登陆注册
4709100000030

第30章

"There's something in this little fellow!" said Donal to himself.

"Ah, why indeed?" he answered. "You see you don't understand yourself yet!"

"No indeed!"

"Then how could you think I should understand you all at once?--and a boy must be understood, else what's to become of him! Fancy a poor boy living all day, and sleeping all night, and nobody understanding him!"

"That would be dreadful! But you will understand me?"

"Only a little: I'm not wise enough to understand any boy."

"Then--but isn't that what you said you came for?--I thought--"

"Yes," answered Donal, "that is what I came for; but if I fancied I quite understood any boy, that would be a sure sign I did not understand him.--There is one who understands every boy as well as if there were no other boy in the whole world."

"Then why doesn't every boy go to him when he can't get fair play?"

"Ah, why? That is just what I want you to do. He can do better than give you fair play even: he can make you give other people fair play, and delight in it."

"Tell me where he is."

"That is what I have to teach you: mere telling is not much use.

Telling is what makes people think they know when they do not, and makes them foolish."

"What is his name?"

"I will not tell you that just yet; for then you would think you knew him, when you knew next to nothing about him. Look here; look at this book," he went on, pulling a copy of Boethius from his pocket; "look at the name on the back of it: it is the name of the man that wrote the book."

Davie spelled it out.

"Now you know all about the book, don't you?"

"No, sir; I don't know anything about it."

"Well then, my father's name is Robert Grant: you know now what a good man he is!"

"No, I don't. I should like to see him though!"

"You would love him if you did! But you see now that knowing the name of a person does not make you know the person."

"But you said, sir, that if you told me the name of that person, I should fancy I knew all about him: I don't fancy I know all about your father now you have told me his name!"

"You have me there!" answered Donal. "I did not say quite what I ought to have said. I should have said that when we know a little about a person, and are used to hearing his name, then we are ready to think we know all about him. I heard a man the other day--a man who had never spoken to your father--talk as if he knew all about him."

"I think I understand," said Davie.

To confess ignorance is to lose respect with the ignorant who would appear to know. But there is a worse thing than to lose the respect even of the wise--to deserve to lose it; and that he does who would gain a respect that does not belong to him. But a confession of ignorance is a ground of respect with a well-bred child, and even with many ordinary boys will raise a man's influence: they recognize his loyalty to the truth. Act-truth is infinitely more than fact-truth; the love of the truth infinitely beyond the knowledge of it.

They went out together, and when they had gone the round of the place outside, Davie would have taken him over the house; but Donal said they would leave something for another time, and made him lie down for ten minutes. This the boy thought a great hardship, but Donal saw that he needed to be taught to rest. Ten times in those ten minutes he was on the point of jumping up, but Donal found a word sufficient to restrain him. When the ten minutes were over, he set him an addition sum. The boy protested he knew all the rules of arithmetic.

"But," said Donal, "I must know that you know them; that is my business. Do this one, however easy it is."

The boy obeyed, and brought him the sum--incorrect.

同类推荐
  • 般若波罗蜜多心经还源述

    般若波罗蜜多心经还源述

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Initials Only

    Initials Only

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 黄石公素书注

    黄石公素书注

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 唐诗纪事

    唐诗纪事

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 唐月令注续补遗

    唐月令注续补遗

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 新白娘子传奇之穿越版

    新白娘子传奇之穿越版

    【女频一组C班签约作品】此书很烂,慎入!
  • 微信红包群

    微信红包群

    穿越异界,手持IPhone10S加入玄幻世界顶级聊天群!九阳神王:我这有一本至阳功法,修行一日千里!金鹏妖王:来来来,你们都没宠物吧,发紫金御兽法决,大家抢红包了!合欢神童:我这有几个女弟子要双修了,装红包发给你们,注意接收……绝世丹君:升级神丹,抢到手软,六味地黄丸专门双修!让我来摇一摇?九天神女:约么?
  • 在最美的时光相遇

    在最美的时光相遇

    “你这次怎么不跑路了?”大婚之夜,他倚在门上戏谑的看着坐在床榻上的某人。“事实证明,跑了也没用。”某人双手一摊。“不试试怎么知道呢?”某人无语了:“我又打不过你,试什么试。”“给你个机会,试试?”某人从床榻上蹦起来:“你说的,别后悔啊。”男子笑道:“不后悔,前提你要跑得掉。”“那我还是不跑了。”凑到某人面前:“想跑吗?”“想…呃…”见某人又离她近里几分立马改口:“想你…”某人笑道:“我也想你了,所以…”“所以什么?”“就寝。”“滚!”“你这是要谋杀亲夫。”“我又打不过你,想多了吧你。”“胆肥了,敢跟我顶嘴啊!”“有什么不敢的。”“……”都是他惯的……
  • 使辽语录

