We hope you hear the train whistle loud and clear for Part 2 of N. Hawthorne’s short story, the “Celestial Railroad.” If you missed the first leg of our journey with Mr. Smooth-it-away, be sure to catch a ride through Part 1 first.

<p>We hope you hear the train whistle loud and clear for Part 2 of N. Hawthorne’s short story, the “Celestial Railroad.” If you missed the first leg of our journey with Mr. Smooth-it-away, be sure to catch a ride through Part 1 first.</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

GYC Southeast

Rhonda Grakov

Great in God's Sight Season 2

Johannes Kepler: Thinking God’s Thoughts

Blaise Pascal: Where Faith and Reason Intersect

Sir Robert Boyle: Christian Virtuoso

Sir Isaac Newton: On the Shores of the Ocean of Truth

The Celestial Railroad: Part 1

The Celestial Railroad: Part 2

The Celestial Railroad: Part 3

The Celestial Railroad: Part 4

Johann Sebastian Bach: This Art Still Lives

John Bunyan: Progress in Prison

Hello and welcome to Grading God's Sight, the podcast that explores underrated heroes or in today's case, underrated stories. In our previous episode, we were just beginning our journey on the Celestial Railroad, a marvel of progress and ingenuity that was unheard of in the days of John Bunion and Christian's pilgrimage. Now we're so glad you've joined us for part two of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story, the Celestial Railroad. Please be sure to subscribe and visit our website, the great podcast.org. That's the great podcast.org g. Thanks for listening. At some distance from the railroad, Mr. Smoother Away pointed to a large antique edifice, which he observed was a tavern of longstanding and had formerly been a noted stopping place for pilgrim's in Bunyan's Road book. It is mentioned as the interpreter's house. I have long had a curiosity to visit. That old mansion remarked I It is not one of our stations, as you perceive said, my companion, the keeper was violently opposed to the railroad and well he might be as the track left his house of entertainment on one side and thus was pretty certain to deprive him of all his reputable customers. But the footpath still passes his door and the old gentleman now and then receives a call from some simple traveler and entertains him with fair as old fashioned as himself. Before our talk on this subject came to a conclusion, we were rushing by the place where Christian's burden fell from his shoulders at the sight of the cross. This served as a theme for Mr. Smoother Away, Mr. Live for the World, Mr. Hyson in the Heart, Mr. Scaly conscience and a knot of gentlemen from the town of Shun repentance to death scan upon the inestimable advantages resulting from the safety of our baggage, myself and all the passengers indeed joined with great unanimity. In this view of the matter for our burdens were rich in many things, esteemed precious throughout the world and especially we. Each of us possessed a great variety of favorite habits which we trusted would not be out of fashion even in the polite circles of the celestial city. It would have been a sad spectacle to see such an assortment of valuable articles tumbling into the sker, thus pleasantly conversing on the favorable circumstances of our position as compared with those of past pilgrims and of narrow-minded ones at the present day, we soon found ourselves at the foot of the hill difficulty through the very heart of this rocky mountain. A tunnel has been constructed of most admirable architecture with a lofty arch and a spacious double track so that unless the earth and rock should chance to crumble down, it will remain an eternal monument of the builder's skill and enterprise. It is a great though incidental advantage that the materials from the heart of the hill difficulty have been employed in filling up the valley of humiliation, thus obviating the necessity of descending into that disagreeable and un wholesome hollow. This is a wonderful improvement indeed said. I Yet I should have been glad of an opportunity to visit the palace. Beautiful and be introduced to the charming young ladies, miss Prudence, miss piety, miss Charity, and the rest who have the kindness to entertain pilgrims. There young ladies cried, Mr. Smooth it away as soon as he could speak for laughing and charming young ladies. Why my dear fellow, they are old maids. Every soul of them, prim, starched, dry and angular, and not one of them I will venture to say has altered so much as the fashion of her gown. Since the days of Christians' pilgrimage, well said, I much comforted then I can very readily dispense with their acquaintance. The respectable of Polyon was now putting on the steam at a prodigious rate, anxious perhaps to get rid of the unpleasant reminiscences connected with the spot where he had so disastrously encountered Christian consulting Mr. Bunyan's Road book. I perceived that we must now be within a few miles of the valley of the shadow of death into which doleful region at our present speed. We should plunge much sooner than seemed at all desirable. In truth, I expected nothing better than to find myself in the ditch on one side or the coag on the other, but on communicating my apprehensions to Mr. Smooth it away, he assured me that the difficulties of this passage, even in its worst condition, had been vastly exaggerated and that in its present state of improvement, I might consider myself as safe as on any railroad in Christendom, even while we were speaking the train shot into the entrance of this dreaded valley. Though I plead guilty to some foolish palpitations of the heart during our headlong rush over the causeway here constructed, yet it were unjust to withhold the highest encomiums on the boldness of its original conception and the ingenuity of those who executed it. It was gratifying, likewise to observe how much care had been taken to dispel the everlasting gloom and supply the defect of cheerful sunshine, not array of which has ever penetrated among these awful shadows. For this purpose, the flammable gas, which exudes plentifully from the soil is collected by means of pipes and then communicated to a quadruple row of lamps along the whole extent of the passage. Thus, a radiance has been created even out of the fiery and sulfurous curse that rests forever upon the valley. A radiance hurtful however to the eyes and somewhat bewildering as I discovered