observe a child; any one will do. you will see that not a day passes in which he does not find something or other to make him happy, though he may be in tears the next moment. then look at a man; any one of us will do. you will notice that weeks and months can pass in which day is greeted with nothing more than resignation1, and endure with every polite indifference. indeed, most men are as miserable as sinners, though they are too bored to sin-perhaps their sin is their indifference2. but it is true that they so seldom smile that when they do we do not recognize their face, so distorted is it from the fixed mask we take for granted3. and even then a man can not smile like a child, for a child smiles with his eyes, whereas a man smiles with his lips alone. it is not a smile; but a grin; something to do with humor4, but little to do with happiness. and then, as anyone can see, there is a point when a man becomes an old man, and then he will smile again.
it would seem that happiness is something to do with simplicity, and that it is the ability to extract pleasure form the simplest things-such as a peach stone, for instance.it is obvious that it is nothing to do with success. for sir henry stewart was certainly successful. it is twenty years ago since he came down to our village from london, and bought a couple of old cottages, which he had knocked into one. he used his house a s weekend refuge5. he was a barrister. and the village followed his brilliant career with something almost amounting to paternal pride.i remember some ten years ago when he was made a kings counsel6, amos and i, seeing him get off the london train, went to congratulate him. we grinned with pleasure; he merely looked as miserable as though hed received a penal sentence. it was the same when he was knighted; he never smiled a bit, he didnt even bother to celebrate with a round of drinks at the blue fox7. he took his success as a child does his medicine. and not one of his achievements brought even a ghost of a smile to his tired eyes.
i asked him one day, soon after hed retired to potter about his garden,8 what is was like to achieve all ones ambitions. he looked down at his roses and went on watering them. then he said the only value in achieving ones ambition is that you then realize that they are not worth achieving. quickly he moved the conversation on to a more practical level, and within a moment we were back to a safe discussion on the weather. that was two years ago.
i recall this incident, for yesterday, i was passing his house, and had drawn up my cart just outside his garden wall. i had pulled in from the road for no other reason than to let a bus pass me. as i set there filling my pipe, i suddenly heard a shout of sheer joy come from the other side of the wall.i peered over. there stood sir henry doing nothing less than a tribal war dance9 of sheer unashamed ecstasy. even when he observed my bewildered face staring over the wall he did not seem put out10 or embarrassed, but shouted for me to climb over.
come and see, jan. look! i have done it at last! i have done it at last!there he was, holding a small box of earth in his had. i observed three tiny shoots out of it.and there were only three! he said, his eyes laughing to heaven.three what? i asked.peach stones, he replied. ve always wanted to make peach stones grow, even since i was a child, when i used to take them home after a party, or as a man after a banquet. and i used to plant them, and then forgot where i planted them. but now at last i have done it, and, whats more, i had only three stones, and there you are, one, two, three shoots, he counted.
and sir henry ran off, calling for his wife to come and see his achievement-his achievement of simplicity.
双语儿童寓言故事:散步有益It’s Good to Walk
儿童双语幽默小故事:我让奶奶高兴了I Made Granny Glad
儿童双语幽默小故事:追贼Catching a Thief
双语儿童寓言故事:我与河马The Hippo and I
儿童双语幽默小故事:聪明的野兔A Clever Hare
双语儿童寓言故事:狼和狗The Wolf and the Dog
双语儿童寓言故事:森林运动会The Sports Meeting in the Forest
儿童双语幽默小故事:一定很拥挤It Must Be Crowded
双语儿童寓言故事:我不能愿意洗澡I Will Not Take a Bath
双语儿童寓言故事:户外运动Outside Games
儿童双语幽默小故事:去电影院Go to the Cinema
儿童双语幽默小故事:安眠药 Sleeping Pills
儿童双语幽默小故事:聪明的熊猫A Clever Panda
儿童双语幽默小故事:我没法煮它I can’t Cook It
双语儿童寓言故事:老人和老猫The Old Man and the Old Cat
双语儿童寓言故事:这是不公平It’s Unfair
双语儿童寓言故事:国王和他的故事The King and His Stories
儿童双语幽默小故事:画蛇添足Adding Feet to a Snake
双语儿童寓言故事:渔夫和他的妻子The Fisherman and His Wife
双语儿童寓言故事:两只狗Two dogs
儿童双语幽默小故事:明天早上数Count Tomorrow Morning
儿童双语幽默小故事:狼与鹤The Wolf and the Crane
双语儿童寓言故事:聪明的乌龟A Smart Tortoise
儿童双语幽默小故事:改名字Change Name
双语儿童寓言故事:海里有什么动物What Animals are the sea?
Super Why儿童英语故事动画:侏儒妖怪 Rumplestiltskin
双语儿童寓言故事:两只猴子Two Little Monkeys
双语儿童寓言故事:帽子在哪里?Where Is the Hat?
双语儿童寓言故事:大本钟Big Ben
双语儿童寓言故事:洗澡的男孩The Bathing Boy
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