"Hawthorne, Nathaniel - The Celestial Railroad" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hawthorne Nathaniel)

1843

TWICE-TOLD TALES

THE CELESTIAL RAILROAD

by Nathaniel Hawthorne

NOT A GREAT WHILE AGO, passing through the gate of dreams, I
visited that region of the earth in which lies the famous city of
Destruction. It interested me much to learn that, by the public spirit
of some of the inhabitants, a railroad has recently been established
between this populous and flourishing town, and the Celestial City.
Having a little time upon my hands, I resolved to gratify a liberal
curiosity to make a trip thither. Accordingly, one fine morning, after
paying my bill at the hotel, and directing the porter to stow my
luggage behind a coach, I took my seat in the vehicle and set out
for the Station- house. It was my good fortune to enjoy the company of
a gentleman- one Mr. Smooth-it-away- who, though he had never actually
visited the Celestial City, yet seemed as well acquainted with its
laws, customs, policy, and statistics, as with those of the city of
Destruction, of which he was a native townsman. Being, moreover, a
Director of the railroad corporation, and one of its largest
stockholders, he had it in his power to give me all desirable
information respecting that praiseworthy enterprise.

Our coach rattled out of the city, and, at a short distance from
its outskirts, passed over a bridge, of elegant construction, but
somewhat too slight, as I imagined, to sustain any considerable
weight. On both sides lay an extensive quagmire, which could not
have been more disagreeable either to sight or smell, had all the
kennels of the earth emptied their pollution there.

"This," remarked Mr. Smooth-it-away, "is the famous Slough of
Despond- a disgrace to all the neighborhood; and the greater, that
it might so easily be converted into firm ground."

"I have understood, said I, "that efforts have been made for that
purpose, from time immemorial. Bunyan mentions that above twenty
thousand cart-loads of wholesome instructions had been thrown in here,
without effect."

"Very probably! and what effect could be anticipated from such
unsubstantial stuff?" cried Mr. Smooth-it-away. "You observe this
convenient bridge. We obtained a sufficient foundation for it by
throwing into the Slough some editions of books of morality, volumes
of French philosophy and German rationalism, tracts, sermons, and
essays of modern clergymen, extracts from Plato, Confucius, and
various Hindoo sages, together with a few ingenious commentaries
upon texts of Scripture- all of which, by some scientific process,