美好的品德

　　仅仅一个人独善其身，那实在是一种浪费。上天生下我们，是要把我们当做火炬，不是照亮自己，而是普照世界；因为我们的德行倘若不能推及他人，那就等于没有一样。

　　——［英］莎士比亚

　　山姆和哈瑞 

　　慈善不在于你捐出多少金钱，而在于你心中拥有多少善意。人们的行为可以伪装，但善意却无法掩藏。美国作家马克·吐温称善良为一种世界通用的语言，它可以使盲人“看到”、聋子“听到”。心存善良之人，他们的心滚烫，情火热，可以驱赶寒冷，横扫阴霾。善意产生善行，同善良的人接触，往往智慧得到开启，情操变得高尚，灵魂变得纯洁，胸怀更加宽阔。与善良之人相处，不必设防，心底坦然。

　　夏日里一个晴朗的午后，山姆走在从学校回家的路上。他独自慢慢地走着，边走边读着一本书。

　　山姆用他所有的零花钱买了这本书，读书让他觉得快乐。

　　现在，山姆要拐上大路了。那里有一扇门，一位盲人站在门边，使大门敞开着。这个可怜的人说：“请给我一点钱让我买点面包吧！”但是山姆什么也没有给他。

　　什么？山姆没有给那个可怜人一丁点东西？是的，因为我已经告诉过你，他把所有的钱都用来买那本书了。

　　山姆继续往回家走，心里却非常难过。

　　这时，他碰到一辆漂亮的四轮马车，哈利和他的妈妈坐在车上。盲人仍旧站在那儿，手里举着他的帽子。“哈，我们给这个可怜人施舍点东西吧！”哈利对妈妈说。

　　哈瑞的妈妈给了他一些分币。哈利拿在手里，但是，他并没有将钱放进盲人的帽子里。

　　哈利使出自己最大的力气把钱扔进了远处的树篱中。那个可怜人怎么能找到这些分币呢？你知道，他是个盲人。

　　山姆看见了这一切——那辆漂亮的马车，哈利把钱扔进了树篱中。他立刻跑回来，为那个盲人寻找那些分币，这费了他很长时间，以至于他差点没赶上吃晚饭。

　　你认为哪个男孩真正地怜悯那个可怜人？

　　我也知道那个可怜人心里最感激的是谁。

　　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 said, "Please give me a few cents to buy some bread!" But Sam gave him nothing 。

　　What! did 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," said Harry to his mother。

　　His mother gave him some cents. Harry took them, but did 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。