诚实的林肯
We celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s birthday (February 12)，and we should. Lincoln was one of the few great men who were really great. Before he became president，Lincoln spent twenty years as an unsuccessful Illinois lawyer - at least he was unsuccessful in financial terms. But when you measure the good he did，he was very rich indeed. Legends are often untrue，but Lincoln was the real thing. George Washington never chopped down a cherry tree，but Abraham Lincoln was honest. During his years as a lawyer，there were hundreds of documented examples of his honesty and decency.
每年二月十二日，我们都会纪念亚伯拉罕·林肯的诞辰。我们应该这么做，因为林肯是少数真正的伟人中的一员。当总统之前，林肯在伊利诺州作了二十年并不成功的律师--至少从财务的角度来说，他这个律师是不成功的。但是如果计算他的善行，他则是非常富有的。传说往往并不确切，但关于林肯的传说是真的。乔治·华盛顿不曾砍倒一棵樱桃树，但是亚伯拉罕·林肯是一个诚实的人。在他做律师的期间，有案可查的关于他诚实和正派的例子有成百上千。
For example，Lincoln didn’t like to charge people much who were as poor as he was. Once a man sent him twenty？鄄five dollars，but Lincoln sent him back ten of it，saying he was being too generous.
He was known at times to convince his clients to settle their issue out of court，saving them a lot of money，and earning himself nothing.
例如，林肯不愿意向像他一样穷的人多收钱。一次一个人付给他二十五美元，但林肯说他太慷慨了，又找回了他十美元。
他经常会说服他的客户在庭外和解，这样能为他们省不少钱，可是林肯自己却一无所获。
An old woman in dire poverty，the widow of a Revolutionary soldier，was charged $200 for getting her $400 pension. Lincoln sued the pension agent and won the case for the old woman. He didn’t charge her for his services and，in fact，paid her hotel bill and gave her money to buy a ticket home！
一个极其贫穷的革命军人的遗孀必须支付200美元才能领取400美元的养老金。林肯控告了养老金代理人，为老妇人打赢了官司。他没有收她一分钱，事实上，他还为她付了酒店的住宿费和回家的车票钱！
He and his associate once prevented a con man from gaining possession of a tract of land owned by a mentally？鄄ill girl. The case took fifteen minutes. Lincoln’s associate came to divide up their fee，but Lincoln reprimanded him. His associate argued that the girl’s brother had agreed on the fee ahead of time，and he was completely satisfied.
"That may be，"said Lincoln，‘but I am not satisfied. That money comes out of the pocket of a poor，demented girl； and I would rather starve than swindle her in this manner. You return half the money at least，or I’ll not take a cent of it as my share."
他和他的合伙人曾经阻止了一个骗子从一个精神不正常的女孩那里骗走一大片土地。这个案子的审判花了十五分钟。结束后，林肯的合伙人准备均分这笔诉讼费，但是林肯批评了他。合伙人争辩说女孩的兄弟提前就答应了，而且他对结果很满意。
"也许是这样。"林肯说，"但我不满意。我宁可饿死，也不会从那个可怜的女孩那拿钱。你至少要把一半钱的钱返还给她，要不然我那份我一分钱也不拿。"
He was a fool，perhaps，by certain standards. He didn’t have much，and it was his own fault. But he was a good human being by anyone’s standards and I’m glad we celebrate his birthday.
Honesty makes you feel good about yourself and creates trust in others. It improves your relationship with yourself and with others. It’s not much in fashion these days to talk about the benefits of honesty and decency，but the benefits are there and they are valuable and worth the trouble.
以某种标准来看，他也许很傻。他没发财，这是他自己的问题。但是以任何人的标准来说，他都是一个好人。我很高兴我们纪念他的诞辰。
诚实使你对自己满意并信赖他人。它改善你和自己以及他人的关系。现在谈论诚实和正派的好处似乎不合时宜，但是这好处是确实存在的，而且值得为此承担麻烦。
Lincoln didn’t talk much about religion，even with his best friends，and he didn’t belong to any church. But he once confided to a friend that his religious code was the same as an old man he knew in Indiana，who said，"When I do good，I feel good； and when I do bad，I feel bad. That’s my religion."
Honesty. It may be corny，but it’s the finest force for good in the world，and it always will be.
