South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-04-21
STATESMEN
REAL AND NEAR
BY FRED - KELLY.

WASHINGTON, April 21.-Every
night. along toward midnight, Uncle
jeremiah Donovan, Connecticut Yam
kee and picturesque congressman.
dashes into a little oyster studio here
in Washington and gulps down about
a dozen and a half of "raws." He
eats them hastily simply because he
has fallen into the habit of appearing
to be in a great hurry no matter what
ne is doing. or how much time he
has to spare.
After finishing his oysters he walks
home and goes 10 bed. AS he could
still walk home and go to bed, a few
minutes later, there is no reason why
he shouldn't tarry and contem plate
his oysters with the quiet thoughtful
air Of a COnnOisseur. fOr that is what
he is.
jeremiah Donovan knows more
about oysters than any other congress-
man. They raise and educate a great
many oysters up in the part Of Con-
necticUt that he comes from, and to
him an oyster is a thing almost hu-
man. He can look into the cold,
moist features of an oyster and esti-
mate its age within few months
To eat oysters in company with
Donovan is revelation.
Here's one" says he. that was
10 be more than four years old, and
it should have been left in the beds
at least a year longer"
Most people, of course, do not know
whether an oyster is at its best when
four or five years of age, like a dog,
or whether il does not attain full pos
session of its faculties until IL is % or
80, as I'm the case OF a man. There
is small oyster raised on Long
=.
and sometimes oysters that would be
much larger when full-grown are
pulled when young 20 be faxed as
regular graduates OF that Long Island
conservatory.
After about two oyster lunches
Nth Donovan one begins TO feel al
most like a cannibal. The little oys-
ters perhaps were torn from their
folks when they were too young to
shift for themselves They never
had chance in life. And now as
they lie helpless before one, shall one
take advantage OF them and eat
them? Donovan does. with great
alacrity, so that after all there may
be no harm.
The chances are that Donovan
dOteS en- oysters and studies their
habits, psychology and home life. be-
cause OF an Unborn sympathy. for all
creatures OF a ItLlIllE ulSUOSlllOU. lie
has a great relish for the society or
all creatures who live a life apart
from the general public
II there Is a hermit a recluse in
the neigh borhood. Donovan is GER
tain 10 get acquainted with him. and
they will become friends. Up in Con-
pcticut there is an old chap who
makes his living mending violins and
performing other esoteric services
He dwells all alone and the only man
who really knows him is Donovan.
They sit together in the old mans
shop and visit by the hour.
When he came to congress. Dono-
van managed. some way or other. to
get acquainted with the monks who
live in a monastery near Washington.
Inasmuch as Donovan used 10 be a
saloonkeeper. one might think that
he and men who have retired to
monastery 10 be apart from worldly
things. would find little In common.
But the monks like Donovan and he
likes them. Nearly every Sunday he
goes 10 the monastery and plays az
being a recluse FOR part OF the dav.
lie and the monastics sit about to-
gether for hours at a time eXchang-
ing conversation and trying one an
others point or view.
Copyright. 1914. by Fred c. Kelly.
All rights reserved.)