Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1860-02-24

Smooth-it-away, with hearty laugh. " Don't
you know Apolyon, Christians old enemy.
with whom he fought so fierce a battle in the
Valley of Humiliation He was the very
fellow to manage the engine, and so we have
reconciled him to the custom of going on pill
grimages and engaged him as chief conduc
tor
Bravo-bravo exclaimed I, with ire
pressible enthusiasm This shows the iber
allity of the age. This proves, if anything
can, that all prejudices are in fair way to bt
obliterated. And how will Christian rejoice
to hear Of this happy transformation of his ole
antagonist. l promise myself great pleasure
in informing him of it when We reach the Ce
lestial City"
| The passengers being all comfortably seated
we now ratified away merrily, accomplishing q
greater distance in ten minutes than Christian
probably trudged over in day. 1t was laugh
able while we glanced along. as it were tail O
thunderbolt, to observe two dusty foot-trav
elers, in the old pilgrimage gtise, with cookie
shell and staff, and their mystic rolls of parch-
ment in their hands, and intoerable burdens OF
| their backs. The preposterous Obstinacy O
these honest people III persisting to groan an6
stumble along the difficult pathway, rather
| than take advantage of modern Improvements
excited great mirth among our wiser brother
hood. We greeted the two pilgrims with many
pleasant gibes and roar of laughter where
upon they gazed at up with such woefhl ant
absurdly compassionate visages, that orr mer
riment grew ten-fold more ObstrcrerouS. Apol
| lyon, also, entered heartily into the fun, nnt
contrived to hirt the smoke and fame of the
engine, or his own breath, into their faces, anf
envelope them in an atmosphere of scalding
steam. These little practical jokes amused us
nightly, and doubtless afforded the pilgrims
the qualification of considering themselves
martyrs.
| At some distance from the railroad, Mr.
Smooth-it-away pointed to a large, antique ed
| iice, which he observed was a tavern of long
standing, and had formerly been noted stop
ping place for pilgrims. In Bunyans road
book it is mentioned as the interpreter
! House.
Il have long had a curiosity to visit thai
old mansion,' remarked |.
1t is not one of our stations, as you perceive,
said my companion "The keeper was VIC
lently opposed to the railroad and well h
might be, as the track left his house of enter
tainment on one side, and thus was pretty
certain to deprive him of all his reputable Gus
trmcrS. But the foot-path still passes his door
and the cd gentleman now and then receives
! call from some simple traveller, and entertainE
J him with fare as old fashioned as himself
Before our talk On this subject came to &
conclusion, VIC were rushing by the place where
/
sight Ct the cross. This served as a theme
for MIR. Smootll-it-away, Mr.. Iive-for-the
world, Mr.. Iidc-sin-in-the-heart, ard Mr.. Sea
I ly-Conscicncc, and knot Of gentlemen from
! the town hul!-Repentance, to dcscant upon thC
, incstimable advantages resulting lrom the safe
II of our baggage Myself, and all the pas
sengers. indeed. joined with great unanimity il
this view of the matter: for our burdens wer
rich in many things esteemed precious through
out the word and, especially, we, each of us
possessed a great variety Of f;,vorite habits
which VIC trusted would not be ont of fashion
even in the polite circles Of the Celestial City
1t would have been sad spectacle 10 see sucl
an assortment of valuable articles tumblin;
into the scpulchcr.
Thus pleasantly cOnversing oil the favorabl
circumstances of our position compared wit
those of past pilgrims, and of narrowminde
ones at the present day, we found ourselves a
the foot of the Hill Difficulty. Through th
very heart of this rocky mountain tunnel ha
been constructed of most admirable architcC
ture with lofty arch and spacious doubl
track; SO that unless tie earth and rocks slloul
chance to crumble down, it will remain an ctcrr
/ Il Of tI,o eli tp
, prise 1t is great, though incidental adval
: tage, that the materials from the heart of Hi
l Difficulty have been employed in filling up ii
: Valley of Humiliation. thus obviatng the II
ccss:ty of descending into that disagrceablc an
: unwho!esomc hollow.
This is a wonderful Improvement, indeed
t said l. - Yet | should have been glad of a
: opportunity to visit the Palace Beautiful, ar
: be introduced to the charming young ladies'
e Miss Prudence. Miss Pety, Miss Charity an
e the rest-who have had the kindness to ente
: tain pilgrims there"
: Young ladiesr' cried Mr.. SMooTH-I1
: AWAY, as soon as he could speak for laughing
= And charming young ladies Why, my dc;
/ fellow, they are all old maids, every soul
e thcm-prim, starched, dry and angular, al
If not one of them, will venture to say, has 6
5 tered so much as the fashion of her gown, sin
+ the days of Christians pilgrimage"
y All, we'll" said l, much comforted, =" tn,
; | can very well dispense with their acquai
c tance."
/ The respectable Apollyon was now putin
e on the steam at prodigous rate, anXio'
S perhaps, to get rid of the unpleasant rcmin
J. cences connected with the spot where he h
6 so disastrously encountered Christian. Co
|, sulting Mr.. BUNYAN's road-book, | perceiv
l. that we must now be within few miles of 4
It Valley of the Shadow of Death, into whi
e doleful region, at our present speed, We shou
1t plunge sooner than seemed at all desirable.
rt In truth expected nothing else than to find n
e. self in the ditch on one side, or in the quag
the other. But on communicating my app
ID tensions to Mr.. Smooth-it-away, he assur
I'd me that the difficulties of this passage, even
IN its worst condition had been vastly eXagge
ted, and that, in its present state of impro
tn mcnt might consider myself as safe as on Il
of railroad in christendom.
ur Even while we were speaking, the train 81
IS into the entrance of this dreaded Valley
so Though I plead guilty to some foolish palpi
OF tions of the heart during our headlong FL
il over the causeway here constructed, yet
Ell were unjust to withhold the highest enco
cc ums on the boldness of the original concept
al and the ingenuity of those who executed it
he 1t was gratifying likewise to observe how MI
us care had been taken to dispel the everlast
'ry gloom and supply the defect of cheerful S
he shine, not ray of which has eyer penetra
rty these awful shadows. For this purpose,
ng inflammabIe gas, which exudes plentifully Fl
the the soil, is collected by means of pipes,
at thence communicated to a quadruple
of lamps along the whole extent of the
ion sage. Thus radiance has been created, e
ess, out of the fiery and sulphurous curse