登陆注册
5226000000001

第1章 PREFACE(1)

My dear boys,--When I was your age, there were no such children's books as there are now. Those which we had were few and dull, and the pictures in them ugly and mean: while you have your choice of books without number, clear, amusing, and pretty, as well as really instructive, on subjects which were only talked of fifty years ago by a few learned men, and very little understood even by them. So if mere reading of books would make wise men, you ought to grow up much wiser than us old fellows. But mere reading of wise books will not make you wise men: you must use for yourselves the tools with which books are made wise; and that is--your eyes, and ears, and common sense.

Now, among those very stupid old-fashioned boys' books was one which taught me that; and therefore I am more grateful to it than if it had been as full of wonderful pictures as all the natural history books you ever saw. Its name was Evenings at Home; and in it was a story called "Eyes and no Eyes;" a regular old-fashioned, prim, sententious story; and it began thus:-

"Well, Robert, where have you been walking this afternoon?" said Mr. Andrews to one of his pupils at the close of a holiday.

Oh--Robert had been to Broom Heath, and round by Camp Mount, and home through the meadows. But it was very dull. He hardly saw a single person. He had much rather have gone by the turnpike-road.

Presently in comes Master William, the other pupil, dressed, I suppose, as wretched boys used to be dressed forty years ago, in a frill collar, and skeleton monkey-jacket, and tight trousers buttoned over it, and hardly coming down to his ancles; and low shoes, which always came off in sticky ground; and terribly dirty and wet he is: but he never (he says) had such a pleasant walk in his life; and he has brought home his handkerchief (for boys had no pockets in those days much bigger than key-holes) full of curiosities.

He has got a piece of mistletoe, wants to know what it is; and he has seen a woodpecker, and a wheat-ear, and gathered strange flowers on the heath; and hunted a peewit because he thought its wing was broken, till of course it led him into a bog, and very wet he got. But he did not mind it, because he fell in with an old man cutting turf, who told him all about turf-cutting, and gave him a dead adder. And then he went up a hill, and saw a grand prospect; and wanted to go again, and make out the geography of the country from Cary's old county maps, which were the only maps in those days. And then, because the hill was called Camp Mount, he looked for a Roman camp, and found one; and then he went down to the river, saw twenty things more; and so on, and so on, till he had brought home curiosities enough, and thoughts enough, to last him a week.

Whereon Mr. Andrews, who seems to have been a very sensible old gentleman, tells him all about his curiosities: and then it comes out--if you will believe it--that Master William has been over the very same ground as Master Robert, who saw nothing at all.

Whereon Mr. Andrews says, wisely enough, in his solemn old-fashioned way, -

"So it is. One man walks through the world with his eyes open, another with his eyes shut; and upon this difference depends all the superiority of knowledge which one man acquires over another.

I have known sailors who had been in all the quarters of the world, and could tell you nothing but the signs of the tippling-houses, and the price and quality of the liquor. On the other hand, Franklin could not cross the Channel without making observations useful to mankind. While many a vacant thoughtless youth is whirled through Europe without gaining a single idea worth crossing the street for, the observing eye and inquiring mind find matter of improvement and delight in every ramble. You, then, William, continue to use your eyes. And you, Robert, learn that eyes were given to you to use."

So said Mr. Andrews: and so I say, dear boys--and so says he who has the charge of you--to you. Therefore I beg all good boys among you to think over this story, and settle in their own minds whether they will be eyes or no eyes; whether they will, as they grow up, look and see for themselves what happens: or whether they will let other people look for them, or pretend to look; and dupe them, and lead them about--the blind leading the blind, till both fall into the ditch.

