Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1869-02-16
The Destroyer and his Victim.
BY REV. JOHN TODD. d. d

BY REV. JOHN TODD, D. D.
On hot summer day, gentleman sat down
to think over subject on which his mind was
| greatly troubled. He was wondering how it
| was that so many of the young men of his ac,
| qualntance had yielded to temptation and been
destroyed. He was wondering how the great
Tempe rcould so soon get them entangled in his
nets, and never let them loose again until they
were ruined.
While he was thinking over the subject. he
saw worm moving along softly in the foot
path. he moved quietly, and without any fear
Now, said the gentleman to himself, that
poor worm can go safely, though it has no rea.
son to guide it. There lies in wait no destroy
er to entangle it, while our young men, with
reason and conscience, are destroyed by scoresl"
just then ne saw spider dart across the path,
about foot In front of the worm She did not
appear to be thinking of the worm, nor the
worm of her. When she got quite across the
path, she stopped, and stood STILL The worm
kept on, but soon was brought to stand by
small cord too small for our eyes to see, which
the spider had spun as she rushed before him.
Finding himself stopped, the worm turned to
go back. The instant he turned, back darted
the spider, spinning a new cord behind her,
The poor worm was now brought up second
time, and twisted and turned every way to es-
cape. He seemed now to suspect some mis-
every time he turned, the spider darted around
him weaving another rope There gradually
was no space left for him, except in the direc-
ton of the hole Of the spider That was left
open, but on all other sides, by darting across
and around, the space was gradually growing
less. 1t was noticed, too, that every time the
worm turned toward the hole of the spider. he
was instantly hemmed in, so that he could not
get back quite as far as before. So his very
agony continually brought him nearer the place
of death 1t took full hour to do all this, and
by that time the worm was brought close to the
hole of the destroyer.
He now seemed to feel that he was helpless,
and if he could have screamed, he doubtless
would have done so. And now the spider eyed
him a moment, as if enjoying his terror and
laughing at her own skill, and then darted on
him, and struck him with her fangs. Instant
ly the life began to flow out. Again she struck
him, and the poor thing rolled over in agony
and died. Mrs. Spider now hitched one of her
little ropes to her victim, and drew him into
her hole, where she feasted at her leisure, per-
haps counting over the number of poor victims
which she had destroyed in the same way be-
fore i!
When see boy who goes with bad company.
and who listens to their profane and lcentious
conversation, think of the spider and her vic
tim.
When I see boy breaking the Sabbath, by
going off to fish, to swim or to play;
When | see one disregarding his father and
mother, and doing what knows will grieve
them;
When see one occasionally going to the
oyster cellar and to the drinking saloon in COM
pany;
When | see one going to the theatre where
nothing good, but all evil is displayed:
| When | have reasons to suspect that he takes
money from his father or hi employer, which
is none of his. but which he hopes to replace
Why, | always think Of the spider and her
victim, and mourn that the great Destroyer is
weaving his meshes about every such boy, and
is drawing him toward his own awful home =
The dead are there