Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 21, Number 53, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 March 1900 — A Tradition Exploded. [ARTICLE]

A Tradition Exploded.

The popular belief that all women are afraid of mice has lteen exploded, says the Philadelphia Record. There is it young woman visiting a prominent Conshohocken family who actually boasts of her fondness for not onlymice, but rats. The hostess remarked the other day that her life was made miserable by the hordes of rats and mice that infested the cellar. "Oh, let me gb down and see them,” exclaimed this remarkable young woman. "I’d like io catch one and ilissect it, so you can see wliat a cute little heart it-has.” The hostess was horror stricken, and begged to know what her guest knew of dissection. “I'll tell you," was the reply. “When at boarding school we had such a dear old professor, lit* used to give us many interesing antd entertaining lessons. For instance, lie would get a rat, run his sharp knife around its neck, and presto! the hide was removed, fail and all. Then he would cut up the remains and point out the various organs. With a little instruction tfuy of us girls could perform the operation, and we soon enjoyed it. I tell you. lltore was such a demand for subjects that the school Was soon rid of rats and mice.”