甚至和他最好的朋友，林肯也很少谈论宗教。他不属于任何教会。但是他曾经向朋友吐露说，他的宗教法则和一个印地安那州的老人一样。老人说："做好事时，我感觉快乐。做坏事时，我觉得难受。这就是我的宗教。"
诚实，可能是个土气的字眼，但它是拯救世界的最美好的力量，而且永远如此。
人和小猴
Once upon a time，a man was passing through a jungle. He saw a monkey and was attracted to it. He called the monkey and to his surprise，the monkey came near him.
The man told the monkey that it was his ancestor and so they should cultivate friendship. With different kinds of gestures，he was able to establish friendship with it.
从前，一个人经过一片丛林。他看见一只猴子并被它吸引。他叫那只猴子，出乎他的意料，猴子真地来到他身边。
男人告诉猴子它是他的祖先，因此他们应该建立友谊。通过不同的手势，他真地和它建立了友谊。
The man was just trying to kill time using the monkey as company while crossing the jungle.
Suddenly unexpectedly，a lion roared fiercely and pounced in front of them. They scarcely had time to escape. The monkey ran and the man followed suit. They found a very huge tree and soon climbed it. Though they were breathless，they did not stop until they climbed to a safe height.
男人希望在穿越丛林时有猴子作伴解闷。
突然，一只狮子咆哮着扑到他们面前。他们几乎没时间逃跑。猴子在前面跑，男人在后面紧紧跟随。他们发现一棵大树并很快爬了上去。虽然上气不接下气，但他们还是一鼓作气爬到了安全的高度。
The lion continued to prowl here and there，hoping to catch them when they climbed down. The lion was angry and hungry and awaiting his prey. It finally sat down under the tree.
The man was clinging to one of the strong branches，while the monkey was sitting on a branch with ease，as if nothing had happened.
After a prolonged wait，the lion lost patience and proposed to let one of them go if the other was offered to him as "food".
狮子继续四处徘徊，希望在他们下树时抓住他们。狮子又气又饿地等着它的猎物。最后，它索性在树下坐了下来。
男人紧紧抱住一根最大的树枝，而猴子则若无其事地坐在另外一根树枝上。
等了很久之后，狮子等得不耐烦了。它提出如果他们中的一个给它当"食物"的话，另一个可以离开。
The man and the monkey consulted each other. They even offered to sacrifice their lives for each other，but ultimately concluded that they would live and die together.
The lion was disappointed，but not dissuaded. He continued his vigil. Nevertheless，the wait on the tree proved a testing time for both the monkey and the man.
They were feeling drowsy. They were both faced with the danger of falling down while dozing on the tree. Ultimately they decided to take turns to sleep.
男人和猴子商量了一下，他们表示为了对方愿意牺牲自己的生命，不过最后他们决定同生共死。
狮子很失望，但是它不想放弃。他继续守在树下。这对于猴子和男人来说都是一个考验。
他们觉得昏昏欲睡。在树上打瞌睡的话，他们有可能会掉下去。最后他们决定轮流睡觉。
The monkey would sit wide？鄄awake while the man slept and the man would keep vigil while the monkey had his share of sleep.
As decided，it was the man’s turn to sleep first，while the monkey kept guard. The monkey slept in the other half of the night，while the man held fort.
When the monkey was fast asleep，the man started contem？鄄
plating. He thought that if he pushed away the sleeping monkey，the lion，as promised，would allow him to go.
Immediately，he translated his thoughts into action. The monkey was in deep slumber. The man pushed it down.
男人睡觉的时候，猴子就保持着清醒。而当猴子睡觉的时候，男人就去守夜。
就像他们商量好的那样，男人首先睡觉，而猴子负责警戒。下半夜，猴子睡了，由男人负责警戒。
看到猴子睡得很熟，男人开始寻思。他想如果把睡着的猴子推下去，狮子会遵守诺言，让他平安离去。
他立刻把想法付诸行动。猴子睡得很沉。男人把它推了下去。
As the monkey was accustomed to such things，it immediately caught hold of the branches halfway and was back to its place in a moment.
Without uttering a single word，it went back to sleep as if nothing had happened. In the morning，the monkey led the man to safety. The lion was still on prowl under the tree.
When they reached the safer place，the monkey made a special request to the man. "Please do not allege that monkeys are ancestors of mankind."
Man without humanity is inferior to animals.
