In short， I am convinced， both by faith and experience， that to maintain one's self on this earth is not a hardship but a pastime，if we will live simply and wisely； as the pursuits of the simpler nations are still the sports of the more artificial.  It is not necessary that a man should earn his living by the sweat of his brow， unless he sweats easier than I do.

　　One young man of my acquaintance， who has inherited some acres，told me that he thought he should live as I did， if he had the means.  I would not have any one adopt my mode of living on any account； for， beside that before he has fairly learned it I may have found out another for myself， I desire that there may be as many different persons in the world as possible； but I would have each one be very careful to find out and pursue his own way， and not his father's or his mother's or his neighbor's instead.  The youth may build or plant or sail， only let him not be hindered from doing that which he tells me he would like to do.  It is by a mathematical point only that we are wise， as the sailor or the fugitive slave keeps the polestar in his eye； but that is sufficient guidance for all our life.  We may not arrive at our port within a calculable period， but we would preserve the true course.

　　Undoubtedly， in this case， what is true for one is truer still for a thousand， as a large house is not proportionally more expensive than a small one， since one roof may cover， one cellar underlie， and one wall separate several apartments.  But for my part， I preferred the solitary dwelling.  Moreover， it will commonly be cheaper to build the whole yourself than to convince another of the advantage of the common wall； and when you have done this， the common partition， to be much cheaper， must be a thin one， and that other may prove a bad neighbor， and also not keep his side in repair.  The only co-operation which is commonly possible is exceedingly partial and superficial； and what little true co-operation there is， is as if it were not， being a harmony inaudible to men.  If a man has faith， he will co-operate with equal faith everywhere； if he has not faith， he will continue to live like the rest of the world， whatever company he is joined to.  To co-operate in the highest as well as the lowest sense， means to get our living together.  I heard it proposed lately that two young men should travel together over the world， the one without money，earning his means as he went， before the mast and behind the plow，the other carrying a bill of exchange in his pocket.  It was easy to see that they could not long be companions or co-operate， since one would not operate at all.  They would part at the first interesting crisis in their adventures.  Above all， as I have implied， the man who goes alone can start today； but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready， and it may be a long time before they get off.

　　But all this is very selfish， I have heard some of my townsmen say.  I confess that I have hitherto indulged very little in philanthropic enterprises.  I have made some sacrifices to a sense of duty， and among others have sacrificed this pleasure also.  There are those who have used all their arts to persuade me to undertake the support of some poor family in the town； and if I had nothing to do ―― for the devil finds employment for the idle ―― I might try my hand at some such pastime as that.  However， when I have thought to indulge myself in this respect， and lay their Heaven under an obligation by maintaining certain poor persons in all respects as comfortably as I maintain myself， and have even ventured so far as to make them the offer， they have one and all unhesitatingly preferred to remain poor.  While my townsmen and women are devoted in so many ways to the good of their fellows， I trust that one at least may be spared to other and less humane pursuits.  You must have a genius for charity as well as for anything else.  As for Doing-good， that is one of the professions which are full. Moreover， I have tried it fairly， and， strange as it may seem， am satisfied that it does not agree with my constitution.  Probably I should not consciously and deliberately forsake my particular calling to do the good which society demands of me， to save the universe from annihilation； and I believe that a like but infinitely greater steadfastness elsewhere is all that now preserves it.  But I would not stand between any man and his genius； and to him who does this work， which I decline， with his whole heart and soul and life，I would say， Persevere， even if the world call it doing evil， as it is most likely they will.

