马克威博士(美国)
斯密士学士(美国)著
中国一青年译
马斯二氏同著之The True Citizon.坊间已有译本。顾舛晦不可读。 兹择原书之第二篇The Youth.重译之。并录原文於下方。以其命意遣词。均亲切可味也。译者识
第一过渡时期
格言
吴滋物司曰。儿童者成人之根基也。
齐思斐特曰。凡当为之事宜善为之。
耶马逊曰。能罔汝。使汝功败垂成者。唯汝躬耳。
斯塔卜槐特曰。徒驰骋乎沟中。其生有涯。
坡卜曰。教育之转移人心。正如枝之随干。壹唯所响。
方童子渐长而为青年也。已与交游。二者均应竭力戒慎。内杜邪念之滋生。外屏恶习之重染。庶免夭阏其上达耳。
人之一生。少年时代。最关重要。盖后日之薰陶。绝不能尽化其少时所感受也。夫少时所感受者。虽若可改易。其性质虽若可变更。然终有深铭於心而永不得去者。丁斯时也。心之所感。而观念生焉。足以制人毕生之志趣者。即此少年时之观念也。譬之树木然。枝之所向。即他日干之所倾。微讽之即听。略导之立从。是又如播戋戋之种。行且取果於收获之期也。
教士温省特尝著文诏童子。其言曰。“若我为童子欤。噫嘻。若我而为童子者。即此一念。已足照我回思。盖‘若’之一字。不翅导经梦境之秘钥也。於是而我之第一事。我当精自磨厉。知愿力之真。为成德之秘。及时黾勉。无荒无怠。我当愿吾师以艰剧之责。荷於吾躬。使我知当庀材以造成我之人格。使我知我为人而非木石。盖我之为我。即在长涂奋进也。”
青年男女。皆应及时养成善读书之良习。择书如择友然。为道无他。择其善者而已。有某君者诙谐人也。应其女友之招。女固富而不文者也。既至。延入书室。女方坐群书回绕中。语曰。“君视之。环吾座者皆良朋。故吾殊不虞寂寞也。”客不答。徐步近签架。取所知向未开卷者一册。视之而笑曰。“吾甚喜卿不似众人之轻视朋友也。”马珂雷[英文学家]有言。“吾宁为寒士在穷庐而坐拥百城。弗愿为不嗜读之帝王也。”
昔尝见十龄童子。当晚祷前。入威斯敏斯特寺直过甬廊。止於查儿司狄更司[英小说名家]墓下。四顾无人。乃跪碑前。荐堇花一束。凭吊其侧。若不胜情。徘徊片时。乃面有喜色。欢然而去。一士人怪之。就察其所荐之堇。则一柬系焉。所书之字。半未能成形。文云。“为孩提时佳矣。终不及在圣诞节时为尤佳。彼夫大力之创造者。亦一儿童耳。录圣诞词。”少年能嗜读如此儿者。则书中之良友。将於不知不觉中。使彼成襟怀高尚之大人物已。
少时之思想。足以卜人之将来。伽斐德[美国第二十任总统]幼时。或问其长大所志。答曰。“吾先学为人。苟得为人焉。将无为而不适。”夫人而惜取少年时。即所以自成其真正之人格也。
古人诚有若为运会所造成而焜耀於史册者。然蒙以养正。大德大功。恒植基於少时所感受。此其常例也。不观史册所载乎。“亚力山大之父。使非马其顿王腓力。未必能征服世界。汉尼巴[古Carthage之大将]使非有哈密克尔。[ 汉尼巴之父]誓使永报大仇。未必为罗马人之害。拿坡仑使非读荷马[希腊诗人]之诗。鼓其雄心。未必致全欧流血。”而在吾人今日。彼少时受最良之教者。其所成必大。不唯利己。其影响且被天下也。
然唯约束子弟於青年时期。使不近下流。不染恶习。犹未为足也。必勤播正谊之种子於其心。高洁之训。良知之教。所当大书深刻於其胸臆者。盖亲之约束。外而可见者也。立身之道。内而不可见者也。少年终有离去其亲之日。或竟有摆脱家庭关系之时。斯时苟无正理以董之。则将败德丧行。舟而无柁。必有覆於洪涛之危也已。
人必加意纳交益友。否则无一益友也。人非狂愚。必无肯畜害马恶犬者。犬马微物。犹必有择。可以择交而不慎乎。人生丧德之大错。多有於此铸成者也。
相传有二鹦鹉。居相近。一善歌。一善詈。詈者主人冀去其詈之恶习也。乃请於善歌者之主。使相亲交焉。事卒得其反。盖二者均詈人矣。损友之效果彰著如是。故在少年无论自负如何坚定。於此要不可忽也。
人之交友。要当问其品格。不当论其他位。汝青年记之。昔伽斐德总统常云。彼每遇蓝缕子於市。未尝不思此儿庸有受人礼炮之一日也。良以立德立功之程效。系於一少年之身者。未有能量其所至者也。
大乐工夏伯氏之墓志铭曰。“彼所就已多。而期望犹过之。”使吾青年男女之生涯。如是其美满而多能者。即此无尽藏之期望为之也。
The True Citizen.
By
W.F.Markwick, D.D.
and
W.A.Smith, A.B.
Ⅱ.The Youth.
The First Transition Period.
Memhry Gems.
The child is father of the man.—Wrodsworth.
Whateverisworthdoingatall, isworthdoingwell. —Chesterfield.
No one can cheat yououtofultimatesuccessbutyourself.—Emerson.
A man cannot live a broad life if he runs only in one groove. —J.Staples. White.
