gs.earthabides-第30节

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　　He　had　e　to　hunt　up　some　books　on　obstetrics；　but　after　looking　into　the　main　reading…room　and　then　wandering　through　two　levels　of　the　stacks；　he　became　so　excited　that　he　left　the　building　in　a　frenzy　of　imagination。　He　did　not　need　to　worry　about　the　obstetrics　today。　There　was　plenty　of　time　still　for　that。　
　　He　drove　home　in　a　kind　of　trance。　Books！　Most　of　the　knowledge　was　in　books；　and　yet　he　soon　saw　that　they　were　not　all。　First　of　all；　there　must　be　people　who　could　read；　who　knew　how　to　use　the　books。　He　must　also　save　other　things。　Seeds；　for　instance。　He　must　see　to　it　that　the　more　important　domestic　plants　did　not　vanish　from　the　earth。　
　　Suddenly　he　felt　that　all　civilization　depended　not　only　upon　men　but　also　upon　these　other　things　which　had　marched　with　him　like　kinsmen　and　friends　and　panions。　If　Saint　Francis　had　hailed　the　sun　as　brother；　might　not　we　also　say；　〃Oh；　Brother　Wheat！　Oh；　Sister　Barley！〃　He　smiled　to　himself。　Yes；　one　could　go　on：　〃Oh；　Grandfather　Wheel！　Oh；　Cousin　pass！　Oh；　Friend　Binomial　Theorem！〃　All　the　discoveries　of　science　and　philosophy　also　might　be　imagined　as　standing　shoulder　to　shoulder　with　man；　even　though　the　putting　of　the　matter　into　words　made　it　all　sound　a　little　ridiculous。　
　　He　hurried；　still　hot　with　boyish　enthusiasm；　to　tell　it　all　to　Em。　He　found　her　trying；　not　at　all　successfully；　to　teach　Princess　to　retrieve。　Em。　was　not　as　enthusiastic　as　he　had　expected。　〃Civilization！〃　she　said。　〃Oh；　you　…mean　airplanes　going　higher　and　higher；　and　faster　and　faster。　That　kind　of　thing！〃　
　　〃Oh；　yes。　But　art；　too；　you　know。　Music；　literature；　culture。〃　
　　〃Yes；　mystery…stories　and　those　funny　Negro　jazz　bands　that　always　made　my　ears　hurt。〃　
　　He　was　crestfallen；　even　though　he　knew　she　was　having　a　little　fun　with　him。　
　　〃Another　thing；　though；　about　civilization；〃　she　said。　〃There's　this　matter　of　time。　We　don't　really　know　what　month　it　is。　We'll　want　to　be　sure　when　his　birthday　es；　so　that　we　can　celebrate　it；　something　less　than　two　years　from　now。〃　
　　Perhaps；　he　felt　in　his　mind；　that　was　the　difference！　That　was　the　difference　between　woman　and　man。　She　felt　only　in　terms　of　the　immediate；　and　was　more　interested　in　being　able　to　spot　her　child's　birthday　than　in　all　the　future　of　civilization。　Again；　he　felt　superior　to　her。　。One　thing　I　didn't　do；　though；〃　he　said；　〃was　to　read　any　of　those　obstetrics　books　today。　I'm　sorry…but　there's　no　hurry；　is　there？〃　
　　〃Oh；　no。　Maybe　not　even　any　use　of　it　at　all。　Don't　you　remember　that　even　in　the　Old　Times　babies　were　always　being　born　in　taxis　and　hospital　lobbies？　Once　they're　started；　nobody　can　stop　them。〃　
