Philanthropy is almost the only virtue which is sufficiently appreciated by mankind.  Nay， it is greatly overrated； and it is our selfishness which overrates it.  A robust poor man， one sunny day here in Concord， praised a fellow-townsman to me， because， as he said， he was kind to the poor； meaning himself.  The kind uncles and aunts of the race are more esteemed than its true spiritual fathers and mothers.  I once heard a reverend lecturer on England， a man of learning and intelligence， after enumerating her scientific，literary， and political worthies， Shakespeare， Bacon， Cromwell，Milton， Newton， and others， speak next of her Christian heroes，whom， as if his profession required it of him， he elevated to a place far above all the rest， as the greatest of the great.  They were Penn， Howard， and Mrs. Fry.  Every one must feel the falsehood and cant of this.  The last were not England's best men and women；only， perhaps， her best philanthropists.

　　I would not subtract anything from the praise that is due to philanthropy， but merely demand justice for all who by their lives and works are a blessing to mankind.  I do not value chiefly a man's uprightness and benevolence， which are， as it were， his stem and leaves.  Those plants of whose greenness withered we make herb tea for the sick serve but a humble use， and are most employed by quacks.  I want the flower and fruit of a man； that some fragrance be wafted over from him to me， and some ripeness flavor our intercourse.  His goodness must not be a partial and transitory act，but a constant superfluity， which costs him nothing and of which he is unconscious.  This is a charity that hides a multitude of sins. The philanthropist too often surrounds mankind with the remembrance of his own castoff griefs as an atmosphere， and calls it sympathy. We should impart our courage， and not our despair， our health and ease， and not our disease， and take care that this does not spread by contagion.  From what southern plains comes up the voice of wailing？  Under what latitudes reside the heathen to whom we would send light？  Who is that intemperate and brutal man whom we would redeem？  If anything ail a man， so that he does not perform his functions， if he have a pain in his bowels even ―― for that is the seat of sympathy ―― he forthwith sets about reforming ―― the world. Being a microcosm himself， he discovers ―― and it is a true discovery， and he is the man to make it ―― that the world has been eating green apples； to his eyes， in fact， the globe itself is a great green apple， which there is danger awful to think of that the children of men will nibble before it is ripe； and straightway his drastic philanthropy seeks out the Esquimau and the Patagonian， and embraces the populous Indian and Chinese villages； and thus， by a few years of philanthropic activity， the powers in the meanwhile using him for their own ends， no doubt， he cures himself of his dyspepsia， the globe acquires a faint blush on one or both of its cheeks， as if it were beginning to be ripe， and life loses its crudity and is once more sweet and wholesome to live.  I never dreamed of any enormity greater than I have committed.  I never knew， and never shall know， a worse man than myself.

　　I believe that what so saddens the reformer is not his sympathy with his fellows in distress， but， though he be the holiest son of God， is his private ail.  Let this be righted， let the spring come to him， the morning rise over his couch， and he will forsake his generous companions without apology.  My excuse for not lecturing against the use of tobacco is， that I never chewed it， that is a penalty which reformed tobacco-chewers have to pay； though there are things enough I have chewed which I could lecture against.  If you should ever be betrayed into any of these philanthropies， do not let your left hand know what your right hand does， for it is not worth knowing.  Rescue the drowning and tie your shoestrings.  Take your time， and set about some free labor.

　　Our manners have been corrupted by communication with the saints.  Our hymn-books resound with a melodious cursing of God and enduring Him forever.  One would say that even the prophets and redeemers had rather consoled the fears than confirmed the hopes of man.  There is nowhere recorded a simple and irrepressible satisfaction with the gift of life， any memorable praise of God. All health and success does me good， however far off and withdrawn it may appear； all disease and failure helps to make me sad and does me evil， however much sympathy it may have with me or I with it. If， then， we would indeed restore mankind by truly Indian， botanic，magnetic， or natural means， let us first be as simple and well as Nature ourselves， dispel the clouds which hang over our own brows，and take up a little life into our pores.  Do not stay to be an overseer of the poor， but endeavor to become one of the worthies of the world.

