Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1874-09-02
ABOUT THE OYSTER.
What Our Oysterman Finds in
History as 30 the MOllusk.


The oyster is bivalvular testaceous
animal, well known in Memphis, where
it is stewed, scallopped, fried, roasted,
steamed, boiled, aud then eaten by the
animal man. At least ten thousand
dollars are spent by Memphiaus annu-
ally for the mollusk, which is brought
here from Baltimore, Norfolk, Mobile
and New Orleans in it's own shell or in
tin cans presented to it by man as a
protection when travelling by river or
rail. The tin-can oyster season has
opened in Memphis, and the half-shell
season will follow suit about the first of
October Who first ate the oyster2 He
is, however, believed to have been Adam,
soon after he moved out West from the
Garden of Eden to look up a location for
his family, consisting Of himself and the
madam.
There is legend concerning the first
successful oyster-swallower:
Once upon a time-it must be pro.
digious long time ago, howeyer,-a man
of melancholy mood, who was walking
by the ocean shore, ard littt ming to the
monotonous tones of the sad sea waves
espied a very old and ugly oyster, all
coated over with parasites and sea-weeds.
1t was so unprepossessing that he kicked
it with his foot, upon which the animal,
astonished at receiving such rude treat
ment on its own domain, .geped wide
with indignation. Noticing the beauti-
full cream. colored layers that shone
within the shelly covering, and fancying
| the interior of the shell itself to be beau
tilul, he lifted up the aged molusk for
| further examination, inserting his fingers
within the shells. The irate bivalvei
thinking, no doubt, that this was meant
as a further insult, snapped his pearly
doors close upon the digit ofthe intruder,
causing him some little pain. Alter re-
leasing his wounded finger, the inquisi-
| tive gentleman very naturally put it into
his mouth.
Delightful exclaimed he, opening
wide his eyes What is this2 and
again be sucked his finger.
Then the great truth flashed upon him
that he had found out a new delight
had in fact actually achieved the most
important discovery ever made up to
that date. He proceeded at once to
the verifcation OF his thought, end, TAX
ing up stone, he forced open the doors
| of the oyster, and gingerly tried piece
of the mollusk itself. Delicious was the
result; and SO, there and then, with no
other condiment than the juice of the
animal, with no foaming porter or pale
| chablis to wash down the repast, did the
solitary anonymous man inaugurate the
oyster banquet.
Another version Of the oyster story
is to the effect that the man who ate the
first bivalve was compelled to DO so Tor
punishment.
Ever since the apocryphal period of
this legend, men have gone on eating
oysters. Poets, princes, poEtltfs, ora
tors. statesmen and wits have glutton-
lied over the oyster beds. Oysters were
at one time, it is true, in danger OF being
forgotten. From the fourth century to
about the fifteenth they were not much
in use; but from that date to the present
| time the demand has never slackened.
Going hack to the time which we now
regard as classic, we find that Vitellus
ate oysters all day long, and some peo-
pie insinuate that he could eat as many
as a thousand at one sitting. Callisthe'
mes, the philosopher Olympus, was
also a passionate oyster eater; and so
was Caiigula, the Roman tyrant. The
Latin poets sung the praises OF the oys-
ter, and the fast men Of ancient Rome
eni oyed the poetry during their carouse.
Serpius 0rata invented artificial oyster
beds. and had constructed for him at
Barrie, on the Lucrine Sea, great reser-
voirs, where he grew the dainty mollusk
in thousands. In order that he and his
friends might have this renowned shell
fish in its very highest perfection, he
also built palace on the coast, near to
his oyster ponds, and thither he resorted
when he wanted to have a fish dinner,
free from the cares and turmoil of bust
ness. We are told that we owe the orig
NAL idea of pisciculture TO this Serglus
Orata, who, it is stated, cultivated the
bivalve for profit as well as for his own
pleasure. The Italians sent 10 the shores
of Britain for their oysters, and then
favored them in large quantities on arti-
fetal beds.