by Benjamin Franklin
The Whistle
I am charmed with your description of Paradise, and with your plan of
living there; and I approve much of your conclusion, that, in the mean
time, we should draw all the good we can from this world. In my
opinion, we might all draw more good from it than we do, and suffer
less evil, if we would take care not to give too much for whistles. For
to me it seems that most of the unhappy people we meet with are become
so by neglect of that caution.
You ask what I mean? You love stories, and will excuse my telling one of myself.
When I was a child of seven years old, my friends, on a holiday, filled
my pocket with coppers. I went directly to a shop where they sold toys
for children, and being charmed with the sound of a whistle, that I met
by the way in the hands of another boy, I voluntarily offered and gave
all my money for one. I then came home, and went whistling all over the
house, much pleased with my whistle, but disturbing all the family. My,
brothers, and sisters, and cousins, understanding the bargain I had
made, told me I had given four times as much for it as it was worth;
put me in mind what good things I might have bought with the rest of
the money; and laughed at me so much for my folly, that I cried with
vexation; and the reflection gave me more chagrin than the whistle gave
me pleasure.
This, however, was afterward of use to me, the impression continuing on
my mind; so that often, when I was tempted to buy some unnecessary
thing, I said to myself, Don't give too much for the whistle; and I
saved my money.
As I grew up, came into the world, and observed the actions of men, I
thought I met with many, very many, who gave too much for the whistle.
When I saw one too ambitious of court favor, sacrificing his time in
attendance on levees, his repose, his liberty, his virtue, and perhaps
his friends, to attain it, I have said to myself, This man gives too
much for his whistle.
When I saw another fond of popularity, constantly employing himself in
political bustles, neglecting his own affairs, and ruining them by that
neglect, He pays indeed, said I, too much for his whistle.
If I knew a miser, who gave up every, kind of comfortable living, all
the pleasure of doing good to others, all the esteem of his
fellow-citizens, and the joys of benevolent friendship, for the sake of
accumulating wealth, Poor man, said I, you pay too much for your
whistle.
When I met with a man of pleasure, sacrificing every laudable
improvement of the mind, or of his fortune, to mere corporeal
sensations, and ruining his health in their pursuit, Mistaken man, said
I, you are providing pain for yourself, instead of pleasure; you give
too much for your whistle.
If I see one fond of appearance, or fine clothes, fine houses, fine
furniture, fine equipages, all above his fortune, for which he
contracts debts, and ends his career in a prison, Alas! say I, he has
paid dear, very dear, for his whistle.
When I see a beautiful, sweet-tempered girl married to an ill- natured
brute of a husband, What a pity, say I, that she should pay so much for
a whistle.
In short, I conceive that great part of the miseries of mankind are
brought upon them by the false estimates they have made of the value of
things, and by their giving too much for their whistles.
Yet I ought to have charity for these unhappy people, when I consider
that, with all this wisdom of which I am boasting, there are certain
things in the world so tempting, for example, the apples of King John,
which happily are not to be bought; for if they were put to sale by
auction, I might very easily be led to ruin myself in the purchase, and
find that I had once more given too much for the whistle.
富兰克林的<<哨子>>
说的是人们由于对事物的价值做出错误的估价，因而为他们的“哨子”付出了太高的代价.
今天我也做了一件这样的傻事,所以转录此文,以此为戒.
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