　　慈善幾乎可以說是人類能夠贊許的唯一美德。不然，它是被捧上了天的；是因為我們自私，所以把它捧上了天的。一個粗壯的窮人，在日暖風和的一天，在康科德這里，對我贊揚一個市民，因為，他說，那人對像他這樣的窮人很善良。人種中的善良的伯父伯母，反而比真正的靈魂上的父母更受頌揚。有一次我聽一個宗教演講家講英國，他是一個有學問有才智的人，數說著英國的科學家，文藝家和政治家，莎士比亞，倍根，克倫威爾，密爾頓，牛頓和別個，跟著就說起英國的基督教英雄來了，好像他的職業一定要求他這樣說似的，他把這些英雄提高到所有其他人物之上，稱之為偉大人物中的尤偉大者。他們便是潘恩，霍華德，福萊夫人。人人都一定會覺得他在胡說八道。最后三人并不是最好的英國人，也許他們只能算作英國最好的慈善家。

　　我并不要從慈善應得的贊美中減去什么，我只要求公平，對一切有利于人類的生命與工作應一視同仁。我不以為一個人的正直和慈善是主要的價值，它們不過是他的枝枝葉葉。那種枝葉，褪去了葉綠素，做成了藥茶給病人喝，就是它有了一些卑微的用處，多數是走四方的郎中用它們。我要的是人中的花朵和果實；讓他的芬芳傳送給我，讓他的成熟的馨香在我們交接中熏陶我。他的良善不能是局部的、短暫的行為，而是常持的富足有余，他的施與于他無損，于他自己，也無所知。這是一種將萬惡隱藏起來的慈善。

　　慈善家經常記著他要用自己散發出來的那種頹唐悲戚的氣氛，來繞住人類，美其名曰同情心。我們應該傳播給人類的是我們的勇氣而不是我們的失望，是我們的健康與舒泰，而不是我們的病容，可得小心別傳染了疾病。從哪一個南方的平原上，升起了一片哀號聲？在什么緯度上，住著我們應該去播送光明的異教徒？誰是那我們應該去挽救的縱欲無度的殘暴的人？如果有人得病了，以致不能做他的事，如果他腸痛了，――這很值得同情――-他慈善家就要致力于改良――這個世界了。他是大千世界里的一個縮影，他發現，這是一個真正的發現，而且是他發現的，――世界在吃著青蘋果；在他的眼中，地球本身便是一只龐大的青蘋果，想起來這卻很可怕，人類的孩子如果在蘋果還沒有成熟的時候就去噬食它，那是很危險的；可是他那狂暴的慈善事業使他徑直去找了愛斯基摩人、巴塔哥尼亞人，還擁抱了人口眾多的印度和中國的村落；就這樣由于他幾年的慈善活動，有權有勢者還利用了他來達到他們的目的，無疑他治好了自己的消化不良癥，地球的一頰或雙頰也染上了紅暈，好像它開始成熟起來了，而生命也失去了它的粗野，再一次變得又新鮮又健康，更值得生活了。我從沒有夢見過比我自己所犯的更大的罪過。

　　我從來沒有見過，將來也不會見到一個比我自己更壞的人了。

　　我相信，使一個改良家這么悲傷的，倒不是他對苦難同胞的同情，而是，他雖然是上帝的最神圣的子孫，他卻心有內疚。讓這一點被糾正過來，讓春天向他跑來，讓黎明在他的臥榻上升起，他就會一句抱歉話不說，拋棄他那些慷慨的同伴了。我不反對抽煙的原因是我自己從來不抽煙；抽煙的人自己會償罪的；雖然有許多我自己嘗過的事物，我也能夠反對它們。如果你曾經上當做過慈善家，別讓你的左手知道你的右手做了什么事，因為這本不值得知道的。救起淹在水里的人，系上你的鞋帶。你還是去舒舒服服地從事一些自由的勞動吧。

　　我們的風度，因為和圣者交游，所以被敗壞了。我們的贊美詩中響起了詛咒上帝的旋律，永遠是在忍受他。可以說，便是先知和救主，也只能安慰人的恐懼而不能肯定人的希望。哪兒也沒有對人生表示簡單熱烈的滿意的記載，哪兒也找不到任何贊美上帝的使人難忘的記載。，一切健康、成就，使我高興，盡管它遙遠而不可及；一切疾病、失敗使我悲傷，引起惡果，盡管它如何同情我，或我如何同情它。所以，如果我們要真的用印第安式的、植物的、磁力的或自然的方式來恢復人類，首先讓我們簡單而安寧，如同大自然一樣，逐去我們眉頭上垂掛的烏云，在我們的精髓中注入一點兒小小的生命。

　　不做窮苦人的先知，努力做值得生活在世界上的一個人。

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