　　Later；　when　he　had　thought　things　ovet；　he　could　not　but　admit　that　she　had　made　a　suggestion　of　something　important。　The　more　he　thought　about　it；　the　more　fundamental　he　considered　her　idea　of　keeping　track　of　time。　After　all；　time　was　history；　and　history　was　tradition；　and　tradition　was　civilization。　If　you'lost　the　continuity　of　time；　you　lost　something　that　might　never　be　recovered。　Probably　it　had　already　been　lost　unless　some　of　the　other　survivors　had　been　more　careful　about　the　matter　than　he　had　been。　Take　the　seven…day　week；　for　instance。　Even　though　you　were　not　religious；　you　had　to　admit　that　the　seven…day　week　with　its　one　day　of　rest　was　a　fine　old　tradition　of　mankind。　It　had　been　going　on　for　at　least　five　thousand　years；　clear　from　Babylonian　times；　and　no　one　knew　how　much　further。　Would　he　ever　be　able　to　figure　out　again　just　which　day　was　Sunday？　
　　As　for　getting　the　proper　day　of　the　year；　that　should　not　be　too　difficult。　He　knew　enough　about　the　fundamentals　of　astronomy　to　do　that；　and　if　he　got　the　time　of　the　solstice　correct；　he　could　figure　back　on　last　year's　calendar　and　perhaps　re…establish　the　day　of　the　week。　
　　This　was　the　time　of　the　year　to　get　busy　on　the　problem。　Although　he　did　not　know　exactly；　he　could　tell　from　the　progress　of　the　weather　and　from　his　general　knowledge　of　how　much　time　had　elapsed　since　the　catastrophe；　that　it　must　have　e　now　pretty　well　toward　the　middle　of　December。　If　the　solstice　was　to　be　in　a　week　or　so；　he　could　easily　tell　by　watching　where　the　sun　set。　
　　Next　day　he　found　a　surveyor's　transit；　and　although　he　did　not。　know　much　about　the　use　of　it；　he　set　it　up　on　the　porch；　facing　the　west。　He　blackened　its　lenses　with　soot；　so　that　he　could　observe　the　sun　without　hurting　his'eyes。　His　very　first　observation　showed　that　the　sun　was　going　down　behind　the　hills　of　San　Francisco；　to　the　south　of　the　Golden　Gate。　From　memory　he　knew　that　this　was　very　near　to　its　most　southern　point　of　setting。　He　left　the　transit　in　position；　and　recorded　the　angle　of　the　sunset。　
　　The　next　evening　it　set　still　a　little　farther　south。　And　then；　as　systems　do；　his　system　went　to　pieces。　A　heavy　storm　blew　in　from　the　ocean；　and　during　a　whole　week　he　could　not　observe　where　the　sun　set。　Next　time　he　saw　it；　it　had　already　started　north。　
　　〃Well；　anyway；〃　he　said；　〃we　must　be　pretty　close　to　it。　If　we　add　one　day　to　the　time　when　we　last　saw　the　sun；　we　ought　to　be　very　near　to　the　solstice；　and　then　if　we　add　ten　days　to　that；　we　would　get　to　New　Years。〃　
　　Isn't　that　rather　silly？〃　she　said。　
　　〃Why？〃　
　　〃Well；　I　mean；　that　is；　shouldn't'the　year　really　start　when　the　sun　turns　north　again？　Don't　you　guess　really　that　was　what　people　tried　to　do　once；　and　things　got　mixed　up　some　way　or　other；　and　got　about　ten　days　out　of　kilter？〃　
　　〃Yes；　I　imagine　it　was　that　way。〃　
　　〃Well；　why　don't　we　just　start　our　New　Year　then　with…what　you　call　it？…the　solstice？　It　seems　simpler。〃　
　　〃Yes；　but　you　can't　just　go　fooling　with　the　calendar。　That's　been　established　for　a　long　time。　You　can't　just　shift　it。；〃　
　　〃Well；　didn't　someone　named　Julian　do　it；　and　weren't　there　riots　and　things？　But　still；　they　did　change　it。〃　
　　〃They　did　change　it！　Yes；　you're　right…and　I　suppose　we　can　change　it　now　if　we　want　to。　It　certainly　gives　a　person　a　sense　of　power！〃　