猴子习惯于在树上睡觉，他在半空中抓住一个树枝，很快回到原来的地方。
猴子一言不发地又睡着了，好像什么也没发生过一样。在早晨，猴子把男人领到安全的地方。狮子仍然在树下徘徊。
当他们到达安全的地方时，猴子对男人提出一个特别要求："请不要再说猴子是人类的祖先了。"
没有人性的人还不如一只动物。
The last supper
最后的晚餐
Leonardo Da Vinci，a noted Italian artist painted the Last Supper； and the time engaged for it’s completion was seven years. The figures representing the twelve Apostles and Christ himself were painted from living persons. The life？鄄model for the painting of the figure of Jesus was chosen first. When it was decided that Da Vinci would paint this great picture，hundreds and hundreds of young men were carefully viewed in an endeavor to find a face and personality exhibiting innocence and beauty，free from the scars and signs of dissipation caused by sin.
意大利著名画家达芬奇创作了《最后的晚餐》。这幅画花了他七年时间。十二位门徒和基督的形象都取材于真人。最先挑选的是耶稣的模特。成百上千的青年男子被仔细审视，达芬奇希望找到一个纯洁美丽、没有放荡痕迹的面庞和性格的人。
Finally，after weeks of laborious search，a young man at the age of nineteen，was selected as a model for the portrayal of Christ. For six months Da Vinci worked on the production of this leading character of his famous painting.
During the next six years Da Vinci continued his labors on this sublime work of art. One by one fitting persons were chosen to represent each of the eleven Apostles，space being left for the painting of the figure representing Judas Iscariot as the final task of this masterpiece. This was the Apostle，you remember，who betrayed his Lord for thirty pieces of silver，worth in our present-day currency $16.96.
在艰苦搜寻了数个星期后，一名十九岁青年男子被选定为基督的模特。达芬奇花了六个月时间画这幅画的第一主角。
在以后的六年里达芬奇全身心投入这个伟大的艺术作品创作中。十一位门徒的模特都找到了，只要把出卖耶稣的叛徒犹大再画上去，整幅杰作就完成了。犹大就是那个为了三十个银币出卖了耶稣的门徒，三十银币相当于今天的16.96美元。
For weeks Da Vinci searched for a man with a hard，callous face，with a countenance marked by scars of avarice，deceit，hypocrisy，and crime，a face that would delineate a character who would betray his best friend.
After many discouraging experiences in search for the type of person required to represent Judas，word came to Da Vinci that a man whose appearance fully met his requirements had been found in a dungeon in Rome. He was sentenced to death for a life of crime and murder.
达芬奇花了几个星期寻找一张被贪财、欺骗、伪善和罪恶所笼罩的冷酷无情的脸，这张脸的主人会背叛他最好的朋友。
经历了多次失败后，有人告诉达芬奇在罗马地牢里的一个犯人其外表完全符合要求，他因为谋杀等罪行而被判处死刑。
Da Vinci made the trip to Rome at once，and this man was brought out from his imprisonment in the dungeon and led out into the light of the sun. There Da Vinci saw before him a dark，swarthy man. His long shaggy and unkempt hair sprawled over his face，which betrayed a character of viciousness and complete ruin. At last the famous painter had found the person he wanted to represent the character of Judas in his painting.
达芬奇立刻动身前往罗马。这个男人被从地牢中提上来。达芬奇看到了一个黑黝黝的男人，蓬乱的头发遮住了脸，显现出邪恶和彻底的堕落。最后，画家终于发现了符合犹大形象的模特。
By special permission from the king，this prisoner was carried to Milan where the picture was being painted. For months he sat before Da Vinci in appointed hours each day as the gifted artist diligently continued his task of transmitting，to his painting，this base character representing the traitor and betrayer of our Savior. As he finished his last stroke，he turned to the guards and said，"I have finished. You may take the prisoner away."
在国王的特许下，这个囚犯被带到了米兰的画室。天才的艺术家每天花几个小时按照犯人的形象绘制背叛救世主的叛徒犹大。他画完最后一笔后，对守卫说："我已经画完了。把囚犯带走吧。"
As the guards were leading their prisoner away，he suddenly broke loose from their control and rushed up to Da Vinci，crying as he did so，"Oh，Da Vinci，look at me！ Don’t you know who I am？"
Da Vinci，with the trained eyes，carefully scrutinized the man upon whose face he had constantly gazed for six months and replied，"No，I have never seen you in my life until you were brought before me out of the dungeon in Rome."