'Tis education forms the common mind,
Just as the twig is bent the tree's inclined.—Pope.
As the child grows intotheyouththeutmostcareshouldbeexercised, both byhimselfandbyhisfriends, topreventthedwarfing of his prospectsbyevilinfluencesarisingeitherfromwithin or from without himself.
The youthful period of man's life is by far themostimportant.No subsequent training can entirely obliterate theresultsofearlyimpressions. They may begreatlymodified; thecharactermaybechanged; but some, and indeed many,oftheimpressionsofyouthwill cling to the mind forever.
It is in this period that the mindformstheideaswhichwillgovern the will throughout the whole career. Then is the twig benttothe direction in which the tree will grow.Thefaintestwhisperingsofcounselareeagerlycaught, and the slightest directioninstantaneously followed. Then istheseedsownwhichwillbringforth fruit in harvest time.
Bishop Vinceut, writing about boyhood, says, "If I were a boy? Ah, if I only were! The very thought of it sets myimaginationafire.That 'if' is a key todreamland. FirstIwouldwantathoroughdiscipline, early begun and never relaxed, on the great truth ofwillforce as the secret of character. I would want my teacher toputtheweight of responsibility upon me; tomakemethinkthatImustfurnish the materials and do the work of building myowncharacter;to make me think that I am not a stick, or a stone, or a lump of putty,but a person. That what I am in the long run, is whatIamto makemyself."
Boys and girls should early form a taste for good reading. Inthechoice of books, as in the choich of friends, there is but one rule,-choose the best. A witty gentleman,havingreceivedaninvitationfrom a wealthy but not very refined lady, onarrivingwasusheredinto her library, whereshewasseatedsurroundedbyrichlyboundbooks. "You see, Mr. X,," she said, "I never need to belonely, forhere I sit surrounded by may best friends. "Withoutreplying, thegentlemanapproachedashelfandtookdownavolumewhichheperceived to be uncut, and smilingly observed, "I am happytofind,madam, that unlike the majorityofpeople, youdonotcutyourfriends."
Macaulay says, "I would rather be a poormaninagarretwithplenty of good books to read, than a king who did not love reading."
A boy ten yearsofagewasseentoenterWestminsterAbbeyshortly before evening prayers. Goins straight upthemainaisle hestopped at the tomb of Charles Dickens. Then, looking to seethathewas not observed, hekneeledbeforethetombstone, andtenderlyplaced uponitabunchofviolets. Thelittlefellowhoveredaffectionately round the spot for a few moments and went awaywithahappy, contented smile uponhisface. Curiosityledagentlemanpresent to examine the child's offering, and thisiswhathefoundwritten in half-formed letters on an envelope attached to the violets:-
"For it is good to be children sometimes, andneverbetterthanat christmas, when its mighty Founder was a childhimself. -ChristmasCarol."
The young person that loves books as this little fellowdid, willhave friends that will unoonsciouslytransformhimintoagreat,noble-hearted man.
It is the thoughts of the boy that shape the future man. Garfield, when asked as a boy, what he was going to do when he grew up,wouldanswer. "First of all I am going to try to be a man If I becomethatI shall be fitfor anything." To make the most of one's youthistoqualify one's self to become a real man
Some men,it is true,have been seemingly created bycircumstances,and have figured prominently in the world's history.But,as ageneralrule,the childmakesthe man;and the foundation of all greatness andusefulness is laid by the impressions of youth. "AlexandertheGreatwould not have been the conqueror of theworldhadhisfathernotbeen Philip of Macedon.Hannibal would not.havebeenthescourgeofthe Romans if Hamilcar had not sworn him to eternal vengeanceagainsthis enemies.Napoleon Bonaparte wouldnothavedelugedEuropewithblood,if he had not been inspired by the genius of war from thepagesof Homer."Aud in our own days,those men whose earlyimpressionswerethe most favorable have been the most successful, bothintheirownlives,and in their influence upon the world at large.
But it will not be enough to keep children duringtheseasonofyouth from the reach of improper associates andinfluences. Theseedof right principles must be diligently sown in theirminds. Lessonsof purity and conscientiousness must be written deep on the tablesofthe heart. Parental restraint is outward and visible, but theguidingprinciples of life are inward and invissble. The daywillcomewhenthe youth must quit the parental roof, and perhaps entirely bidadieuto theinfluencesofhome. Ifhebethendestituteofrightprinciples, if his mind be like a shipwithoutarudder, hewillstandinimminentdangerofbeingsweptaway by the waves ofcorruption.
Care should be taken to keep good company ornone. Nosensibleperson will willingly keep bad horses or bad dogs. Should hebelessparticular in selecting his companions? And yet, at, this very point,some of life's most cruel blunders are made.
A story is told ot two parrots which lived neartoeachother.The one was accustomed to sing songs, while the other was addictedtoswearing. The owner ofthelatterobtainedpermissionforittoassociate with the former, in the hope that its badhabitswouldbecorrected; but the opposite resultfollowed, forbothlearnedtoswear alike. This aptly illustrates the usual effect of badcompany,and no young man, however strong he may imaginehimselftobe,canafford to be careless in this matter.
In the forming of your friendships, be less anxiousaboutsocialstanding, andmoreparticularaboutcharacter. Remember thatPresident Garfield used to say that he never passed araggedboyinthe street without feeling that one day he might owe him a salute.Noone knows what possibilities of goodness and greatness are buttoned upunder a boy's coat.
On the tomb of Schubert, the great musician, is written, "Hegavemuch, but promisedmore"; anditisthisimmeasurablewealthofpromise that makes the lives of our boys and girls so fullofbeautyand of power.
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