by the changes which it wrt in the visages of my companions in this respect, as compared with natural daylight, there is the same difference as between truth and falsehood, but if the listener have ever traveled through the Dark Valley, he will have learned to be thankful for any light that he could get, if not from the sky above then from the blasted soil. Beneath such was the red brilliance of these lamps that they appeared to build walls of fire on both sides of the track, between which we held our course at lightning speed while a reverberating thunder filled the valley with its echoes, had the engine run off the track a catastrophe. It is whispered by no means unprecedented. The bottomless pit, if there be any such place would undoubtedly have received us. Just as some dismal foolery of this nature had made my heart quake. There came a tremendous shriek careering along the valley as if a thousand devils had burst their lungs to utter it, but which proved to be merely the whistle of the engine un arriving at a stopping place. The spot where we had now paused is the same that our friend bunyan, truthful man, but infected with many fantastic notions, has designated in terms plainer than I like to repeat as the mouth of the infernal region. This however must be a mistake in as much as Mr. Smooth it away. While we remained in the smoky and lurid cavern took occasion to prove that toit has not even a metaphorical existence. The place he assured us is no other than the crater of a half extinct volcano in which the directors had caused forges to be set up for the manufacturer of railroad iron, hence also is obtained a plentiful supply of fuel for the use of the engines. Whoever had gazed into the dismal obscurity of the broad cavern mouth once ever, and anan darted huge tongues of dusky flame and had seen the strange half shaped monsters and visions of faces horribly grotesque into which the smoke seemed to read itself and had heard the awful murmurs and shrieks and deep shuttering whispers of the blast sometimes forming themselves into words almost articulate would have seized upon Mr. Smoother away's comfortable explanation as greedily as we did the inhabitants of the cavern moreover were unlovely percentages, dark smoke be grinded, generally deformed with misshapen feet and a glow of dusky redness in their eyes as if their hearts had caught fire and were blazing out of the upper windows. It struck me as a peculiarity that the laborers at the forge and those who brought fuel to the engine when they began to draw short breath, positively emitted smoke from their mouth and nostrils among the idler about the train, most of whom were puffing cigars, which they had lighted at the flame of the crater. I was perplexed to notice several who to my certain knowledge adhere to four set forth by railroad for the celestial city. They looked dark, wild, and smoky with a singular resemblance indeed to the native inhabitants like whom also, they had a disagreeable propensity to ill natured, jives and sneers the habit of which had brought a settled contortion of their visages. Having been on speaking terms with one of these persons, an indolent good for nothing. Fellow who went by the name of Take it easy. I called him and inquired what was his business there? Did you not start saidi for the celestial city? That's a fact said, Mr. Take it easy. Carelessly, puffing some smoke into my eyes, but I heard such bad accounts that I never took pains to climb the hill on which the city stands. No business doing, no fun going on, nothing to drink and no smoking allowed, and a thrumming of church music from morning till night. I would not stay in such a place if they offered me house room and living free, but my good, Mr. Take it. Easy, CRI, die. Why take up your residence here of all places in the world? Oh, set the loafer with a grin. It is very warm hereabouts and I meet with plenty of old acquaintances and altogether the place suits me. I hope to see you back again someday soon. A pleasant journey to you. While he was speaking, the bell of the engine rang and we dashed away after dropping a few passengers, but receiving no new ones rattling onward through the valley. We were dazzled with the fiercely gleaming gas lamps as before, but sometimes in the dark of intense brightness, grim faces that bore the aspect and expression of individual sins or evil passions seem to thrust themselves through the veil of light, glaring upon us and stretching forth a great dusky hand as if to impede our progress. I almost thought that they were my own sins that appalled me there. These were freaks of imagination, nothing more, certainly mere delusions, which I ought to be hardily ashamed of, but all through the Dark Valley I was tormented and pestered and dolefully bewildered with the same kind of waking dreams. The mythic gases of that region intoxicate the brain. As the light of natural day however began to struggle with the glow of the lanterns, these vain imaginations lost their vividness and finally vanished with the first ray of sunshine that greeted our escape from the valley of the shadow of death air. We had gone a mile beyond it. I could well nay have taken my oath that this whole gloomy passage was a dream. Join us next time as we continue our journey in part three of the Celestial Railroad. Thank you for listening to great and God's Sight, a podcast by G Y C Southeast. We hope you have enjoyed this adventure through time and pray. It serves to deepen your relationship with God. Please remember to hit the subscribe button and share this episode with your friends via text or social media. You never know who might be encouraged. Until next time, we wish you God's blessing as you seek to be great in his sight too.

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Great in God's Sight Season 2

The Celestial Railroad: Part 2

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Other Teachings in Series

Johannes Kepler: Thinking God’s Thoughts

Blaise Pascal: Where Faith and Reason Intersect

Sir Robert Boyle: Christian Virtuoso

Sir Isaac Newton: On the Shores of the Ocean of Truth

The Celestial Railroad: Part 1

The Celestial Railroad: Part 2

The Celestial Railroad: Part 3

The Celestial Railroad: Part 4

Johann Sebastian Bach: This Art Still Lives

John Bunyan: Progress in Prison

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