Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-12
THE EVIL CATERPILLAR
INSECT HAS ABSOLUTELY NO
"REDEEMING FEATURE"
The Guile of the Pest is Amazing
Described as Possessing "Dia-
bolical A1tfulness."
From the London Globe.

From the London Globe.
Solomon prayed to be delivered from
caterpllars. The ancient priests of Isis
believed that caterpilars, with carvings and
other winged terrors. We're the direct ennis
saries of the evil one. Modern gardeners.
unfamiliar with either the tenets of Osiris
or the composition of the Satanic Hept-
archy, must be much of the same opinion
caterpillars are unrighteous and things
wholly unholy. 1t is remarkable that in the
visitation of the plaques Old Egypt
Pharaoh's magicians could initiate the feats
of AaroE's rod until 1t came to the miracu-
lous invention of vermin; then they con-
fessed their Impotence; Heine reminds
us. they admitted it was the finger of Goo.
There is no redeeming feature about cat
erpillars. except that must express a
note of involuntary admiration for the skill
with which they perpetrate their wicked
ness, demonstrating a depth of depravity
significantly Beelzebubian: and a united
voice goes up from afflicted mankind in
consonance with Solomon's sigh for deliv-
erance. Beelzebub is the reigning prince
of the kingdom of vermin, and this may
the more readily explain the extreme prone
ness of the caterpillar to ways that are willy
and Vaccinations conceived in the spirit
OF ulabollcal artfulneSs.. caterpillar al
ways seems precisely what it is not. Flies.
In an endless denomination, are easily dis
tlnSulShed- apotentates of mischief: they
work their evil openly and unashamed
Inc caterpillar is the very height Cor depth)
OF Satanic cunning. 1t appears in a va
riety hopelessly bewildering, and always
with an assumption of innocence quite af-
fectlng. The favorite rose trees Gt is al
ways the best which Is favored of cater
pillars. clear indication of a Beelzebubian
connection) are gradually denuded of all
tnelr most succulent new growths; the
gooseberry bushes are stripped naked i'm
week, exposing the fruit to the glare of
the sun and spelling the entire yield. to
see one carnations makes one fearful.
Inc oespalrlng gardener uses all the LIQUID
deterrents scheduled in the imagination of
man, all to little purpose. The devastation
goes on.
Only One Remedy.
There is only one NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
inns is a crusade the caterpillar has studied
TO meet, and centuries of effort have made
IL most diabolically adept in evasion IF
mas found innocence the most perfect nro
lection. The guile of the caterpiIIar is
amazing. Working under cover of tho
darkness in the historic method of all
most potent emissaries of the Evil Ono II
lnnocently poses by day as an unpretendinp
piece or herbage. And this deception is so
the most practiced eye can discover ~
oeceit Millinery in nature Is well known.
even large animals practice it, and human
,%a, III many tropical countries protect
themselves from their foes by throwing
thelr limbs into the fantastic shapes of tree
forms and maintaining for hours an i'm
PASSIVE rigidity. The caterpillar. however
has achieved the highest Success In tb;s
branch of self-Dreservation NestIjng ~
uer branch or beneath a leaf 1t ia kes ON
Inc color OF the foliage and practically
renders itself indistinguishable. To this
grit 1t owes Its being, for the caterniIIar
mas a myriad enemies, other than outra ped
gardeners. and enemies infinitely more dis
corning and skilled in the elusive methods
:, No, mas as aaopted. Where the caterpillar is
NOT an esteemed dainty for It's foes. II
Doidly adVertises its UNBEATABLE qualities "a
In the garish coloration Of the hairy cater
piilar. familiar friend in all gardens and
une p .a sport OF children. But it is
not these caterpillars which do the dam.
age that Is, so much damage for all cater
pIiiars are underserving of sympathy; it is
s she ,. Gaternlllars which go their ways
care; as witness the sad havoc in the
promising patch of caulif1ower and the
hopeless interior perforation of our hest
cabbages 'e''
Pangs Of the Housewife.
Inc gardener is indeed an unfortunate
creature. who suffers on earth the tornent
or some part of it, which is the fate 10
those condemned to ultimate residence In
the more legitimate field of operations OF
beeizebub. but probably his sufferines ara
as nothing to the pangs which women nm
Qergo To the housewife the caterpiJIar is
Beeizebub himself. and enormously nnapni
Hed what can save furS and winter wool
ems from the caterpillar of the cIotha.
moth! Womankind has given up the nroh.
lem In despair. multitude of devices has
been devised to scotch this ingenious hut
evil-working grub. Rasis and Cation recorn.
mended pungent odors. vinegar peppermint
SODA; M. Reaumur experimental with an
endless variety of specifics, many of the
most drastic composition. But as in the IN
nous Jackadaw rhyme. none seemed n
penny the worse; on the contrary thew
seemed rather to enjoy the treatment II
Is altogether surprising what caternillars
and grubs can survive and appear to like
IT, Some mites live on strychnine eating IL
with ayidity. Prof Attfeld tried the SANE
rare on cheese mites, and up to 80 Der cent
of strychnine they lived and thrived as per
haps only mites can be expected to do Over
% per cent of poison they found to be an
error of diet, and promptly died There is
sort of caterpillar which lives on magne-
sia; one wonders vaguely whether a perpe-
tual course of magnesia is not found some
what enervating. But, then, the caterpillar
is being wholly depraved, which nothing
can Kill. The grub of the fur moth particu-
as readily as fur. and horses hide as well
as either. and Will dine heartily on such
poetic fare as butterflies wings And it is
destruction personified, taking wanton
pleasure in cutting off a multitude of hairs
more than 1t can possibly require And
nothing seemingly can kill it-turpentine
sea salt, tobacco and sulphur fumes-these