Mediterranean civilization largest town

 　　Concord is located in the northwest suburb of Boston in the New England region of the United States. Like most small towns in the United States, Concord is small in size and small in population. But if you know the history of the United States, you will know that in the 18th century, the prelude to the American War of Independence was opened here. If you know American literature, you will understand that American literary giants such as Emerson, Hawthorne, Thoreau and Alcott once lived here and were buried in the same cemetery after their death. All this has shrouded a layer of mystery for Concord, the famous American writer Henry James called it the largest small town in the United States.

　　We departed from Boston North Station and took the train to Concord. It is said to be a train, but it is actually more like a commuter car. The speed is very slow, and it always stops at stations. After about seven or eight stations, it will take more than 40 minutes, and we will arrive at Concord Station.

　　After getting off the car, a gust of fresh air rushed in, and the blue sky was so clean that there was not even a trace of white clouds. This is a quiet town away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Except for a few passing cars, there are few pedestrians on the road, but trees line the streets, beckoning guests from afar.

　　In order to fully understand the history of Concord, we decided to go to the Concord Museum first. There is no public transportation in the town, so we had to walk there.

　　Bypassing a large area of ​​woods, we came to the main road of the town - the main road, which is the only way to enter and exit the town. Vehicles come and go in an orderly manner. Although there are no traffic lights, cars will consciously slow down here. Honk the horn, as long as you see pedestrians passing by, the driver will stop the car far away, and politely signal passers-by to go first. This is also the most prosperous place in the whole town. The buildings on both sides of the road are not high, most of them are two or three storeys, and they are neatly decorated and refreshing. Important public service agencies in the town are located on both sides of the main road, and the roadside shops are quite complete, but it is rare to see two identical shops.

　　The main road is not long, after walking for about 10 minutes, we came to the end. Go a little further to the right, and the Concord Museum is in front of you. The museum is a bit like a residential building, not very conspicuous, and the area is not large, with only three floors in total. The staff here are all older folks from the small town who are gracious, earnest and take great pride in telling us about Concord's history. During the conversation, an old lady actually said a few words in Chinese to us, which was not very fluent, which surprised us very much.

　　The museum consists of 15 exhibition rooms and an art gallery, which introduces the local history in detail in the form of pictures and objects. Visiting the museum, the history of Concord is in front of your eyes: Concord in the 18th century was a place that loved freedom and democracy, and the people here established a militia organization for their ideals. In order to find the secret arsenal of the militia hidden in Concord, the British colonists broke into the town. They ransacked the box, arrested innocent people, set fire to it, and were finally surrounded by militia organizations from all over the place. The people of Concord used their bravery and wisdom to deal a heavy blow to the British colonists, which also opened the prelude to the North American War of Independence.

　　If in the history of war, Concord's contribution lies in the United States, then in the history of thought and literature, Concord's contribution lies in the world. In the United States in the 19th century, there were four famous writers who lived in the same period and in the same place - Concord, they are Emerson, Hawthorne, Thoreau and Alcott. Their life experience is a miracle in the history of American literature and even the history of world literature. Genius attracts genius. Many writers came here in Emerson's era, such as poet Whitman and novelist Melville, thus forming an era of concentration and explosion of genius in Concord. In just a few decades, many classics of American literature were born here, such as Emerson's Essays, Thoreau's Walden, Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter and Alcott's autobiographical novels "Little Women", etc., in addition, there are many speeches, essays, diaries, etc. published. The museum has a detailed introduction to the life and achievements of literary masters, and exhibits related items.

　　A small museum records the lively and extraordinary two centuries of Concord: the beacon smoke of the 18th century opened the door for the American people to pursue democracy and freedom; the literary declaration of the 19th century led American literature to a new path path of.

　　When you walk out of the museum, you will find Emerson's former residence diagonally opposite, which is a grand and luxurious villa. Standing quietly next to dense forests and clear rivers, the white wooden house seems to be telling people the story of the Transcendentalism Club in the 19th century.

　　Emerson is known as the father of American literature, and he has an unshakable position in the history of American literature and American thought. His famous speech "American Scholar" is known as the "Declaration of Independence" of the American ideological and cultural circles. Perform pure imitation. As the leader of transcendentalist philosophy, Emerson often discussed transcendental philosophical propositions with Thoreau, Alcott and other friends in transcendentalist laboratories or clubs. His discussion of poetry and poets and his extreme optimism had a huge impact at that time, and many famous writers were around him, such as Whitman, Dickinson, etc., especially Whitman, Bong Emer Born as a mentor, you can get a glimpse of it from his famous saying "I am bubbling, bubbling, it is Emerson who makes me boil". No matter where Emerson goes, there are a large number of followers, what's more, many people choose to live next to him without hesitation.

　　Since the opening of Emerson's former residence is divided into time periods, we came at an untimely time, so we could only stop and pay our respects in the wide courtyard.

　　Not far from Emerson's former residence is the former residence of the female writer Alcott. This is a red wooden building, which does not have the style of Emerson's former residence at all, and looks a little crude. The wooden house is backed by a hill, making it even more secluded. Alcott lived a difficult life in her early years. Her early education mainly came from her father, and she was also influenced by Thoreau, Emerson and others. When she grew up, she gradually became an abolitionist and feminist. The famous "Little Women" was created based on her childhood experience, and later she created "Little Men" and "Joe's Boys" and other works. 