    使辽语录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 我的高智商男友

    我的高智商男友

    场景①“林小悠,如果你和爱因斯坦见面了,你会选择做什么?”“内个……爱因斯坦……不是去世了吗?”“思维能力还算入门。”场景②“林小悠同学,你不能坐在那里。”“为什么呀?”“因为那是我的专属座位。”“马博士,你是在开玩笑吗?”“我从不开玩笑。”场景③“马赛克!你到底喜不喜欢我?”“和你说过多少次,我的名字是马赛柯,你能不能在中文发音上稍微下点功夫。”“管你叫什么!你不是说过我对你而言是和别人不一样的存在吗?”“对,因为你的智商要比别人低许多。”场景④“马博士,你和女孩子接过吻吗?”“没有。”“闭上眼睛。”——“那,现在你有过了。”
  • 上方大洞真元妙经图

    上方大洞真元妙经图

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 古画品录

    古画品录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 太极食神之秋水猎杀

    太极食神之秋水猎杀

    “太极食神”是一个系列武侠传奇长篇,“秋水猎杀”是第三部。讲述八国联军攻陷京城,杨兆龙随着太后和光绪西狩,没想到爷爷杨慕侠也护送他们一路前往,祖孙二人在逃亡路上终于冰释前嫌。兆龙更是因为护驾有功,得到奖赏。但因为陷入太后和皇帝的权力之争中,他最终被下了牢狱。杨慕侠几次探狱,传他内功心法,竟然让他练成太极的高层绝学。光绪帝被毒死后,杨兆龙也被太监用牛皮纸糊住口鼻闷死。杨慕侠带着兆龙的“棺材”回到永年乡下隐居。而杨兆鹰则代表杨氏太极继续在京城发展。回到永年后,假死的杨兆龙开始跟祖父修炼太极,并得以传授《授密歌》,终成一代高手。但“秋水”并不会放弃对杨家的猎杀,一场生死对决就此展开……
  • 指頭畫說

    指頭畫說

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 神帝追妻,腹黑神后太抢手

    神帝追妻,腹黑神后太抢手

    初见,她是因行侠仗义而遇险的江湖‘丑女’月奴。他救下她,收她为徒,带她来到世人向往的东海仙都。她讶然:“你就是东海仙都的元绛尊者?”他对她照料有加,疼爱纵容,教仙法游四方。她专门调.戏师傅,捉弄同门,刷存在掉节操。仙都里美人儿如云,觊觎师傅的人太多。她耍弄百般武艺替师防‘狼’。厄…虽然手段吗,是有那么点让人卑鄙无耻,不过效果不错。唯一不满意的是那个勾.引师傅的美人儿芜星,生的太美,法术又高,让她颇费了些脑筋。她发誓,一辈子都要陪伴在师傅身边…争取结为道侣。可这简单的期待也终究成了幻影。那日,她失手击破锁妖镜,放出了封印在其中的万妖之王墨音。据说墨音破封,天下遭劫。可是…墨音真的那么坏吗?他明明就对她很好吗。好吧,师傅说了,知妖知面不知心相传,这世上能够再次封印墨音的只有九十九重天外穹苍十二仙岛中的上神。一个是上尊神帝东岳,万年前大婚之际莫名失踪,自此下落不明。一个是云山老母曲歌,受了情伤后以百万年神力封印了墨音便历劫堕凡。师傅为救天下苍生,不惜以命制衡墨音。为帮师傅,她不听警告,偷偷吞下天机果。额上封印解开,容颜恢复,关于万年前的记忆悉数回拢。关于神界的,关于前世的…彼时,他不是师傅,她不是徒儿。他为了另一个女人而悔婚,让她成为神界笑柄。她发誓,此生与他再不复往来。鬼府,她喝下阎王亲自调的忘情水。可明明是再不想干的两人。他有心头挚爱,她也有妖王、阎王和众美男左右相随。为何他却又对她穷追不舍?~~当当当当,亲们光这次开了本仙侠,简介不代表全部哦。姐妹们动动手指点正文看看呗,看个几章,确定不喜欢再关闭。喜欢的话,就请姐妹们帮光光收藏加入书架哦~收藏方式姐妹们都懂的,点↓↓↓↓‘加入书架’即可哦。