kfasterinthedepotthantheydidinthestage-office?Thereissomethingelectrifyingintheatmosphereoftheformerplace.Ihavebeenastonishedatthemiraclesithaswroughtthatsomeofmyneighbors,who,Ishouldhaveprophesied,onceforall,wouldnevergettoBostonbysopromptaconveyance,areonhandwhenthebellrings.Todothings“railroadfashion”isnowtheby-wordanditisworththewhiletobewarnedsooftenandsosincerelybyanypowertogetoffitstrack.Thereisnostoppingtoreadtheriotact,nofiringovertheheadsofthemob,inthiscase.Wehaveconstructedafate,anAtropos,thatneverturnsaside.(Letthatbethenameofyourengine.)Menareadvertisedthatatacertainhourandminutetheseboltswillbeshottowardparticularpointsofthecompassyetitinterfereswithnoman’sbusiness,andthechildrengotoschoolontheothertrack.Welivethesteadierforit.WearealleducatedthustobesonsofTell.Theairisfullofinvisiblebolts.Everypathbutyourownisthepathoffate.Keeponyourowntrack,then.
Whatrecommendscommercetomeisitsenterpriseandbravery.ItdoesnotclaspitshandsandpraytoJupiter.Iseethesemeneverydaygoabouttheirbusinesswithmoreorlesscourageandcontent,doingmoreeventhantheysuspect,andperchancebetteremployedthantheycouldhaveconsciouslydevised.IamlessaffectedbytheirheroismwhostoodupforhalfanhourinthefrontlineatBuenaVista,thanbythesteadyandcheerfulvalorofthemenwhoinhabitthesnow-ploughfortheirwinterquarterswhohavenotmerelythethree-o’-clockinthemorningcourage,whichBonapartethoughtwastherarest,butwhosecouragedoesnotgotorestsoearly,whogotosleeponlywhenthestormsleepsorthesinewsoftheirironsteedarefrozen.OnthismorningoftheGreatSnow,perchance,whichisstillragingandchillingmen’sblood,Ihearthemuffledtoneoftheirenginebellfromoutthefogbankoftheirchilledbreath,whichannouncesthatthecarsarecoming,withoutlongdelay,notwithstandingthevetoofaNewEnglandnorth-eastsnowstorm,andIbeholdtheploughmencoveredwithsnowandrime,theirheadspeering,abovethemould-boardwhichisturningdownotherthandaisiesandthenestsoffield-mice,likebowldersoftheSierraNevada,thatoccupyanoutsideplaceintheuniverse.
Commerceisunexpectedlyconfidentandserene,alert,adventurous,andunwearied.Itisverynaturalinitsmethodswithal,farmoresothanmanyfantasticenterprisesandsentimentalexperiments,andhenceitssingularsuccess.Iamrefreshedandexpandedwhenthefreighttrainrattlespastme,andIsmellthestoreswhichgodispensingtheirodorsallthewayfromLongWharftoLakeChamplain,remindingmeofforeignparts,ofcoralreefs,andIndianoceans,andtropicalclimes,andtheextentoftheglobe.Ifeelmorelikeacitizenoftheworldatthesightofthepalm-leafwhichwillcoversomanyflaxenNewEnglandheadsthenextsummer,theManillahempandcocoa-nuthusks,theoldjunk,gunnybags,scrapiron,andrustynails.Thiscar-loadofto