美好的品德

　　僅僅一個人獨善其身，那實在是一種浪費。上天生下我們，是要把我們當做火炬，不是照亮自己，而是普照世界；因為我們的德行倘若不能推及他人，那就等于沒有一樣。

　　——［英］莎士比亞

　　山姆和哈瑞 

　　慈善不在于你捐出多少金錢，而在于你心中擁有多少善意。人們的行為可以偽裝，但善意卻無法掩藏。美國作家馬克·吐溫稱善良為一種世界通用的語言，它可以使盲人“看到”、聾子“聽到”。心存善良之人，他們的心滾燙，情火熱，可以驅趕寒冷，橫掃陰霾。善意產生善行，同善良的人接觸，往往智慧得到開啟，情操變得高尚，靈魂變得純潔，胸懷更加寬闊。與善良之人相處，不必設防，心底坦然。

　　夏日里一個晴朗的午后，山姆走在從學校回家的路上。他獨自慢慢地走著，邊走邊讀著一本書。

　　山姆用他所有的零花錢買了這本書，讀書讓他覺得快樂。

　　現在，山姆要拐上大路了。那里有一扇門，一位盲人站在門邊，使大門敞開著。這個可憐的人說：“請給我一點錢讓我買點面包吧！”但是山姆什么也沒有給他。

　　什么？山姆沒有給那個可憐人一丁點東西？是的，因為我已經告訴過你，他把所有的錢都用來買那本書了。

　　山姆繼續往回家走，心里卻非常難過。

　　這時，他碰到一輛漂亮的四輪馬車，哈利和他的媽媽坐在車上。盲人仍舊站在那兒，手里舉著他的帽子。“哈，我們給這個可憐人施舍點東西吧！”哈利對媽媽說。

　　哈瑞的媽媽給了他一些分幣。哈利拿在手里，但是，他并沒有將錢放進盲人的帽子里。

　　哈利使出自己最大的力氣把錢扔進了遠處的樹籬中。那個可憐人怎么能找到這些分幣呢？你知道，他是個盲人。

　　山姆看見了這一切——那輛漂亮的馬車，哈利把錢扔進了樹籬中。他立刻跑回來，為那個盲人尋找那些分幣，這費了他很長時間，以至于他差點沒趕上吃晚飯。

　　你認為哪個男孩真正地憐憫那個可憐人？

　　我也知道那個可憐人心里最感激的是誰。

　　Sam and Harry

　　One fine summer afternoon, Sam was walking home from school. He went along slowly, reading a book。

　　Sam had spent all his money for the book, but he was a happy boy。

　　At length he came into the highroad, where there was a gate. A blind man stood, holding it open。

　　The poor man sa, "Please give me a few cents to buy some bread!" But Sam gave him nothing 。

　　What! d Sam give the poor blind man nothing? Yes, for, as I told you, he had spent all his money。

　　So Sam walked on, very sad. Soon after, a fine carriage came up, and in it were Harry and his mother。

　　The blind man stood, and held out his hat. "Let us give the poor man something," sa Harry to his mother。

　　His mother gave him some cents. Harry took them, but d not put them into the man's hat。

　　He threw them into the hedge as far as he could. The poor man could not find them, for, you know, he was blind。

　　Sam had turned back to look at the fine carriage. He saw Harry throw the cents into the hedge; so he came back at once, and looked for the money until he found it all for the blind man. This took so long a time that he almost lost his supper。

　　Which of the boys do you think was truly kind to the poor man?

　　I know which he thanked most in his heart。