UN-NATURAL HISTORY. MAN VERSUS THE RAT. WHAT THE RAT SAYS.

Evening Post, Volume LXIII, Issue 87, 12 April 1902, Page 7 (Supplement)

UN-NATURAL HISTORY. MAN VERSUS THE RAT. WHAT THE RAT SAYS.

"So you are the man who wrote about tho destruction of the ral and all his kind?" Tho man thought he was in bed and asleep, and that ho was awakened by a heavy weight on his chest. Ho rubbed his eyes. It was un immense rat. The pressure of his paws on the chest of the , man made him powerless. The rat's oyes glittered' like burning conls. The man lay still, calm und collected. This huuntiug vision, this nightmare wont on with his indictment. "Man versus tho rat," you said? No answer. "A war of species, eh?" No answer. "Kats convey the plague?" No answer. "What about us?" "Go away. It wus the lobster, or tho cheese, or the whisky. Go away, you vision, you nightmare. I will wake up directly to find . myself in bed at honm with a maidservant tit my elbow -holding * cup of tea, and tilling mo my bath ft ready. Go away, you hallucination, you shadowy figuro of a dreum, you product of an undigested morsel. Go away. I have fiefti rats and snaices before this bigger than you, aud have known they were uot real. Go away." , "Not so," said the rat spectre. "What about us? Man versus tho rat tho Irnpbr said. Well, fair play is bonnie play. But what about the poison? There was poison in every housu; poison in every street. Half » million of you combined to poison us. Man with his intellect. Man who walks the ourth with his forehead proudly lifted to the stars ; man who, although a worm iv body, is v god in mind and heart, combines to poisou us. Ruts we are; yes. But the hand that made the man rough and brave, and tho woman beautiful and tender, made the rat and tho subordinate creation." Tiie rat paused. 'Go on," said the dreamer. "I will go on," answered tho rat. "Why should 1 not go on? Are not many of our families desolate. Have not many of our kind perished in agony by your poisoned foodf Have not many been crushed to deajh by your pitiless spring traps? Aro not our bodies paid for at the rato 'of 3d a head, and are not they burnt in a furnace at the foot of Bathurst-street '!" "Quito so," said the man with the nightmare. "Wish they had you there, too." "Of course you do," said tho phantom rat; "but havel the plague? Am I the cource of infection? In the paper this morning* it said that four thousand rats had been destroyed." He paused, and again his eyes shone with rage. "Yea," he continued, "four thousand. And of that four thousand how many had tho plague? Who knows that there were more ruts with the plague than thero ore human beings? Who can swear? Who hue i given them a fair trial? Who has made any examination? You are dumb: There in no cry but that of wipe out tho rats. You simply gave us a St. Bartholomew's Day last Wednesday, aud said that every rat must perish. "That is very unjust. Do we rats want tho plague? No. Do we originate it? -No, Do we communicate it? No. The fleas communicate it from us to man. Why not kill the fleas? The rats do not want either Hea or plague. But because some rats have the plague why should the whole genus rat be slam ? Because a few men and women have the plaguo you do not poison all mankiud. Of course do «'iit .v * B *y °S ain ' whftt about ÜB ' r We have .vested interests. Wo arc •eavengors. Our purpose is to cleansa the pluces left filthy by humankind. Where man leaves filth we go and cleanse. In the drain, Uio gutter, tho sewer, we destroy the germs of many diseases. We have all creation for our foe, but we fill our place in the economy of nature. Then when there cornea a doaetme, a filth disease caused by man's uncloanliness, which attntku both rat and mau alike, you turn on tho rat >to destroy him. Koep your city clean, and neither rat nor plague will come' here, Bb filthy, and you will have both; but bo filthy, and kill all the rats, and where there was oue epidemic boforo v dozen will follow. i "I *pc«& as a rat — an old rat whoso urno v is nearly over. Many of us know poison, and eat not of it. The young, the inexperienced of our race may havo perished, but enough of us have instinct and experience that save us from underhand means of slaughter. Man bus intellect, skill, wealth. Can ho nob fight even the poor rat in a fair and sportsmanlike manner? No. He and a whole city full combine to kill by polßon. Therefore we, the rats, declare the conduct of Sydney to be o chapter of Un-Natural History to be Imndod down to the dumb creation for ever." Any more?" said the afflicted dreamer. "That is all," said tho rat. "I go on board a boat for a more friendly clime. But, roinomber — nnd study un-natural history."—Sydney Morning Herald.

First Kentuckian 5 "Do you think that mesmerist who is giving allows at aunh town hall is aa impostoh, KunneU" Second Kentuckian : "No, indeed, Miijoh. No, indeed. Why, suh, las' night I saw him Make Kunnel Souahma«h drink wittoh Rtt' smack hi* lip» oveh it, «uh."