警卫正押着囚犯离开时，囚犯突然挣脱出来跑到达芬奇面前喊道："达芬奇，看看我！你不认识我了吗？"
达芬奇用他那画家的眼睛仔细审视这张他注视了六个月之久的脸后，回答道："不，在你被从罗马的地牢中带来前，我从未见过你。"
Then，lifting his eyes toward heaven，the prisoner said，"Oh，God，have I fallen so low？"Then turning his face to the painter，he cried，"Leonardo Da Vinci！ Look at me again，for I am the same man you painted just seven years ago as the figure of Christ."
This is the true story of the painting of The Last Supper. It teaches so strongly the lesson of the effects of right or wrong thinking on the life of an individual. Here was a young man whose character was so pure，unspoiled by the sins of the world，that he represented a countenance of innocence and beauty fit to be used for the painting of a representation of Christ.
囚犯抬头望向天空说："哦，上帝，难道我已如此堕落？"然后他把脸转向画家，喊道："达芬奇，我就是七年前为你作基督模特的那个人。"
这是一个关于《最后的晚餐》的真实故事。它告诉我们善与恶的思想将对人产生多么巨大的影响。一个如此单纯、远离罪恶玷污的青年男子，他的面容甚至可以表现基督。
But within seven years，following the thoughts of sin and a life of crime，he was changed into a perfect picture of the most traitorous character ever known in the history of the world.
但是七年时间的邪恶想法和罪恶生活把他变成了历史上最臭名昭著的叛徒的合适代表。
超速
Jack took a long look at his speedometer before slowing down： 73 in a 55 zone. Fourth time in as many months. How could a guy get caught so often？
When his car had slowed to 10 miles an hour，Jack pulled over，but only partially. Let the cop worry about the potential traffic hazard. Maybe some other car will tweak his backside with a mirror. The cop was stepping out of his car，the big pad in hand.
杰克在减速之前仔细看了看速度表：在限速55英里的路段他开了73英里。好几个月里的第四次。一个人怎么可能被抓到这么多次？
当他减速到时速10英里的时候，杰克把车靠向路边，但并未紧贴路边。让警察为潜在的交通危险担忧去吧。也许哪辆汽车会用镜子碰他的车尾。警官手里拿着大本子正走下警车。
Bob？ Bob from Church？ This was worse than the coming ticket. A cop catching a guy from his own church. A guy who happened to be a little eager to get home after a long day at the office. A guy whom he was about to play golf with tomorrow.
Jumping out of the car，he approached the man he saw every Sunday，the man he’d never seen in uniform.
"Hi，Bob. Fancy meeting you like this."
鲍伯？同一个教会的鲍伯？这比被罚款还要糟糕。警察抓住自己同一个教堂的教友。一个上了一天班后有点着急回家的人。一个明天一块打高尔夫球的人。
杰克下了车，朝那个每周日都遇见的人走去，只是从没见过他穿制服的样子。
"嗨，鲍伯。没想到在这遇见你。"
"Hello，Jack."No smile.
"Guess you caught me red-handed in a rush to see my wife and kids."
"Yeah，I guess."Bob seemed uncertain. Good. "I’ve seen some long days at the office lately. I’m afraid I bent the rules a bit - just this once."
Jack toed at a pebble on the pavement. "Diane said something about roast beef and potatoes tonight. Know what I mean？"
"你好！杰克。"鲍伯没有一丝笑意。
"我急着去看老婆孩子，没想到被你抓个正着。"
"是呀。看来如此。"鲍伯似乎不太确定。好。
"我最近下班很晚。恐怕我是有点违章了--下不为例。"
杰克用脚踢着边道上的小石头。"黛安说今晚有烤牛肉和马铃薯。你知道我的意思吧？"
"I know what you mean. I also know that you have a reputation in our precinct."Ouch. This was not going in the right direction. Time to change tactics.
"What did you clock me at？"
"70. Would you sit back in your car，please？"
"Now wait a minute here，Bob. I checked as soon as I saw you. I was barely nudging 65."The lie seemed to come easier with every ticket.
"我明白你意思。我也知道你在我们教会里算个名人。"不好。这么下去不行。得改变战术。
"我的速度你测的是多少？"
"70。请坐着别动。"
"等一下，鲍伯。一看见你我就减速了。我看我的时速也就是不到65。"为了不受罚，人们很容易说点谎话。
"Please，Jack，in the car."
The minutes ticked by. Bob scribbled away on the pad.
Why hadn’t he asked for a driver’s license？
Whatever the reason，it would be a month of Sundays before Jack ever sat near this cop again. A tap on the door jerked his head to the left. There was Bob，a folded paper in hand. Jack rolled down the window a mere two inches，just enough room for Bob to pass him the paper.
