Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-06-04
Moths.

n. 4. Times.
This is the season when the devastating
moth begins its neiariOus operations. Ac-
c6rding 10 the most eminent housewives,
| the moth is a winged insect that lays eggs
| in every variety Of wearing apparel-with
a preference for the more costly articles
| from which are hatched caterpillars, which
instantly begin to deyOur all the clothing
| within their reach
The moth enters houses at all times Of
| the day and night, and the housewife must
be continually on the alert to repel its at
tacks. In this respect il may be said that
the price Of clothing is eternal vigilance.
One moth is as unable 10 make complete
summer as is a single swallow, but It can
produce a winter Of discomfort in the
mind Of the careful women with a success
that no other insect can rival.
There are various spells and talismans
which are believed by superstitious women
to be efIicaciOus against moths. PrOmi-
nent among these is camphor. There are
women who stoutly affirm that il gar
ment be sprinkled with gum camph0r no
moth will approach il. This belief is Of
vast antiquity, but it Is wholly devoid Of
any basis Of fact. There are moths which
appear to have a positive fondness for
camphoT, and regard IL as a sort Of condi-
ment designed to add plquancy 10 flannel
and fur. The same may be said Of tobac-
co, which in many cases serves to actually
draw moths. Whatever else the moth
may be, it is intelligent, and cannot be
frightened by supersttiOus rites nor re-
PEELED by the pretended power Of fetch.
The only way in which to oppose the
moth plague is to kill every moth which
enters the house. Our leading housewives
know and act upon this principle. At this
very moment there are hundreds Of women
in our fair land who are stealing across
the floor with their hands upraised iu a
devotional attitude and look Of profound
earnestness and reverence in their faces.
| They are not engaged, as the unthinking
| observer might imagine, in a religious eX-
ercise, but are striving to capture an al
legged moth, which they have seen floating
in the air. The sharp conclusions Of their
hands sometimes crushes the doomed in
sect, but in too many instances the moth
! escapes and the tender palms suffer in
vain. Husbands and sons manifest a
heartless indifference TO moths. When the
wife exclaims, ''StOp; there's a moth. Oh,
| kill il! kill it,! the unfeeling husband
usually remarks, Il don't see any moth, 80
and refuses to stir from his chair. He
10 EhAANl VI NNEA lAAbAE eAAOIADAla
| conduct, as when he replies, "Oh, that
isn't moth; why don't you women try to
learn a little natural history"
There is undoubtedly lamentable lack
Of certainty in the female mind as to the
exact identy Of the fiannel-deyouring
moths There is but one species Of inseci
to which this title belongs, but few wo.
men agree as to what particular insect il
is. The average housewise holds that al
small insects having wings are moths, anl
deserve instant death. 1t may be pointed
out to her that If the small White-winget
creature which she called the moth las
night is the true moth, the large brown in
sect that she calls a moth this morning
cannot be the guilty aud dangerous de
vourer Of clothing. This argument, how
ever, makes no impression upon women
They class all flying insects under the gen
eral head of moths, and the larger any par
ticular insect may be the more firmly arr
they convinced that ''it will fill the whole
house with moths" This peculiar method
Of reasoning has led to many painful acci
dents. There are women who persist il
regarding the wasp and the hornet as es
pecially reprehensible varieties of moth
and haye suffered severely by incautiOusly
catching them with bare hands. The de
finition Of the moth undoubtedly needs Il
be made clearer and more distinctive, il
order that women may be spared the labo
of unnecessary slaughter, and preserved
from pushing a dangerous Acquaintance
with moths armed with stings.
The earnest housewife will kill mott
in any circumstances. DevOut womel
have often killed moths in church, ans
thereby subject themselves to the suspi
cion Of having been guilty of applaudiDl
the clergyman in an unseemly anC
worldly way. Women Of the utmost deli
cacy and refinement have killed moths ol
the heads of their friends, to the grea
astonishment and frequent headache o
the latter. Only year ago, Miss BTews
ter. of bingham, Mass, became involved
in painful scandal through her hatred o
moths. She was engaged in a prayer
meeting and was sitting next to Deacol
Sammis, when she noticed a moth on tn
latter's knee. Without moments hesita
ton she smote that moth with her opel
palm and killed it on the spot. Unfol
. tunately, her enemies refused to admi
that there was any moth in the case, an
a complaint was lodged against her fO
undue familiarity with Deacon Sammis
} and for indecent disturbance of religion
, worship 1t is true that she was acqui
ted, after long trial, in the course {
which she acquired a most disagreesbl
notoriety, but her usefulness to the Thirt,
, second Congregational Church of Hinl
ham was blasted, and she was obliged /
withdraw from all activity in its col
Germs.
1t is not strange that in this age
skepticism bold unbelievers should
found who deny the existence of any fl
ing insects which destroy clothing. Tho
claim that flannel and fur deyelope
small worm which destroys them, b.
r thatthis worm has no possible connectiC
with the flying insect that is popular
believed to be its progenitor 1t is nee
less TO say that this theory is regarded /
( all good women with horror. DOubtle
they are right. There is an immeni
amount of testimony going to prove that
flying insect is the original parent Of Il
r worm which gnaws the clothes ofthe ju
= and the unjust, Women ought, hOwevC
TO show some little discrimination, al
having settled upon satisfactory mot
S they ought to stick to it, and cease TO W
{ against other harmless insects.
Cannot max him Smile.