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December 18, 1859

Francis Thompson was born on December 18, 1859. He sent his poems to Wilfrid and Alice Meynell and these English editors took him up and got him published. Thompson may have summarized best of anyone the essence of a cat, with these words:

"You look for sympathy from Nature--Yes,the sympathy of a cat, sitting by the fire and blinking at you. What, indeed, does she want with a heart or brain. She knows that she is beautiful, and she is content with this knowledge."

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