Page:C Q, or, In the Wireless House (Train, 1912).djvu/201

 He ’d give his ears to be there! He had n’t seen a race for three years except a joke of a one at Buenos Ayres,—niggers up. It was good to see the old Pink ’Un again! And to think of Ponsoby, taking it! He began to think better of Ponsonby. He glanced on:


 * I see it reported in to-day’s papers that President John Craft of the Alabama State Oyster Commission is trying to pass a law “making it a criminal offense to eat an oyster unless it has been humanely killed.” This is right!

Just because an oyster cannot yell and wriggle when its shells are torn violently asunder and it is cut from its base and speared with a fork, and sprinkled with salt, pepper and vinegar, is no reason for concluding the mollusc has no feelings.

As a matter of fact, it does feel pain, and it suffers dreadfully. All this could be avoided if the oyster were killed before being served. It could be slaughtered quickly and mercifully, and it would come to a peaceful end.

Yours molluscilly, .