The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-05-06
HIS MOSQUITO CURE.
WHY COLONEL BENSON SOUREp ON
HUMANITARIAN SCHEMES.


of Mosquitohood. but the Beasts Didn't
Appreciate His Gold Cure.
Colonel Benson shifted lis feet on the
table. Eyes" he said, ~ have had my
share OF unusual experiences. About a
year ago was glancing through scleD-
tihc journal when little item tucked
away In the corner Of a page caught my
eye. Ii was headed like this:
'Intoxioation Among Insects--Tbe
Mosquito Follows Mans Example, The
paragraph went on to say that the natura!
food OF the mosquito consists of various
vegetable substances found In bark,
MOSES, etc. The habit of consuming HUI
man blood, 1t was said is an acquired
taste of the mosquito. similar to the taste
for alcoholic drinks among men. The
mosquito gets intoxicated with blood, and
after he has thoroughly gorgcd himself
death ensues. Thus the parallel between
the insects and the human race Is carried
out.
"You may be surprised TO know, gen.
tlemen. that / saw the possibilities Of
great enterprise in that little statement.
My reasoning was as follows: 1t Is well
known fact that the appetite for liquor
can be entirely oVvrcome in the average
human being by the use of certain prepa-
rations Of bichloride of gold. We have then
two facts-first, the appetite Of the drunk
ard for liquor and the thirst Of the mos
quito for blood are practically Identical;
second, the desire for liquor can be cured
by q simple hypodermio Treatments. Ergo,
you have only to discover preparation
which will produce similar result in the
mosquito and you have freed the human
race from one of its chief sources of annoy
anoe.
"You can imagine my Joy when this
grand idea first flashed upon me. saw
myself hailed as universal benefactor.
Banquets would be spread In my honor,
medals would decorate my breast my po-
sition In life would be assured. / figured
that summer hotel proprietors alone would
yield me an independent income.
"There were many difficulties to be sur
mounted, however My first step was to
gather a fine collection of the insects
They were in all stages of the blood drink
ing habit, from those who had but tasted
their first drop to the old FOUNDERS who
were lettering to besotted end. An ex-
pert chemist and well known naturalist
whom had Interested In my scheme, then
mosquitoes 1t seemed q long time to me,
impatient as l was, but in reality less
than month passed before my assistants
had discovered solution which produced
the desired effect. Indeed, the cure
brought about such complete change In
the character Of the insects that they
would eat their natural food from the
palms of our hands, without ever attempt
| ing to modest U.S.
"Then came the practical application of
| the cure on large scale. While my sci
entifio friends had been searching for the
cure which was to work such wonders i
had carefully evolved plan for putting it
| in operation. My idea was to establish
mosquito asylums, as l may call them for
want OF a better name, In various swampy
regions where the insects are bred in large
numbers. Large platforms wese to be
erected on which the vegetable food of the
mosquito could be spread in great quanti-
ties Fortunately it was not necessary to
administer our cure by hypodermic injec-
tions. BY merely saturating the food with
| the solution the same result was produced.
| IL did not succeed in attracting enough
| mosquitoes by this means, had in reserve
| the idea of erecting a small hotel in close
proximity to my platforms. The verandas
| would DO provided with bammocks, and
| the windows with mosquito netting.
| could easily get few people to spend few
| weeks in the place by offering them free
entertainment. l also planned to put up
| my mosquito chloride in small bottles for
| home use, placing it on sale at all drug
| stores. These were the first steps of my
| enterprise. OF course / built my hopes
| largely on the belief that the mosquitoes
| that had been cured would bring forth Off
spring in whom the blood drinking habit
| would be entirely wanting. Having thus
| obliterated the hereditary tendency to in
| temperance, counted on the speedy re-
| generation of the mosquito race.
| 81 can see by your expression, gentle
| men, that you have been interested ir the
recital of my hopes and aspirations. You
| will undoubtedly sympathize with me
when tell you of their downfall. l began
| operations on a small scale in lonely part
| of New Jersey where could be safe from
| intrusion For few days all went well.
| Mosquitoes came In swarms, attracted by
| my bait The effect of the cure was ut once
| apparent The future seemed very bright.
| But alas for my hopesl When success
seemed almost within my grasp, slight
error In our calculations served to ruin the
| entire scheme. We had simply failed to
| consider the internal cleverness OF the mos
| uuitoes The little beasts didn't want to
| be cured. Like too many Of their human
prototypes, they actually preferred to con-
| tinue In the barbarous customs OF their
| ancestors rather than accept the blessings
| of sober and temperate life. Those who
| had been cured told their friends about 1t,
and the swarms that had surrounded our
| asylum dwindled to a beggarly number
| To add to our discontinue, the people who
| had come out from the city and were get
| ting their board free at our hotel began to
] kick about the butter, the lack OF scenery
I and the bad water. Many departed In as
| much indignation as If they had been pay
| ing a gilt edged price for their rooms
| Then our financial backing began to
| weaken, and 1t was not long before the
whole enterprise from which we had ex-
pected such great results was as dead as
the proverbial doornail. For my part,
l have concluded to give humanitarian
schemes the cold shoulder In the future.
| The colonel gazed gloomily at an cleo
| trio button near by. Some one pushed It,
and a bright ray shot athwart the gloom
| New York Sun.
Il