　　Then　in　playfulness　of　imagination　they　decided　that　living　where　they　did；　they　had　a　system　all　worked　out　before　them；　so　that　they　would　not　even　bother　to　have　months　and　things　like　that　unless　they　wanted　to；　because　from　the　hill　they　could　see　the　sun　setting　around　its　whole　arc。　They　could　merely　date　things　by　the　time　the　sun　set　in　the　middle　of　the　Gate；　or　the　time　it　had　reached　the　first　big　hump　to　the　north；　or　the　time　it　had　begun　to；　reach　the　various　points　along　the　long　slope　of　the　mountain。　What　was　the　use　of　merely　having　months？　
　　〃Say！〃　she　said；　suddenly；　〃it　must　be　pretty　nearly　Christmas；　too。　I　hadn't　thought　of　that。　You　think　I　can　get　down　before　the　stores　close　to　pick　you　a　tie？〃　
　　He　looked　back　at　her　with　a　little　smile。　〃I　suppose　we　ought　to　feel　pretty　lugubrious　this　Christmas；　and　yet；　some　way；　I　can't。〃　
　　〃Next　year；〃　she　said；　〃this　ought　to　be　even　more　fun。　We'll　have　to　get　him　his　first　tree。〃　
　　〃Yes；　and　he　can　have　a　rattle；　too；　can't　he？　What　I'm　looking　forward　to；　though；　is　when　he　can　get　an　electric　train；　and　I　can　run　it。　No；　poor　guy；　I　guess　there'll　never　be　an　electric　train　for　him。　Maybe；　though；　when　we　have　grandchildren；　in　twenty…five　years；　maybe；　we'll　be　able　to　get　the　electricity　working　again！〃　
　　〃Twenty…five　years！　I'll　be　a　pretty　old　woman　by　that　time。　It's　strange；　thinking　forwards　now；　as　well　as　backwards。　For　a　while；　I　only　thought　backwards。　But　that　thinking　ahead　brings　up　something　else　to　my　mind；　also…the　years！　We'll　have　to　keep　track　of　the　years。　Don't　people　on　desert　islands　cut　notches　in　trees　or　something　like　that？　You　see；　he'll　want　to　know　what　year　it　is；　so　he　can　vote　or　get　a　passport；　or　report　to　his　draft　board；　maybe。　Only　perhaps；　you　aren't　going　to　restore　things　like　that　for　us　in　this　new　civilization。　What　is　this　year；　anyway；　now？〃　
　　Again　he　thought　that　was　like　a　woman；　to　put　even　such　an　all…important　thing　as　the　very　date　in　terms　of　her　unborn　child。　But　yet；　as　so　often；　her　instinct　was　right…a　great　pity　if　the　historical　record　should　be　broken　at　some　point！　Doubtless　in　the　long　run；　archeologists　could　restore　the　continuity　by　means　of　varves　or　dendrochronology；　but　it　would　save　a　lot　of　work　if　someone　merely　kept　the　tradition。　
　　〃You're　right；〃　he　said。　〃And　it's　simple；　too；　of　course。　We　know　what　year　it　is　now；　and　when　we　decide　we've　e　to　New　Years；　we'll　just　chisel　a　new　date　on　some　good　rock；　and　then　every　year　chisel　the　next　one。　The　chiseling　will　be　quite　a　job；　and　so　we'll　always　remember　whether　we　are　up…to…date　or　not。〃　
　　〃Isn't　that　rather　silly；　too？〃　she　said。　〃I　mean；　starting　out　with　a　date　in　four　figures。　As　far　as。　I'm　concerned；〃　she　paused　for　a　moment　and　looked　around　with　that　quiet　air　which　sometimes　was　so　impressive；　〃as　far　as　I'm　concerned；　this　past　year　might　as　well　be　the　Year　One。〃　
　　That　evening　there　was　no　rain。　The　clouds　still　hung　low；　but　the　air　was　clear　beneath　them。　You　could　have　seen　the　lights　of　San　Francisco；　if　there　had　been　any　lights。　
　　He　stood　on　the　porch；　and　looked　out　toward　the　dark