Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-10-17
Spider Lore

smallest specimens of creation. In the
imminent and lumber rooms Of tradi-
ton none will search long in vain for
teStihcation to this, and IL will prob
ably be found that the spider, which
Solomon has classed among the four
things which are little upon earth but
exceeding wise, bears alone the honor
| of being small in size but great in
| fame. AS an example of perseverance,
| the case of the spider fingers in our
memory among the earliest adages OF
| the nursery. This anccdOtc serves as
| jam to one of the pills Of history. and
| the ingenious babu who asserted that
| Hon. Bruce succeeded in tanning
| spider to climb w thread and fall
down seven times In succession" was
| certainly an Illustration Of the breadth
| Of the appeal. AS model Of industry
no one denies the spider her ire
proachable position.
"Shc taketn hold with her hands and
| is in kings palaces" AS a therapeutic
| agent Of vast pOtentialities the recipes
| Of old medicine men. quacks and
| mountebankS teen with directions for
converting her straightway into Il po-
| ton. 4 prophylatic or an amulet. His
| tory. or perhaps more correctly tradi-
ton. credits her with the sudden and
| subtle weaving of webs which have
shroudcd some hunted refugee In the
| hour Of peril and turned forever the
| feet of the Dursuer off the trail into the
wilderness. She is known to have
| sacrificed herself in the cause Of hu-
| m3nity, and, however unwilling such
| an act may have been. she has, III one
| case at least. been awarded no despite
| able fern, of Immortality. There is
/ another side to her character which it
| would be we'll not to overlook. for il
| shows that there is scarcely a limit To
be set to the widely distributed power
| on which her reputation rests. She
is endowed with iathal prociivities. and
there can be little doubt that certain
cases OF murder lie charged to her on
| good evidence.
| According 70 Shakespeare. There
| may be in the cup spider STEPPED.
and one may drink: depart and yet
partake no venom" If Frederick the
| Great was aware OF this. il was per-
haps simply RIGHTEOUSNESS which
| caused him TO refuse a cup of coffee
into which a spider mad fallen and
drowned itself. We can assume, III
the tb,ence of knowledge. that Fred
| erick was ignorant of Shakespeare's
| reputation C the fatal results of TAX
ing spi l'.r-Cortaminata refreshments,
| ard that he thought only of the old
| legend. Probab bly,, however, there was
| a more reconcile influence than this a.
| work. For whatever webs of destiny
| that particular spider may have woven
| in its past il never aimed more surrey
| at the future than in that act of self
| immolation. The cup of coffee hal
! been .treacherousiy poisoned. and the |
| cook into whose hands 1t was returned |
| fearful Of certain discovery. shot MINI !
| self without more ado. This il but a |
| case in many. and on the whole il must |
| be said that the salutary qualities OF
| spiders appear to have been more az
lively employed than their much adj
rcrtiSed toxic powers. Their rcputa-
| ton as regards the latter is considered
| by some 10 be quite an undiscovered
| stigma. and we hear comparatively lit |
| tie of it.
| There arc others also who constitute
| themselves the special defenders of the
| spider. Scott tells us that no one of
| the name Of Bruce. "of happy MEM
| Dry" would dare. i'll wantonnesS. to kill |
| a spider. Similar scruplcS should at
| tach to many another whose name |
| sakes have been indebted. The cave Of
| Adullam. historic In more than one
way. offered a very secure retreat for |
| David when "all his hope was cut off" |
| But We arc asked TO believe that he |
| owed his preservation to the iIit Arver- |
| ton Of i spider. which. with the ut
| most alacrity spun its web over the |
! mouth. Beyond such an effective bar |
| rier Saui's men would not penetrate. |
| Its presence was to them sufficient Wit |
ness 70 the unviolated sanctity Of the |
| cave. and they passed on. Mahomc-
| tan zeal cmbellshes the same story and |
| sets 1t in new surroundings.
| Mahomet driven from Mecca by The |
| koreishites, sought refuge In cave.
| lured thereto perhaps. by the reniem-
| brancc of the older incident. And. ip?- |
| partially enough. up sprang an acacia
| tree at the very entrance, III tho |
brances of which a wood pigeon built |
her nest ami a spider her web This
| lacks both the incisivenesS ana concise |
| ness of the first story. but IL has lis |
own value as helping to swell the evil |
dence which would invest the spider |
with the character Of a good fairy.
AS to the ancient position If the |
spider in the pharmacopocia Of the day
| too much could easily be said. When |
Basil the blacksmith enumerated TO the |
Acadian wanderers all the advantages
| o. the Canadian climate, he took occa-
| sion to add. in words "miIder and
Sayer, only beware of the fever, my
| friends. beware of the fever, For IL is
not like that of our cold Acadian
climate. cured by wearing spider
hung round ones neck in a nutshell" a
warning that was taken without any
| comment. 1t can only be said that This
fever was OF an exceptional kind. for
| the warning conveys an idea contra
| dictory to many of the eagerly accepted
nostrumS which were chiefly COM
pounded of spiders. Old wives tales
| and others declare that all fevers are
| altogether beyond the reach of the
therapeutic powers of a regular doc
Tor. Something more superstitious
II M