The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1894-02-20
A CURE FOR MOTHS.
HOW TO PREVENT THE PEsKY THINGS FROM
DOING DAMAGE.

the summer and found, to our surprise
and grief many of our choicest articles o
apparel sadly damaged by the moths. Ii
the midst of our trouble, and the discus
sion as to the modes of protection agains
moths, which had been handed down by
tradition in our family, Aunt Julia came
in.
aunt Julia, how do you keep YOU
winter clothing from the moths?" we botf
asked eagerly, as that good lady proceeded
to lay aside her handsome shawl, which
looked as fresh as ever after seven years
wear
81 used to suffer from moths as much as
any one" replied Aunt Julia, taking hel
knitting from her little basket and sitting
down, "but found recipe in an old
much solicitude on the subject. 1t was
many years before / could be persuaded
to try It, In my young days money was
not quite so plentiful as now, but provis
ions were cheap, and farmers daughter
began her married life better supplied
with linen, blankets and bed quilts, than
many jewel decked city belle. As l was
was an only daughter, and was not mar
ried too young, noble pile of blankets,
feather beds. bed quilts, &c, became my
portion. For many years after we re-
moved to the city used to dread my sum-
mer work of airing beds, and packing very
( 10
stuffed with the softest down. | tried
snuff, tobacco, camphor, pepper and cedar
chips, and yet, as we changed our place of
residence several times some colony of
moths-old squatters among the beams of
the garnet, or in some unobserved scrap
of wooden cloth-would eHcamp on my
choicest possessions"
why, Aunt Julia, thought you had a
cedar closet"
Eyes, when we moved into our new
house; but by that time my closet was too
small for my increased wealth, and till l
used this recipe seldom passed year
without some moth holes but now
have not seen one in nine years"
"What was IT. Aunt? Have you the
book or can you repeat it from memory ?
1t is too late to save these things, but
will write it down, and try it next
spring." So saying, Anna took out her
little recipe book and pencil, while Aunt
Julia prepared to recall the moth pre-
ventive.
THE book was an old one, with the
title obliterated, and the title page torn
out by some careless child but the di-
rections were these:
clay not up for yourselves treasures
upon earth, where moth and rust doth
corrupt, ana where thieves break through
and steal. But lay up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where neither moth
nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves
do not break through nor steal
"Oh! Aunt Jalia, is that all? How
does that help the matter?
"Wait, Anna, and hear my story out.
One day as | was mourning over my
choicest blankets, eaten by the moths,
and airing my down bed-quilts and
feather beds, which had been rendered
mattresses-as stood ready to cry with
vexation to see my choicest articles eaten
in the most conspicuous places, as you
have experienced to-day-my eye rested
on an old Bible, which lay on the top of a
barrel of pamphlets In the garnet. ]
opened il, and almost unconsclously read
the recipe for avoiding moths which
have given you to-day. | then reeollected
that they seldom troubled the clothing in
frequent use. and that the articles which
caused me such. care we're not needed
twice year. then thought of Sophy
Baker with her large family and sick
husband. They had been burned out
the spring before, and were just en-
tering upon cold, long winter ofpoverty.
sat down, and writing her note, sent
two feather beds and four blankets, and
an old-fashioned 'cover-lid,' that very
/ day and two more blankets despatched
to poor old rheumatic neighbor, whose
! destitution had never occurred to me be-
fore. l then began to breathe freely /;
and before another week two more blan-
kets were gone to comfort tired limbs and
aching hearts. The cast-off coats, cloaks,
and all pieces of carpeting which bad
long lain in my garnet, were gwen to the
deserving poor. A bag of wooden stock
ings and socks, which had been kept for
cleaning brass, were sent to a charity
institution, never again to become a
te m ptation to the moths. / inquired
particularly the next year, and found the
beds and blan kets were in such excellent
preservation that / cheerfullly laid out
more of my surplus property in heaven,
and out of the way of moth and mould.
My cedar closet and trunks hold all
wish to preserve, and, when they begin
to run over, i commit more articles to
the keeping of my widowed and father
less acquaintances."
but, Aunt Julia, yours is peculiar
case. You had homemade outfit of a
rich farmers daughter, and could not ex-
pect to make use of it besides, the Bible
don't encourage wasting our goods ex-
travagantly."
81 do think the Bible leans to what Is
called the extravagant side. The rest of
the chapter following the verse / have
quoted gives littles- encouragement to
much forethought, either in food or raj
ment, and in another place says, He that
hath two coats, let him impart to him
that hath none This rule leaves very
little to pack away in cedar closet. In
my opinion, Gods providence is far from
encouraging extensive accumulation
either of money or possessions, especially
among Christians. Fire and food,
drought. mildew and moth stand ready to
rebuke that spirit of coveteousness which
the Lord abhorreth."
Surely, Aunt Julia, you wouldn't have
me give away the new furs you gave me
yourself last winter"
mo, roy child but let us examine for
a moment this moth-eaten pile. Here
are three coats of your husbands which
be never could wear again"
CHOSE are for fishing, Aunt"
"How often does he fish ?
Once in four or five years, perhaps,
said Anna.
"Well, here is bag of outgrown,
shrunken socks and stockings, and these
old dresses of Adas, and those overcoats
OF the boys, that / heard you say were
unfit for wear, even in the playground ;
and besides, think you remarked that
the whole difficulty originated in an old
carpet, which has been harboring moths
many years. when it might have been
out of harms way upon some poor
widow floor"
"Wel, Aunt, l believe You are half
right"
''Try my rule, Anna not after your
property is ruined, but when you find
/ - ria of a.