The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1878-02-09
THE FESTIVE OYSTER.


Baltimore Sun Rev, Dr. j, &, Nor
ria lectured on "The Natural History of
the oyster at the Second English Lu.
theran church, Thursday night, before
a large audience. The subject had been
chosen for him, but there could not be
a more luscious and juicy che, nor one
more full OF interest, a great deal had
been said, written and pructiced about
it--therc was indeed vast oyster prac-
tice in Baltimore every day--but most
people know little Of the life aud habits
oi the oyster. IL was ont Of the way of
ordinary lecture subjects Of the present
day, most of which were rs dry as
punk There were curious and laughs
able things about an oyster, but there
WAS much more than that IN the subs
iect. There was its immense financial
importance in II mercantile view, Thou
sands of men, women and children
were given employment here in the
oyster trade who would otherwise have
no work in the winter season. There
were 100000 invested in it in New
York city, and probably a great deal
more than that in Maryland.
The oyster was well known to the
ancients thousands of years ago, though
it is not mentioned in the Bible, un>
less under the general class of shell
fish and mollusks, but the proiane
writers are loud in it's praises. No
dinner could be complete without oys-
tiers. Here in Maryland there is full
evidence OF their antiquity. vast beds
Of shells ten feet thick are found at
great distances from he shores OF the
BAY showing that the Inhabitants in
old times had carried the bivalves away
to feast ON them. Tne heap were now
covered with other soil.
1t is not known who was the first
man to eat an oyster, but he was
very brave man to put such a look
ing animal in his mouth and swal-
low it, without knowing it was good to
eat or not. Tradition has it, that long
and long ago, man walking by the
bay shore, saw curious, ugly object,
half covered in the weeds He gave
it u kick when the oyster opened its
mouth, and he saw the white pearly
OlltCG within. ne man pTltu CuIt-
ously at it, and put finger in the
shell, which was instantly clamped
down. Jerking out his finger, he placed
it in his mouth to ease the pain. Get
ting taste of the Juice he found it
good. and, breaking open the shell, he
eat the whole oyster. This discoverer
told his friends, and oysters quickly
became known as delicacies.
Eyervbodv eats oysters. TO few the
taste is not natural but the appetite is
soon trained and these become the
greatest eaters of it. Men of old days
ate oysters nil day long, and it was true
now that men COULD eat lust as many
raw ones as they could find room for in
the canocitv oE-weu. call it what you
choose Cooked oysters would surfeit
The raw OYSTER was so easily digestible,
because il was firstly composed of sev>
en.eiyhths water. slightly gelatinized,
and a small quantity of nutritive mat
ter secondly its liver the black part Of
the ovster wa. larger in nroportion than
in man and secreted a Great deal of
bile This with the auids of the stomach,
mako two foctars of Question. and the
oyster nartlv digests itself
Tho auste, ;s eno Of the few animals
eatan olino cor - 10 not exoctlv dead
Ayhan sroiiouOd nnloss Won cut it in
pieees fr.t Ia natural history com,