　　Speaking of Emerson's former residence, we have to mention his other residence, The Old Manse, which is called "Guwu" or "Old House" in Chinese. This is a wooden house built by Emerson's grandfather in the suburbs in 1770. villa. It is far away from the town, and it is very quiet. The quiet Concord River flows through this place, and the old dock still exists beside the branched river ditch. It was here that Emerson completed his masterpiece "Nature". Interestingly, Hawthorne, who was born in Salem, moved to Concord with his new wife in 1842, and happened to rent this "old house" and got acquainted with Emerson, Thoreau and others. Hawthorne lived here for three and a half years, and then published a collection of short stories "The Moss in the Ancient House", which includes many well-known famous works, such as "Railway to the Sky", "Young Man Brown" and so on. These famous novels were highly praised by Melville, and he also re-modified the structure of the novel "Moby-Dick" under their influence, thus making it a world famous work. At the same time, Melville dedicated the title of this novel to Huo mulberry. The 200-year-old house has witnessed anecdotes of celebrities. Although it is a bit dilapidated, it still attracts many people to come here.

　　Looking from the "ancient house", not far away is the North Bridge, where Emerson's ancestors witnessed the war that took place there. The North Bridge is only a dozen meters long, surrounded by a wilderness. It was here that the heroic militia defeated the British colonists. Different from the flames of war in those days, due to the improvement of traffic, the North Bridge now looks a little lonely. Most modern people drive around the road to enter the town, and seldom patronize this famous bridge. As a witness of history, the North Bridge was rebuilt, and there are statues and stone tablets recording that period of history on both sides of the bridge, including stone tablets showing off the achievements of the British colonists.

　　After visiting the former residences of celebrities, we went to "The sleeping hollow cemetery" (The sleeping hollow cemetery) located in the north of the town. On the way, we saw real American country houses. Under the blue sky and beside the green trees, the villas are clean and bright. People like to paint their houses in different colors according to their own aesthetics. They especially like bright colors, and they have a soft spot for white. White walls and white window lattices can be seen everywhere. Every household has a large lawn in front of and behind the house, tall trees are planted on the lawn, tables and chairs of different styles are placed in the courtyard, and some families have also built children's slides and swings on the spacious green space. , basketball hoops, etc., pine branches, pine nuts, flower baskets and other ornaments are hung in front of every household, which is very interesting. Most of the villas are open without walls. Some people will surround them with low fences as decoration, while others will surround them with shrubs, flowers and plants to form hedges. The residents of the small town are very enthusiastic, whether they are familiar or unfamiliar, they will nod and smile or say "hello" friendly when they see them from a distance, especially in places with fewer pedestrians. 

　　Sleepy Hollow Cemetery is next to this cozy residential area, and Americans don't seem to mind being neighbors to their ancestors at all. The writers gathered together during their lifetimes, talked and talked, and were buried here quietly after their deaths. The cemetery is a large forest with a large area, and there is a not-so-conspicuous sign indicating that the writer's cemetery is at the back door. We walked into the cemetery through a black-painted gate. The silent mountain forest made people shudder. We dare not make loud noises, for fear of disturbing the ancestors who are sleeping here. Follow the small signs one by one, and turn around along the path to the writer's cemetery. Contrary to imagination, the writer's cemetery is located on an ordinary hillside without any eye-catching signs. On the hillside stood a block of small stone tablets that were too ordinary, and the size of the stone tablets was different. The name of the owner of the tomb is engraved on the small stone tablet. If you don't look for it deliberately, you can't connect them with the world's literary giants.

　　There are more than a dozen stone tablets on the hillside surrounded by a small fence, and there is a big stone in the middle, which is extremely rough, but it looks a little different here. This circle of stone tablets is the cemetery of the Emerson family, and the big stone is Emerson's tombstone. On a green iron plate inlaid on it, there is a brief introduction of his birth and death years. The text is pitifully small. There are no reviews either. I don't know who came to worship, but there are still pine branches on the bare stone. We walked around the cemetery for a long time before we found the tombstones of Thoreau, Hawthorne and Alcott, which were actually only a few steps away from Emerson's grave, but they were too inconspicuous. Thoreau's family tombstone is at the entrance of the hillside, and Thoreau's small tombstone is placed in a corner. It is very simple, with only his name "HENRY" written on it. Hawthorne's tombstone is empty and only his name is left blank. Alcott's tombstone is located under the hillside, which is relatively atmospheric.

　　Standing in the writer's cemetery, I feel a long time of feeling. An era that cannot be replicated, a group of geniuses that cannot be replicated, are far away from us, but they have left a rich cultural heritage. Although the cemetery is small, it suddenly shines because of the presence of these four great men; although the stone tablet is simple, it is famous all over the world because of the names engraved on it.

　　Visiting the largest town in the world in one day is a bit rushed. The quiet "Walden Pond" that Thoreau lived in harmony with for two years and two months has been too far to visit, and someone told us that we can enjoy the beauty of Walden Pond on the train back to Boston , It can be regarded as the fulfillment of one of our wishes.