The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-01-06

Gruu0 duke ana O<euerus Suerho"u-No"
Fields OF Reform.
| History, and even fiction, repeat themselves.
| Centuries have passed since the famous Don
Quixote, the Knight of La Mancha. rested bis
spear and rode into the darkness with his COM
rades, biographers and friends. All that we
have is their memory. Like other memories,
it comes to life every now and then in war,
society and politics. Sometimes we have
Don Quixote like John Thomas Jenkins,
of the noble family of Yellowplush-
Cheap Jack of education, and Graded
in Bethnal Green, who suddenly comes
among us with his cart, resolved to
overturn all society. Sometimes we have q
political Don Quixote-like the venerable and
beloved Horace Greeley-who feels impelled
to ride down all kinds of Custom House wind
mills in the interest of reform and office.
Then we have the humane Don Quixote,
whose heart is heavy over the wrongs of all
animate and inanimate creation, and who, in
spite of ridicule or reason, keeps up incessant
agitation. Those Of our readers who
have seen Don Quixote as drawn by
Dore will remember his tall, lank
FORM his sombre, quizzical countenance
his grotesque, irrepressible, chivalric bear
ing-something between that of a pugilist and
an undertaken. This creation is the counter
part of our famed townsman, Bergh, and any
one looking at his rueful and never-to- be-for-
gotten features would believe that Dore's Don
Quixote had taken body and modern appa-
rel and was walking down Broadway.
Our Don Quixote Bergh has long pondered
over the matter, and is grieved at the treat
ment society bestows upon its animals
especially pigeons and turtles, and oysters
and dogs. After much thought he finds that
pigeons are actually slain and transformed
into pie; that turtles are ruthlessly dragged
from their resting place under the coral reef
and distilled into soup; that oysters are
wrenched out of their comfortable and inalien
able shells and treated horribly-roasted
alive, rolled in meal and broiled, or
highly spiced and resolved into soup, or
even eaten alive after being tortured by cay
enne pepper and radsh. The horse, that very
noble animal, is clipped Of his hairy coat and
sent to shiver on the avenues and In the parks
by cruel owners while the dog, especially
the winsome, artless and useful poodle, has
his ears bored and his tail locked by wicked
and unfeeling owners. All Of these things
Bergh has long observed and dwelt upon.
With the decisive and rigid intellect of q
great mind he has given his whole soul to this
question. No call of social duty; no tempta-
ton to ambitious reDown; no overwhelming
succession of events here or 10 Europe; the wars
on the Continent or our war of the rebellion !;
earthquake, pestilence, famine; not even
the downfall of Tammany, or the HERALD's
great achievement in penetrating Africa,
has been permitted to direct his marvellous
mind from these great themes. All this time
he has only thought of the futtering pigeon
dissolving into pie; the lively oyster
suffering from flame and fire; the trimmed
poodle and the slowly reddening lobster. In
vain rude and coarse men have urged that
men must eat and pigeons and Holsters must
die; that civilization has tastes and Graves
the pate and the salad. In vain those who
know the horse tell him that clipping is a
comfort to it, induces cleanliness, speed
and health. In vaiu Miss Flora McFlim-
sey clasps her adored poodle, and,
with Bonded knees and streaming eyes,
urges upon Don Quixote Bergh that
little Gippie or Towser looks SO cunning with
his trimmed ears and shortened tail-that he
is proud of it himself, and is never the worse
for it beyond a salve or powder. Don
Quixotc knows better. His mighty and mas
sive mind has searched those grave questions,
and all that remains for him to do is to mount
his Rosiuante and level his spear, and set out
to do battle for the oppressed oyster and the
downtrodden pigeon.
In vain men say to him, ''Wise and brave
Don Quixote, thou son of valor and
chivalry, behold our wants We must
eat or die. Are there to be no more
chops or tenderloins or porterhouse steaks /;
no more coils of savory sausage or sugar
cured ham? Are we to be deprived of our
omelettes because the egg may contain the
germ of unknown life? Shall the keen Yankee
be torn from his Goldfish, or the frugal Jer-
seyman from his clans and crabs, or the
industrious Knickerbocker from his Sunday
pigeon pie. Speak thou inscrutable and hui
name friend of beasts, whose gigantic mind
fathoms the unfathomed world, are we to have
nothing but cakes and ale?" Don Quixote
points to other lands and says:-''Thou raven
Gus and blood-lapping generation, look at
China, where the Monaghan lives on rice.
Canst thou not live as the Mongols do? Look
at Arabia, where the devout Mussulman wor
ships the prophet and subsists ON figs Go to
Africa, where the swarthy and valiant Moor
grows lusty on his native dates. I
give you corn in America and wheat
| in Europe, eat Of that aud live