Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1901-10-06

the service they were doing for the duh
and negligent people who allowed their
street and door yards to reek with dis
ease breeding refuse. He was poor
man, although great scholar. and he
wrote learned books which only few
great scholars like himself could appre-
ciate. Because SO few people bought
his books he was compelled in spite of
his fame to live In very mean house
in very mean street. The flies soon
knew him to be their friend because he
never shouted "Shoo!' in very fierce
voice, nor would he flop great. clumsy
hands around in a way that endanger-
ed their lives. No. indeed; he always
sat quite still when they buzzed about
him and watched their antics with
bright, curious eyes. The flies. to show
their good will, would clean his door
yard most scrupulonsly
Gradually the swarms of flies increas-
ed in that neighborhood as the baby
flies grew up. A mother fly sometimes
In a single season is the mother of
more than million other flies. Her
eggs are laid in food, so that when the
young grubs hatch out they will have
something upon which to feed. This
is one reason why 1t is dangerous TO
leave meat where the insects can get
at it, for the mother flies will drop eggs
over it which in a few hours Will
hatch out into little worms. These IN
short time develop into winged lies,
much as the caterpillar changes into
the butterfly. The house fly, however,
has no chrysalis. but when 1t is old
enough merely bursts through the
grubs skin and appears perfect ny.
When the plague of flies was at Its
height. the neighbors began to write let
tiers to the newspapers complaining ABOUT
the annoyance. 1t seemed like PUNISH
ment from heaven, and as all the protest
ers considered themselves most exemplary
persons they could not see just whey
their street should be singled out for con-
domination.
Then the Wise Old Man went to his
desk. and he wrote the newspapers a let
ter very fun of biting criticism in regard
to the sanitary condition of the neighbor-
hood. Then he signed his celebrated name
to the letter and all the editors printed
II in prominent places in their papers and
even referred to 1t in their editorial COL
umns. for 1t was a mastery defense of the
flies. The head man of the city health
board was so stirred up by that letter
that he went around to examine the street
himself. and when he went away the
cleaning department went TO work on II.
All the householders were notified that
henceforth they must burn their refuse
vegetables. fruit or meat-in theirs ranges
and that all who allowed it to stand out
side over night would be fined. Then the
fire company brought its hose and washed
off the street and neat and beautiful 1t
looked after that. fly could not have
found a meal there, II a fly had been left,
but when they saw what was to be done
Grandfather Fly said; Come away,
children, while you have a chance. This
neighborhood will be so clean that we will
starve here. We must seek a new home
That evening when the Wise Old Man
came out into his dooryard with his cat,
pussy looked disappointedy about. There
was not fly left. The cat felt that the
health board man had been too ofhcious
in spelling her sport, for she had greatly
enjoyed chasing the flies. The improve
ment was an excellent thing for the
neighborhood, for inside as well as out
side the houses were thereafter kept
scrupulously clean.