Evening star., 1945-11-08
This and That
By Charles E. Tracewell.
BETHESDA, Md.
BETHESDA, Md.

Dear Sir:
II agree with your friend, Templeton
Jones. that there Is not much to be said
Tor centipedes in the house. Outdoors Is
where they belong. II Is the cold
weather which brings them In.
There is one living thing, however,
which think may be permitted. and
this Is the spider.
Il have always had an especial affec-
tion for the spider. finding In it much
to intrigue the imagination and en-
nance the powers Of observation.
The person who will make a small
specimen his house guest, and spend
some time each day watching it. will
ind that his accuracy increases, in ad-
dition to the pleasure of gaining some
knowledge
In recent years I have been struck
as most lawyers are, by the different
versions of the same happening which
witnesses give. No two persons see a
thing the same way. When half dozen
or more persons are involved, the differ
ences become positively ludicrous. One
will see an object black, another white;
one Will estimate the speed of a moving
will put it at 80 miles.
If the attention is devoted to a
spider for some days, the little changes
and peculiarities of behavior cannot be
seen except as they are. Variations
are ruled out, due to the fact that there
is but one observer.
THE spider itself, knowing nothing
OF the study made of 1t, will be exactly
the same thing all the time, and thus
Will help the human powers of observa-
ton,
Il know that this exercise has helped
me greatly in other matters, and I
therefore advise spider as good food
for the questing mind of man.
"A spider is clean thing, and helps
eat other insects. Some of your read
ers speak proudly of centipedes as Gus
todians Of other insects, but he is such
an ugly customer, in himself, that he
frightens many persons, whereas a
spider, looked at fairly. is positively
beautiful in his symmetry. And
surely there is nothing in the world
like spiderweb. could examine these
precious pieces Of workmanship all
day. 1t is sad to think that the house
wifes ruthless broom sweeps them
away Wherever 1oundi
I'm being host to spider, be sure it
Is not Of the black widow variety, but
one of these small milk white fellows,
who frequent bookcases. am sure that
many Of your readers will be grateful
Tor this tip. Yours, E. l.. r. T. D."
A spider in the house is not exactly a
servant in the house, but it will clean
up some forms of small invaders, and,
as our correspondent says, furnish some
food for thought.
Thoughts, said that "the spiders most
attenuated thread, is cord, is cable, to
mans tender tie on earthly bliss" It
breaks, he adjures us, at every breeze.
wordsworth has similar black mood.
He is worried about hope, and asks:
Hopes, what are they? Beads Of
morning
Strung on slender blades OF grass,
Or spiders web adorning
In straight and treacherous pass"
An ancient Greek writer had this to
say: Written laws are like spiders webs,
and will, like them, only entangle and
hold the poor and weak, while the rich
and powerful win easily break through
them"
Alexander Pope knew his spiders, too.
"The spiders touch, how exquisitely
fine!
Feels at each thread; and lives along the
line"
It took Mary Hewitt to write one of
the most familiar Of all quotations about
the spider:
win you walk into my parlour?'
Said spider to ny;
lis the prettiest little parlour
That ever you will spy"
Mary Hnwitt WAS . Quaker poetess
who lived between 17ee and loo6. She
translated many Of the stories of Hans
Andersen, and altogether wrote 100
books