资源描述：
《The Voice of the City(城市之声) 》由会员上传分享，免费在线阅读，更多相关内容在学术论文-天天文库。
1、TheVoiceoftheCityTheVoiceoftheCityOHenry1TheVoiceoftheCityTHEVOICEOFTHECITYTwenty-fiveyearsagotheschoolchildrenusedtochanttheirlessons.ThemanneroftheirdeliverywasasingsongrecitativebetweentheutteranceofanEpiscopalministerandthedroneofatiredsawmill.Imeannodisrespect
2、.Wemusthavelumberandsawdust.Irememberonebeautifulandinstructivelittlelyricthatemanatedfromthephysiologyclass.Themoststrikinglineofitwasthis:"Theshin-boneisthelong-estboneinthehu-manbod-y."Whataninestimableboonitwouldhavebeenifallthecorporealandspiritualfactspertain
3、ingtomanbadthusbeentunefullyandlogicallyinculcatedinouryouthfulminds!Butwhatwegainedinanatomy,musicandphilosophywasmeagre.TheotherdayIbecameconfused.Ineededarayoflight.Iturnedbacktothoseschooldaysforaid.ButinallthenasalharmonieswewhinedforthfromthosebardbenchesIcou
4、ldnotrecallonethattreatedofthevoiceofagglomeratedmankind.Inotherwords,ofthecompositevocalmessageofmassedhumanity.Inotherwords,oftheVoiceofaBigCity.Now,theindividualvoiceisnotlacking.Wecanunderstandthesongofthepoet,therippleofthebrook,themeaningofthemanwhowants$5unt
5、ilnextMonday,theinscriptionsonthetombsofthePharaohs,thelanguageofflowers,the"steplively"oftheconductor,andthepreludeofthemilkcansat4A.M.Certainlarge-earedonesevenassertthattheyarewisetothevibrationsofthetympanumpro-needbyconcussionoftheairemanatingfromMr.H.James.Bu
6、twhocancomprehendthemeaningofthevoiceofthecity?Iwentoutfortosee.First,IaskedAurelia.SheworewhiteSwissandabatwithflowersonit,andribbonsandendsofthingsflutteredhereandthere."Tellme,"Isaid,stammeringly,forIhavenovoiceofmyown,"whatdoesthisbig-er-enormous-er-whoppingcit
7、ysay?Itmusthaveavoiceofsomekind.Doesiteverspeaktoyou?Howdoyouinterpretits2TheVoiceoftheCitymeaning?Itisatremen-dousmass,butitmusthaveakey:'"LikeaSaratogatrunk?"askedAurelia."No,"saidI."Pleasedonotrefertothelid.Ihaveafancythateverycityhasavoice.Eachonehassomethingto
8、saytotheonewhocanhearit.Whatdoesthebigonesaytoyou?""Allcities,"saidAurelia,judicially,"saythesamething.Whentheygetthroughsayingitthereisanechofro
