The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-02-14
Prof. burt a.. wilder In Bcnniug-

Prof. Hurt a.. wilder In Bcnning-
On Wednesday evening, Prof Burt G..
Wilder, of Cornell University, lcctured
before the Young Mons Association in Bon
nington on "Spiders and Geometry"
The audience, though select, was small
and the look of the house must have been
somewhat dishoartening not only to the
eminent and eloquent gentleman who Ice.
tured, but also to those who earnestly de-
sire to see tho spirit Of scientific inquiry
awakened and stimulated in Bennington.
The Professor, however, commenced his
lecture with an enthusiasm which was very
contagious, and his first few sentences
reused an interest in the audience which
wa, sustained throughout the entire lecture
He began by saying that the subject of
the lecture might better be stated 'spders
versus Geometry" rs it was part of his de-
sign to prove that the oft-quoted geometric
accuracy of the spiders web did not cN-
ist but that these little creatures displayed
much less geometric knowledge than was
commonly imagined.
| The poor specimens of spiders in the
cob-wcbs around the hall must have felt
badly to hear themselves so abused, but
the Professor proved his point
After some general, and discursve re-
marks by way of introduction, the Pro-
fcssor took up the examination of three of
the common spiders of our northern region.
These were the Epeira riparia, or com.
mon garden spider, the hephHa plumipes,
and the m,thyGs.
These three seemed to Prof Wilder to
be representative specimens of the race Of
much abused insects
The discussion of the Epcira was intense
ly interesting, the lecturer becoming quite
animated in his descriptions of the habits
method of catching Its prey, form Of the
web, and other pcculiari,ic, Of th, COM
mon insect.
The lecture was p oiusely illustrated by
blackboard sketches, and also by Diagrams
and models previously prepared
Beautiful specimens of spiders silk were
shown; the production of the "Trcphila
plumipes" These were collected by the
lecturer while a surgeon in the army, during
the late war. lie was stationed for some
time at Beaufort; and occupied his spare
time in investigation into the habits of tho
"Trcphiia," as well as other spiders. This
! otlly lao i,n onli,nn,, Ia.
had rcclcd off as produced By the spider
sometimes at the astonishing rate of oigh-
cen inches in three seconds of time.
The professor believes firmly in the poi
sonous nature ofsomo spiders, particularly
the common hunting spider, which may Lt
seen any warm day upon the sides of our
houses; a short, thick-bodicd dark grey o,
black spider with very bright eyes. These
have sometimes produced scrions Illness
and even death by their bite
On the whole the lecture was exceeding
~ interesting though we heard many re
grcls that the Professor did not speak more
fully of the anatomy OF the spiders sub
ject more interesting to most people thar
the building of the web.
Some side hits at what the lecturer de
nominated superstition" were not Yer.
well relshed by the audience, or at least
the religious part of il but all should re
member that true religion has nothing t,
fear from the most critical Investigations o
even skeptical scientific men, but that
courts the most earnest scrutiny, and de
clarcs with the Psalmist ''all Thy work
shall praise Theo o Lord"
We may be permitted to question hoN
ever, whether it is the province of publ
lecturer to snccr, even covertly, nj tina
faith which sees in even spiders web, o
the cell of a honey-comb an evidence O
the experimenting intelligence which ha
its origin in an all-wisc Creator.