Letter from Boston Historic Boston By MASAKO YAMADA	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
歴史の街ボストン "歴史の街"といわれるボストンには由緒ある場所がたくさんあります。当時の姿そのままに保存されている独立戦争の史跡はもちろんのこと、この街で数々の名作を生みだした文学者の存在も忘れてはなりません。雅子さんの案内でいろいろ見てまわりましょう。

It's surprising that it never occurred to me to write about the history of the Boston area until now. Perhaps it's because I've changed from being a guest to a resident of this city, and I'm not very interested in the touristy aspects of Boston. Actually, I never have been, but I've always noticed little details here and there that make the city feel special and I'd like to jot some of them down.

People say that America is a young country because it was founded in 1776, making it only about 200 years old. What they often forget is that this city was settled in the early 1600s. Of course, this still doesn't put Boston in a league with China, but it shows that it had its own history before the first 13 colonies officially agreed to unite as a nation. One detail that emphasizes the history of the area is the celebration Harvard held for its 350th anniversary in 1986. It's the oldest university in the States.

Harvard's roots are deeply intertwined with those of the Unitarian Church. Even now, Harvard Divinity School is one of the few universities to train Unitarian ministers. A large proportion of famous New England intellectuals and leaders have come from this sect.

It's telling that Unitarian ministers are trained at universities, and not at monasteries. Unitarianism embraces open-mindedness and the free exchange of ideas. Members don't even call themselves part of a "church" anymore because that word suggests Christianity. In this enlightened age, they belong to an "association."

Given the intellectual slant of Boston, it's not too surprising that the area is well-known for its contributions to literature. Concord, a suburb of Boston, has given rise to Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Louisa May Alcott. One can visit their birthplaces when one visits Concord. One can also visit battle monuments there. There are many memorials, statues and parks around Boston that commemorate the various battles that have taken place. One of the islands in Boston Harbor has an old stone fort that stands in its entirety.

My first year at Wellesley, I toured Boston with a friend who studied architecture at MIT and knew interesting details about various buildings downtown. Many of the older buildings that look shabby next to their gleaming neighbors have cast iron windows or marble pillars that make them special. He also told me that the John Hancock Tower that everybody knows ― the glassy skyscraper designed by the famous Chinese architect I.M. Pei ― is a new incarnation of the adjacent building. The old John Hancock Tower is squat and made of stone. It has a lighted pole on top that predicts the weather: "Solid red, rain ahead; flashing red, snow instead...." I.M. Pei thought the stone building had weight and he covered the new building with mirrors so it would reflect and blend in with its surroundings.

During the concert season, my chamber music coach performs with a group called musicians of the Old Post Road. The "Old Post Road" is the first road used to carry mail from Boston to New York. Her group plays in various historic buildings along the route, including historic Faneuil Hall. The Faneuil Hall area is a slick tourist trap, but the actual hall in which they play has no trace of this shallowness. It's a simple square room with simple wooden benches, old paintings and a high ceiling. They play on period instruments, so it all fits very naturally.

There is a little piazza outside this hall, and that is where the street musicians play. Sometimes, I like listening to them, too.

Shukan ST: March 7, 1997

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