June, 1920 
55 
A cat possesses to a remarkable degree 
the power of withdrawing mto its 
own self-sufficient personality. What 
thoughts are hidden behind those won¬ 
derfully clear, unwavering eyes? One 
feels that there is something sphinx- 
like about it all, something tinged with 
the occultism of the Orient 
STUDIES OF 
FACE AND FORM 
SOME CATS OF 
HIGH DEGREE 
Jt is said that the Egyptians along the 
Nile used to shave their eyebrows as 
a token of grief when the household 
pussy died. So greatly did they rev¬ 
erence their cats that about ISOO B. C. 
they dedicated a temple at Beni-Has- 
san to Pasht, the goddess of all the 
felines 
Modern Persian and Angora cats some¬ 
times command fabulously high prices. 
One remarkable specimen was sold in 
England for a sum equivalent to $17,- 
SOO. Many “catteries" have been es¬ 
tablished to meet the demand for well- 
bred, pedigreed stock, and official cat 
shows are often held 
1:1'v\ xK ^ 
One can almost believe that cats of 
high degree appreciate their decorative 
qualities. Often they will voluntarily 
■assume artistic poses in the most ef¬ 
fective situations imaginable; one fa¬ 
mous pussy selects the polished top of 
a tall bookcase, in the center of which 
he crouches motionless like a furry idol 
