Lower coast gazette., 1913-10-04
The Day Of the Oyster.

Tic Jay VI llle UySlef.
BY Henry C.. Rowe, President Of the
Oyster Growers and Dealers
Association Of North
America.
1t is not my custom to prophesy, as
| value the advice Of the late Samuel
L. Clemens, who is alleged to have
said: IF you do not know, do O
rrophesy,' but in response to a spe.
cial request for an article on oysters. I
feel justified in departing from this
rule to say that the day OF the oyster
Is at hand.
This is my opinion for several reas.
ons, and among them l would mention
the fact that the prejudice created by
certain sensationalists against oysters
during the past few years has been
exploded by the authoritative state.
ments OF DR.. Carl l. Alsberg, Chief
OF the Bureau OF Chemistry of United
States Department of Agriculture, and
Of Prof. Julius Nelson, professor of BIZ
ology, Rutgers College, New Jersey,
and biologist Of New Jersey State Az.
ricultural College Experiment Station;
Professor Frederick p. Gorham, pro.
fessor of biology, Brown University;
Prot. Earle B. Phelps and Prof. Sedg.
wick, of the Massachusetts Institute Of
Technology; Dr.. Herbert D. Pease. Of
Lederle Laboratories, and many 9th.
er scientific men of unquestionable au.
thority.
The prejudice to which / refer has
never extended to those persons who
are we'll informed concerning the oys-
ter industry, but it affected q consider
able number of timid persons and
those who are readily impressed by
sensational statements by food dema-
gogues looking for n%otoriety, and by
the lurid headlines of the yellow
press.
Dr.. Alsberg, who is now the official
scientific authority on such subjects
in the United States, has publicly
said: q could wish that the number
of dangerous sources of milk supply
was as small and that the percentage
Of pure, wholesome milk was as great
as the proportion Of wholesome, safe
oysters that reach our tables.
People do not discontinue drinking
milk and water because it is alleged
that they have occasionally caused dis
ease. What the reasonable consumer
requires is that care shall be observ-
ed that the milk and the water shall
be pure, and shall be kept pure for
their use. And that is all that is nee
essary in the case of the oysters.
There have been a thousand times as
many cases of illness traced TO the
use of oysters, and as far as statistics
show, it is infinitely more dangerous
to ride in an autimobile or on a rail-
road train, or even to walk in the
streets where automobiles abound,
than it is to eat oysters every day in
the year.
The prejudice which was commenc-
ed by certain se~nsationalists years ago
has gone on until the Oyster Growers
and Dealers Association OF North
America has placed before the peo-
pie Of the country the real facts, and
the presentation Of the facts which
was made by this organization during
the last season will have a great Ell.
feet during the coming season and in
future years, and this work will be
continued through many avenues OF
public information.
These efforts to educate the people
to the true facts concerning oysters
have already caused the prejudice 10
recede, and it will decrease until the
accusations against oysters 4s7ill be re
garded as they deserve, as an attempt
to acquire notoriety on The part Of
food demagogues.
Last winter when l presented the
facts concerning the oyster industry
to DR.. Alsberg, l also had the privilege
of an interview with the president
elect (then Governor) Wilson. TO both
of these gentlemen I presented the
facts concerning the oyster industry
and it is gratifying to Say that neV-
er had conferences with two men who
grasped the subject in it, Earious
bearings any more promptly than
they. And it was obvious also That
they would apply the ties. OF reason
and the light Of a broad intelligence
to every question which theJ consid-
cred. After these interviews I felt
confident that the authority OF the
United States Government: you'd be
hereafter employed in the preserve
ton of the purity O; food products and
Continued Oh mage 4