 

 budding exhibitor would be for ever crushed 



"CHAMPION MISS DETROI T." 



OWNED BY MRS. GROSE AND MRS. OWEN. 

 (Photo: D. D. Spellman, Detroit.) 



monopolised by two or three pairs of hands, and 

 some of us old-timers who- began in 1893 and 

 1894, and before that, are allowing the younger 

 blood to take its share of the tasks. 



In judging cats, as in other stock, it seems 

 to me that one of the greatest criterions as 

 to the success of our efforts as judges is the 

 success in many cases of cats or kittens bred 

 from those we have put in the front rank. 

 And only time can tell the force of what we 

 have done. If in the future I see cats doing 

 as well as they are this season, bred from 

 those I have put in the prize list, and judged 

 by other judges, then shall I feel repaid for 

 work done in the past, and not until then can 

 I be sure I have been right. It would be 

 impossible to go back through the last eight 

 years and their troubles and experiences, and 

 though in many cases I know I may have been 



by finding that the cherished one came out 

 of the score card ordeal with about 75 points 

 instead of the possible 100 ; so that when it 

 has been selected by a club for a show I have 

 warned the owners of the danger ; but to the 

 everlasting credit of our fanciers I may say 

 that I have not had to register a kick because 

 of a low score, and many even novices 

 were more than pleased with a score of eighty. 

 If I may point out a failing in English judging 

 and we see the same thing here in the dog 

 fancy the criticism is left to the reporter, 

 who has not the time or the opportunity for 

 finding the real faults nor the space at com- 

 mand to do justice to the exhibits. 



The task of explaining to exhibitors why 

 their animals have lost is not an agreeable 

 one ; but in a land like this, where nearly 

 all have been beginners, this has been an 



