The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-08-29
The White Whale Speaks.
What q Reporter OF the London Tele-
graph Heard at The Fisheries Exhibition.

What Reporter OF the London Tele-
graph Heard at The Fisheries Exhibition.
As / sat there watching them sweeping
the sea floor and dushng the rocks, with the
figures of the ocean monsters looming up
between me and them, became aware that
the great sea things we're talking together.
The white whale had the floor, and 1t spoke
in dull, plaster-of-Paris voice, while ever
and again the husky tones of narwhal and
shark, sturgeon and sun fish. speaking as
one who was stuffed with hay nigh: speak,
murmured subdued "House-of-Lords" ap.
plause
caught but little Of what was said. So
many trout were hatching in the ponds close
by that it was difficult to follow the speaker.
But the drift of the bulky ones utterances
was unmistakable. 1t was grumbling con-
sumedly. Whoever had heard of such nom
sense as studying the manners and customs
of whales and sharks on dry land? Why
was not the Exhibition held OF the Dogger
Banks in thirty fathoms Of good sea water?
AttcfC W az lnC pldCO W oCC lhlbSo oo lACJ
really were. The right way to study the
manners and customs Of a shark land the
white whale was quite sure the honorable
gentleman from the South Seas would agree
with him) was for the public 10 get into wa
ter out of their depth, for he had been in
formed that sharks always turned over on
their backs before helping themselves to
swimmers, and the public would thus have
the opportunity of seeing both sides of the
shark. At present they could only see ono
side, as the late Frank Buckland had ce-
mented the other Gown TO the blocks they
lay on. Or how could any one arrive at an
intelligent appreciate Of his friend the
stlng-ray unless they met him at home; and
what was the distinction between an electric
eel and any other, if the former had no op-
portunity OF uIustretius tbs dtfRsrsucsq IL
the British public is SO interested in US and
our ways, why don't they come down and
see us in ours daily lives, let their children
play with live Holsters In the cracks of rocks,
tickle the torpedo fish, and play bo-peep
with an octupus? They would learn moro
in one afternoon intelligently devoted to
EEf22pgpipg reg with spider crab thaR in whole
white whale thought-siu an -.lar sea
things asreed with him.
Some of his remarks struck me as being
both ingenious and just. "The human be-
ings,r said he, "who have organized this
exhibision live on dry land, on the upper
most crust Of ii. Even specifically meas
ured, the extent of their habitation Is far
smaller than our own, while in depth there
is not any possible comparison. And yet
they nave arranged this exhibition solely se-
cording to their own divisions of the surface
Of the dry land, insteai of according to the
divisions of the sea. There appears to me
in this arrangement an assumption CT supe-
ri0rifu that ia hardly warranted updar fba
circumstances. Supposing mites were 10
hold an exhibition, and to apportion off the
world according to the different varieties Of
cheesesl Should we not laugh at them?
Now, 1t happens that human beings cannot
live under water. Indeed, it has come un-
der my own experience that, il they remain
beneath the surface even for very incon-
siderable time, they die from choking.
(Some whitebait began snickeriDg at this,
and were suppressed.l And the result is"
continued the speaker, "that, because they
cannot live under water themselves, they
look at everything from dry-land point OF
view. Our marine industries, such as sink
ing vessels, or ramming them, the destruc-
tion OF nets which.gives occupation TO such
vast numbers among US, the consumption
Of fsh-hooks and angliDg-gear generally and
so forth, are surveyed from purely arbitra-
ry terrestrial standpoint. Our marine mys-
of themp They are actually discussing
among themselves whether our life is, or Is
not, silent, monot6nous, and joylessP They
are disputing, believe me, as to whether
there is such thing as the sea-serpent or q
cuttle-fish big enough to seize and swamp q
brig under full saili Now, If these human
beings are sincere in there desire for infor-
nation, why do they not let us, the Inhsbit-
ants Of the Sea, organize Fisheries Ex-
A. ,..o <trtk Of 1,raf
consent to see things for once from the sea-
things point of view? Think of the exhib-
it's we could produce relating to lives and
ships lost at sesssin what they call an inex-
plicable' way. Why, our Polar expedition
relics would alone suffice to draw the whole
world together. Who but ourselves know
the true story of Arctic explorers that have
disappeared? Let human beings. then,
meet us fairly. Let them give over using
the word 'ishy' in the opprobrious sense
they now use it. Let them remember that
the sea contains within its duplicates OF
nearly everything the EARTH contains, aud
great deal besides that the earth cannot
match; that though they speak of sea as an
interruption to continents, we look upon
continents as interruption to sea--good sea
run to land; and, remembering all this, let
them recognize the true maieety Of the
water-worlSs s, and arrange for holding the
tleAt 6AulDlllOu-dJ buC bObIOm VI buO AbfsS~
tic Ocean"
When he had finished speaking the wholc1
aquarium began firing of motions and
amendments, and as the electric eels in their
excitement began to get luminous there was
sufficient Fight TO see the Irish-member kind
of scene that ensued. Each fish had appar-
emily moved that the exhibition be immedi-
atey adjourned TO its own particular hdbi-
tat, but IS the fresh-water creatures could
- xuif ho oh mo fhQV all
began behaving like French Deputies; but
though the pixies made it very disagreeable
for sun-fish, which they tackled, aud the
sturgeon had IL all his own way with an ad-
Joining funny, the sea-things proved on the
vote which was ultimately taken to be great.
ly in the majority, and though the fresh
water fish kept on rising to questions of
privilege and points Of order, and persisted
in moving the previous question and other.
wise oostructing, the original motion, thanks
to the assiduous uproar of the hammer
headed shark, was eventually carried. 1t
was that the next Fisheries Exhibition be
held in the Middle of the South Atlantic,
with an ironicaI amendment by the whito
whale that if the site did not commend It.
self to the fresh-watar fish, they might hold
an exhibition of their own in any puddle
| they liked. An Executive Committee was at
once appointed, the Gulf Stream fixed upon
as the central Office, the sea-serpent invited
| to be present on the opening day, and the
| prizes scheduled. Gold and silver medals
we're awarded for the whales that sank the
| biggest schooner and drowned the most
Dundee whalers respectively; the same for
he sharks that swallowed the biggest man
| iii dressed in tarpaullng at the time an extra
| honorable mentiou); and the same ior the
sword fishes that rammed their snouts deep
est into ships. The list was very long one
| for every fish had suggestion 10 MAKE
| conner badge for the oyster that could choke
an American. London Telegraph.