By Edgar W.Nye

My dear son：

I just came here to New York on business， and thought I would write to you a few lines， as I have a little time that is not taken up. I came here on a train from Chicago the other day. Before I started， I got a lower berth in a sleeping car， but when I went to put my satchel in it， before I left Chicago， there were two women and a little girl there， and so I told the porter I would wait until they moved before I put my baggage in the section，1 for of course I thought they were just sitting there for a minute to rest.

Hours rolled by and they did not move. I kept on sitting in the smoking-room， but they stayed. By and by the porter came and asked me if I had “lower four.” I said yes—I paid for it， but I couldnt really say I had it in my possession. He then said that two ladies and a little girl had“upper four，” and asked if I would mind swapping with2 them. I said that I would do so， for I didnt see how a whole family circle could climb up into the upper berth and remain there， and I would rather give them the lower one than spend the night picking up different members of the family and replacing them in the home nest after they had fallen out.

I had a bad cold， and though I knew that sleeping in the upper berth would add to it， I did not murmur3. But little did I realize that they would hold the whole thing all of two days， and fill it full of broken crackers and banana peels， and leave me to ride backward in the smoking-room from Chicago to New York， after I had paid five dollars for a seat and lower berth.

火車的每一节车厢都是一个小世界。形形色色的人，林林总总的事，都汇集于此。辗转之间，人间冷暖，尽在眼前。

A woman who has traveled a good deal is generally polite， and knows how to treat her fellow passengers and the porter， but people who are making their first or second trip， I notice， most generally betray the fact by tramping all over the other passengers.4

Another mistake， Henry， which I hope you will not make， is that of taking very small children to travel. Children should remain at home until they are at least two or three years old， otherwise they are troublesome to their parents and also bother other passengers. Some parents seem to think that what their children do is funny， when， instead of humor， it is really terrible. It does not entirely set matters right， for instance， when a child has torn off a gentlemans ear， merely to make the child return it to the owner， but you can never put an ear back in its place after it has been torn off and stepped on， in such a way as to make it look the same as it did at first.

I heard a mother say on the train that her little boy never was quite himself while traveling， because he wasnt well. She feared it was the change in the water that made him sick. He had then drunk a whole ice-water tank empty， and was waiting impatiently till we got to Pittsburg， so that he could drink out of the hydrant5.

One day， when I was on board， there was a crowd at one of the stations， and an old man and a little girl tried to get on. She was looking out for the old man， and seemed to steer6 him on the platform. Just as he stepped on the train， the guard shut the gate and left the little girl outside. She looked so scared and pitiful， as the train left her， that Ill never forget it to my dying day， and as we left the platform I saw her wring her poor little hands，7 and I heard her cry， “Oh， mister， let me go with him. My poor grandpa is blind.”

Sure enough， the old man groped around almost crazy on that swaying train，8 without knowing where he was， and feeling through the empty air for the gentle hand of the little girl who had been left behind. Two or three of us took care of the old man and got him off at the next station， where we waited till she came； but it was the most touching thing I ever saw outside of a book.

On a Harlem train， I saw a drunken young man in one of the seats yesterday. He wasnt noisy， but he felt pretty fair. Next to him was a real good young man， who seemed to feel his superiority9 a great deal. Very soon the car got jammed full， and an old lady， poorly dressed， but a mighty10 good， motherly old woman， Ill bet a hundred dollars， got in. Her husband asked the good young man if he would kindly give his wife a seat. He did not apparently hear at all， but got all wrapped up in11 his paper， just as every man in a car does when he is ashamed of himself. But the inebriated12 young man heard， and so he said： “Here， mister， take my seat for the old lady； any seat is good enough for me.”

This is a good town to study human nature in， and you would do well to come here before your vacation is over， just to see what happens here. It will show you how many human brutes there are loose in the world who dont try any longer to appear decent when they think their identity is swallowed up in the multitude of a great city.13 There are just as selfish folks in the smaller towns， but they are afraid to give themselves up to it， because somebody in the crowd would be sure to recognize them. Here a man has the advantage of a perpetual nom de plume， and he is tempted to see how pusillanimous he can be even when he is just here on a visit.14 Im going home next week， before I completely wreck my immortal soul.15

Your father，

Bill Nye

1. berth： 鋪位；satchel：书包，小背包；porter：（火车上的）服务员，乘务员。

2. swap with： 与……交换。

3. murmur： 小声抱怨，私下发牢骚。

4. betray： 辜负，失信于；tramp：踏，踩。

5. hydrant： 水龙头。

6. steer： 引导，带领。

7. pitiful： 可怜的，令人同情的；wring ones hand：（尤因害怕或紧张而）搓着手。

8. grope： 摸索，探索；sway： 摇摆，晃动。

9. superiority： 优越（性）。

10. mighty： 很，非常。

11. （be） wrapped up in...： 全神贯注于……。

12. inebriated： 喝醉的。

13. 在这里，你会看到有那么多的衣冠禽兽散落在人世间，他们以为自己的身份在大城市的人群中藏匿不见，就不再费力装成正派的样子了。brute： 野兽；multitude： 民众，大众。

14. perpetual： 永久的，长期的；nom de plume： 笔名；tempt： 引诱，吸引；pusillanimous： 胆怯的，懦弱的。

15. wreck： 破坏，毁坏；immortal： 永生的。