The New York herald., 1869-12-26
One Hundred Millions of Dollars Ex-
pended Annually in the Ms-
trop0lis for Bivalves.
Their Anatomy, Propagation, Names and Com.
mercial Classification.


OF o metropolitan Oyyterman, consisting OF an
apron that once was white, creased garment
upon which Is advertised the precious properties
OF slusn and all the pieces OF Old times Sunday
wardrobe fallen from grace The significant mono
syllable he utters has world Of meaning. "Oner'
the initial number, distinction OF absolute rea.
tion. settled identity, perfect unity, palpable
coincidence, separate convertibility. "0ne" an
isOlation-a widow, perhaps an entity OF two-two
hearts, four hands, eight limbs, ana 30 on In the
ge0mctrical proportion reaching the iegons Of
misery at innnlty. "Onep an odd, singular, unat-
tended, unrepeated, insecable, inseverable, IRE
soivabie. md,scerptibie non-divsiblty. zone"
sIgniaes o species. We have done with these
frIgntul adJectives. 'One'' Is text, but are
not to follow It's meanderings per Beecher, Chaplin
rockingham. Its ominous sound echoes
through the oyster house as 1t passes the trained
lips Of its articulator and reaches the ears Of the
kitchen maid, who forthwith proceeds to
make "Onep' Necessarily from the proper
application Of the imperous mandate which
the naughty master Of the situation proclaims
20 loudly, there must be distilled primitive essence
realizing the conditions Of the arst in the Ian
guage-of the word canonized by saints abused by
free lovers, embraced by frantic matnematicians,
conveniently used to express tho 0rdinal in serial
numbers and expressed In an ancient tongue as
Il Pi,ribUs Uauna.
Five minutes pass by; savory steam rises from
the crate and congeas upon the colder countenance
Of the maid aforesaid. A dozen OF the elementary
ingredients which are to make up the .'onen not
wltnsanding its heretofore asserted "insecabe non
dlvisibility," have been thrown into o tin dipper
with long, cylindrical handle, aud this dish IL now
sitnated in pleasant little nook among the decar-
bombing Goals, simmerng and sending pleasant
gurgling music throughout the room, mingled
with the volatile particles ascending the
air. When the Ind dignaat Fahrenheit whose
mercurial temperament rises degree on degree with
the invasion Of the vitality OF the "onen hath again
subsidized to q reasonable figure, the maid deposits
her charge upon the plate, and the ersame Hlber
nian, with hands covered with real estate, bears
charge to the customer, and there Is the "one.r
The word has found Its master, and the mysterious
monosyliape ceases to be one, but becomes two un-
der the accepted apology of "oystersn We are
satisfied. Yet. perhaps compassionately we look at
the poor, helpless little orphaned bodies noating
about on the surface OF the soup, who lie never
did anybody harm, and IN sorrow say, "Sucn Is the
heartlessness OF manY' Oh! could Mr.. Prevention
II. Bergh witness the grief what q poor, prodtess
mission would he believe his Society of Animals
We proceed to decompose the unit, and having
drafted that universal solvent tho stomach, into
service the entity Is soon swallowed up lii victory.
The effect IS beyond measure
indoctrnated with the stupidity OF the oyster by
strange anomaly he also partakes Of the happiness
OF the clam. SO that the whole bivalvc species,
Whatever their paysioogicai connection IN the dill
ferent relations, contribute in the expression as
they do also IN mascation to the essential comfort OF
their remote posterity-mortal man. THIS reduced
system OF cannibalism-of making food OF ones
own observation-disclosures so serious question, both
Of morality and humanity, that we might be inclined
to discuss its physical and spiritual aspects It
not Tor Mr.. Bergh, who, doubtless oppressed by the
seryty Of his labors has neglected to give It any
tentlon thus far. but designs doing 80 when time
permits The morality OF eating oysters we hardly
suppose would be questioned it not for
the TACT thar these unprotected creatures are eaten
alive. Being the only wherein the mouth is
made slaughter house, Us well as butcher shop, 1t
may well excite attention that the great animatarlan
has not moved In the matter before now. An examlna
tiOn into the propagation and domestic vicisstudes
OF oysters reminds US that after series OF years
the adults become )aded, feeble, inirm and no
longer able to support the burdens OF their
nationality. Hence II would be no more than an
exhibition OF timely feeling II OF ,he attention
bestowed upon vigorous and healthy lambs and
rigid and ruddy turtles transferred to the poor
prosecuted race whose suiYerings and hardships in
advanced age have never evoked the faintest wall
from sympatheuC humanity.
Oysters are more provocative than nutritious, and
Tor this reason, doubtless, the public appetite ior
them has never been known TO diminish. They can
be eaten a. oil times and under all circumstances,
when anything can be eaten. In one form or
another the most eneryated system VIII digest them
ana assnilate their admirable properties. SO that
stomach rejecting other iood, and even
spurnlng 1t by violent volcanic erupuons, Will
pleasantly and agreeaby submit TO the
operations OF this OF vitality and health
cater any extreme degree OF relief from hunger, but
are properly an appetizer, and only an appetizer.
his full sense for apprecating food In general YET
who Will attack oysters with delightful complacency
Tnsy @ pave % the way. they open tnorougaiare 70
by their peculiar influence upon the membranes and
tissues OF oil parts influencing she appetite. li one
OF the most important functions in animal economy
Like every other article OF food, they have those VINO
dislike them, but IN general the sweeping assertion
universally liked, the most universally cultivated
the most universally cooked. In oil varieties
Known to mann Ceniu,es '1 neinre Iesns pesa,an
cutsn1teT could boast his gastronomc skill as
Kitchen manipuiator Of these tempting meats the
the.r value and probably wnile enjoying them
cooked many OF the intellectual dsnes which give
the modern classical student dy spepsa. Some have
imagined and many have written that tue oyster s
modern animal. Poor etnnoogist ii ls pen Sc ante.
as v"n y, wn s,Se You e, l me oyster
nose at science. Greece anu Rome full OF
oysters; America Is full Of them Greece and Rome
logical ayllogisul, America must be great. WheshGr
or not this is 30 have the best independent
authority coming 10 our support An the tact that
oysters are purely democratic. You can DO catered
10 by embryo Delmonicos about tue Clty.Hall, who
hang out conspicuous banncrs:--
! "OYsTER Sour. FIVE CENTS
Or you can descend into the dives OF Cherry and
Water streets and eat your peck OF dirt with tue
worry juices there distilled Dickens says that when
O man has nothing else to do he eats oysters Me
tropoliian observation confirms ns statement. but
wherever We 20. whichever waY We turn, the fact
remains that an oyster loving, is an order loving
community; that Oysters Rs q national dish belong
70 those people celebrated for art and industry
Greece. Rome, America. Letting the asnes OF the
Lwu ioImef very respectable fossils rest IN peace
u seen that In America OJsters are proverbial
sell Meei.evlaent ana indispensable. In New YORK they
SIc iaG.s. usiicious iact1 On . wager everybody
truce everybody oommends them.
Literature would have been dull withoNe them.