同类推荐
  • AGNES GREY

    AGNES GREY

    ALL true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity, that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut.汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 大乘起信论疏

    大乘起信论疏

    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。
  • The Age Of Reason

    The Age Of Reason

    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。
  • 自序

    自序

    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。
  • Grass of Parnassus

    Grass of Parnassus

    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
  • 龙域僵皇

    龙域僵皇

    灭世,我为神话,星盘,我为将子,七道,唯我我占,奇身独脉,我为举世第一,断指,将另辟新界,一人穿越,古今震撼,此域非彼域,此人非彼人,此尸非彼尸。这是一个变幻无常而且动荡的界域。圣兽与魔兽相争,神兽与冥兽互斗,他横空出世,脚踩冥魔,手握神佛,且看其如何欲练尸池,血洗尸身,怒嗜魔魂。又看其如何力劈山河,血煞苍穹、、、、
  • 绝望与希望的轮舞

    绝望与希望的轮舞

    当血雨腥风再次笼罩这已拥有了千年和平的大陆时,被遗忘的历史逐渐从遗失的时光里一点一点地被挖掘出来。在这逐渐被绝望侵蚀的世界,唯有希望不灭。待真相明了之时……“拥有被诅咒的血脉与力量的少年法师哟,你是在绝望中成为希望,还是被名为希望的绝望吞噬?”
  • 致富的哲学:赢家背后的成功密码

    致富的哲学:赢家背后的成功密码

    《致富的哲学(赢家背后的成功密码)》是华莱士最为著名的著作,它所揭示的财富原则,深深影响了包括拿破仑·希尔、斯蒂芬·柯维、罗伯特·清琦等励志作家在内的几代美国人,成为奠基性的世界财富名著。《致富的哲学:赢家背后的成功密码》与《思考致富》《世界上最伟大的推销员》并称世界上最伟大的三大财富著作。在美国专业励志培训界,《致富的哲学(赢家背后的成功密码)》被人们亲切地称为“那本小绿书”(因其初版时为绿色封面),并已成为美国专业励志培训的经典教材。至今,这些课程已经帮助全球的众多公司提高了数千万美元的销售收入,而且这些课程也造就了许许多多新生代的百万富翁。
  • Captivity and Restoration

    Captivity and Restoration

    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。
  • 通天神捕

    通天神捕

    一目因果,窥见生死。二目因果,往生今世。三目因果,通彻天地有因,必有果!萧七月手握“因果大道”,坏人、恶霸、枭雄、善人统统现形,成就通天神捕。
  • 综漫的悠哉日常

    综漫的悠哉日常

    新书——《神奇宝贝之系统不靠谱》 “唯一掌控我无限疯狂的伟大的主!”“在超脱的机械也无法验算的无尽恐惧。”“看起来负责强大的老师……但也只是看起来而已……”“给予我新生与父爱的父亲大人。”“唯一将我从孤寂中拉扯出来的大人,如果可以真的想当那孩子的母亲呢……”“比鲁斯大人……啊啦,比鲁斯大人只是只永远都长不大,但手握灭世之力的猫咪而已啦……”
  • 致我兵荒马乱的青春

    致我兵荒马乱的青春

    该作品由作者亲身经历改编。讲述了一群热血少男少女悄悄努力的青春故事。
  • 中华青少年成长必读集萃:万事由来

    中华青少年成长必读集萃:万事由来

    水有源,树有根,大千世界中的万事万物都有自己的由来。各种各样的事物,经过时间的打磨,最后静静地置于我们身边,用自身的存在,讲述着自己不平凡的故事,证明着自己特有的价值,影响或改变着我们的生活。环顾四周,各类事物围绕在我们身边。追本溯源,谈古论今,历史就在我们身边。万物之中,有的微不足道,有的则与历史紧密相连,独领时代风骚,开创时代潮流。无论其影响大小,有趣的永远是其背后的历史和故事!
  • 总经理一定要掌控人脉

    总经理一定要掌控人脉

    "美国成功学大师卡耐基经过长期研究得出这样一个结论:“一个人的成功,15%归功于他个人的专业知识,85%归功于他的人脉关系。”也许这并不是放诸四海皆准的信条,但现代社会的发展已经显示。在技术、资金、人力资源等生产力要素中,人的重要性越来越凸现。人脉资源的地位也越来越显著。可以说,在当今社会,能成就大业者,一定要拥有广阔而实用的人脉。
  • 百乐门杀人事件

    百乐门杀人事件

    大上海当红歌星横死尹府!谁能知这富丽的尹府竟是个杀人之地。为了妹妹的离奇死亡,她重回旧地。却发现那个杀人者竟和她有着不同寻常的关系。那被深藏的秘密,也重见天日。是爱,是恨,她躲不了,逃不掉。