The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-11-06
paper, which became so widely
known that the Chinese EN-
peror caused it to be translated

ptlOi Cdu>tu II ~ " IdnSldltu
into Chinese. But the noble French people
never forgot good NJ. Bon and his spiders.
Pere Camboni, a French Roman Catholic
missionary, when sent to a mission In NADIA
gascar. noticed with surprise the enormous spider
webs that spread networks of golden wire over the
trees and bushes in the gardens of the quarters occu-
pied by his fraternity. The threads composing these
webs were so strong that. remembering Bon and what
he had accomplished with French spiders. it occurred
to him to try what could be done with the greatly
superior silk OF the Madagascar spiders.
He began by collecting the numerous webs, and
with infinite patience he carded and spun them:
but the fabric woven from this silk, though immensely
strong, was commercially of no value, on account
of the irregularity of the threads. Determined not to
be beaten, however, he tried by every means in his
power to obviate this difficulty, and at last managed
to draw the silk directly from the abdomen of the
spider. inclosing the insects in old match-boxes for
the purpose. 1t is precisely this principle which is
followed in the schools of Madagascar to-day, and
the good father can honestly claim to be the inventor
of the system.
The French have taken the subject seriously. and
professional schools have been founded for the scien-
tiic propagation and the cultivation of the spiders
and for the instruction of the natives in winding,
spinning and weaving the silk. These schools are
due to the initiative OF General Gallieni. and are the
most useful works instituted by that energetic officer,
supplying as they do immediate employment for
the natives. as well as forming a nucleus of an
industry whose end in this age of progress it is I'M
possible to foresee. The spider. which the natives
>"A AANseSNf DN'OaSo SSASS ~
large spiders found in tropical and semi-tropical
countries. and noted principally for the size and
strength of the webs they spin. Captured in the
mango groves and brought to the school in large,
square baskets, they require immediate attention,
or the opening OF the baskets. sad to relate, will reveal
in each a striking and undeniable instance of the
survival of the fttest" in perhaps one solitary
survivor, who has eaten up all its fellow-prisoners.
Not only does my lady feed upon her companions.
but when occasion offers has no hesitation in devour-
ing her husband. Indeed. he is an insignificant, half
starved, dingy-1ooking mite. not more than a tenth
the size of his mate, whom he fears ard worships.
When united to the spider of her choice. having inconti-
nently eaten all her unsuccessful suitors, Madame
Halabe begins to look about her for some locality
where provisions for herself and her coming brood
are likely to be found close at hand. Many of the
spiders discover these in the immense mango groves of
the ROYAL Gardens at Tananarivo. the Capital of
Madagascar, and here the creatures are to be found in
great numbers.
As soon as they are taken from the baskets they
are placed in a case divided into pigeonholes or
square cells like those in which letters are placed in
country post-ofices. a spider is placed in each cell
with the abdomen projecting on that side of the cell from
which the silk is to be drawn. The body is caught
and secured by a fiat piece of wood in which a half
moon-shaped notch is cut. This piece slides
UP and down across the back of the cell. and
\ is adjusted to catch the spider Just in front
legs are brought for