　　簡單一句活，我已經確信，根據信仰和經驗，一個人要在世間謀生，如果生活得比較單純而且聰明，那并不是苦事，而且還是一種消遣；那些比較單純的國家，人們從事的工作不過是一些更其人工化的國家的體育運動。流汗勞動來養活自己，并不是必要的，除非他比我還要容易流汗。

　　我認識一個繼承了幾英畝地的年輕人，他告訴我他愿意像我一樣生活，如果他有辦法的話。我卻不愿意任何人由于任何原因，而采用我的生活方式；因為，也許他還沒有學會我的這一種，說不定我已經找到了另一種方式，我希望世界上的人，越不相同越好；但是我愿意每一個人都能謹慎地找出并堅持他自己的合適方式，而不要采用他父親的，或母親的，或鄰居的方式。年輕人可以建筑，也可以耕種，也可以航海，只要不阻撓他去做他告訴我他愿意做的事，就好了。人是聰明的，因為他能計算；水手和逃亡的奴隸都知道眼睛盯住北極星，這些觀點是管保用上一輩子的了。我們也許不能夠在一個預定的時日里到達目的港，但我們總可以走在一條真正的航線上。

　　無疑的在這里，凡是對一個人是真實的，對于一千個人也是真實的，正像一幢大房子，按比例來說，并不比一座小房子來得更浪費錢財；一個屋頂可以蓋住幾個房間，一個地窖可以躺在幾個房間的下面，一道道墻壁更可以分隔出許多房間來。我自己是喜歡獨居的。再說，全部由你自己來筑造，比你拿合用一道公墻的好處去說服鄰家要便宜得多；如果你為了便宜的緣故跟別家合用了墻，這道墻一定很薄，你隔壁住的也許不是一個好鄰居，而且他也不修理他那一面的墻，一般能夠做到的合作只是很小的部分，而且是表面上的；要有點兒真正的合作心意，表面上反而看不出來，卻有著一種聽不見的諧和。如果一個人是有信心的，他可以到處用同樣的信心與人合作；如果他沒有信心，他會像世界上其余的人一樣，繼續過他自己的生活，不管他跟什么人做伴。合作的最高意義與最低意義，乃是讓我們一起生活。最近我聽說有兩個年輕人想一起作環球旅行，一個是沒有錢的，一路上要在桅桿前，在犁鋤后，掙錢維持生活，另一個袋里帶著旅行支票。這是很明白的，他們不可能長久地做伴或合作，因為這一合作中有一人根本不作什么。在他們旅行中第一個有趣的危機發生之時，他們就要分手。最主要的是我已經說過的，一個單獨旅行的人要今天出發就出發；而結伴的卻得等同行的準備就緒，他們出發之前可能要費很長的時日。

　　可是，這一切是很自私呵，我聽到一些市民們這樣說。我承認，直到現在，我很少從事慈善事業。我有一種責任感，使我犧牲了許多快樂，其中，慈善這一喜悅我也把它扔了。有人竭力窮智，要勸導我去援助市里的一些窮苦人家：如果我沒有事做了，――而魔鬼是專找沒有事的人的，――也許我要動手試做這一類的事，消遣消遣。然而，每當我想在這方面試一下，維持一些窮人的生活，使他們各方面都能跟我一樣地舒服，把他們過天堂的生活作為一個義務，甚至已經提出了我的幫助，可是這些窮人卻全體一致毫不躊躇地都愿意繼續貧窮下去。我們市里的一些男女，正在多方設法，為他們的同胞謀取好處，我相信這至少可以使人不去做別的沒有人性的事業。但慈善像其他的任何事業一樣，必須有天賦的才能。“做好事”是一個人浮于事的職業。況且，我也嘗試過。

　　奇怪得很，這不合我的胃口，因此我對自己是滿意的。也許我不應該有意謹慎小心地逃避社會要求于我的這種使宇宙不至于毀滅的“做好事”的特殊的職責，我卻相信，在一個不知什么地方，確有著一種類乎慈善的事業，然而比起來不知堅定了多少的力量，在保持我們現在的這個宇宙呢。可是我不會阻攔一個人去發揮他的天才的；對于這種工作，我自己是不做的，而對于做著的人，他既全心全意地終身做著，我將說，即使全世界說這是“做惡事”，很可能有這種看法，你們還是要堅持下去。

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