"拜托，杰克，待在汽车里别动。"
时间一点一点过去了。鲍伯在本子上飞快地写着。
为什么他不要我的驾照呢？
不管怎样，以后的几周里杰克在教堂里是不会在和警察先生坐在一起了。拍门的声音让杰克转过头来。是鲍伯，手里拿着一张叠起来的纸。杰克把窗户摇下两英寸，刚够鲍伯把纸片递给他。
"Thanks."Jack could not quite keep the sneer out of his voice.
Bob returned to his police car without a word. Jack watched his retreat in the mirror. Jack unfolded the sheet of paper. How much was this one going to cost？
Wait a minute. What was this？ Some kind of joke？
Certainly not a ticket. Jack began to read：
"多谢了。"杰克讽刺地说。
鲍伯一言不发地走回警车。杰克在反光镜里看着他离开，他打开那张纸，看看究竟罚了多少钱。
等一下。这是什么？开玩笑吗？
肯定不是罚款单。杰克读到：
Dear Jack，
Once upon a time，I had a daughter. She was six when she was killed by a car. You guessed it - a speeding driver. A fine and three months in jail，and the man was free. Free to hug his daughters，all three of them. I had only one，and I’m going to have to wait until I got to Heaven to hug her again.
亲爱的杰克：
从前，我有了女儿。六岁时被汽车撞死了。你猜对了--就是一个超速的司机。罚了款，蹲了三个月监狱，肇事司机被释放了。他可以随便去抱他的三个女儿了。我只有一个女儿，现在我只能等着去天堂抱她了。
A thousand times I’ve tried to forgive that man. A thousand times I thought I had. Maybe I did，but I need to do it again. Even now. Pray for me. And be careful，Jack，my son is all I have left.
Bob
Jack turned around in time to see Bob’s car pulled away and headed down the road. Jack watched until it disappeared. A full 15 minutes later，he too，pulled away and drove slowly home，praying for forgiveness and hugging a surprised wife and kids when he arrived.
我已经尝试了一千次去原谅那个男人。我觉得已经有一千次了。不过我还得努力，甚至现在。为我祈祷吧。可是小心点，杰克，我就剩下一个儿子了。
鲍伯
杰克回过头来正好看见鲍伯的汽车离开。杰克看着他直到他消失在视线中。整整15分钟之后，他一边祈祷宽恕一边慢慢开车回家。一进家门，他就紧紧抱住他的老婆和孩子。
你能面对他们吗
Forty three years seems like a long time to remember the name of a mere acquaintance. I have duly forgotten the name of an old lady who was a customer on my paper route when I was a twelve？鄄year？鄄old boy in Marinette，Wisconsin back in 1954. Yet it seems like just yesterday that she taught me a lesson in forgiveness that I can only hope to pass on to someone else someday.
对于要记住一个熟人的名字而言， 43年的时间实在是有点太漫长了。我也忘记了那位老太太的名字。1954年，当时我是威斯康星州马里内特的一个12岁的送报男孩，她是我的一个主顾。仿佛就在昨天她给我上了一堂有关宽恕的课。希望有一天我能把这个启示传给他人。
On a Saturday afternoon，a friend and I were throwing rocks onto the roof of the old lady’s house from a secluded spot in her backyard. The object of our play was to observe how the rocks changed to missiles as they rolled to the roof’s edge and shot out into the yard. I found myself a perfectly smooth rock and sent it for a ride. The stone was too smooth，however，so it slipped from my hand as I let it go and headed straight for a small window on the old lady’s back porch. At the sound of fractured glass，we took off from the old lady’s yard faster than any of our missiles flew off her roof.
一个星期六的下午，我和我的一个朋友站在这个老太太家的后院里向她的屋顶扔石头。我们玩这个游戏是想看看石头从屋顶的边缘滚下，飞射进院子里。我找到了一块非常光滑的石头，把它扔了出去。但是，这块石头实在是太滑了，它从我手里滑脱了，飞向老太太家后门廊上的一扇小窗户。听到玻璃破碎的声音，我们飞快地从老太太家的院子逃跑了，速度比我们飞射的任何一块石头还快。
I was too scared about getting caught that first night to be concerned about the old lady with the broken porch window. However，a few days later，when I was sure that I hadn’t been discovered，I started to feel guilty for her misfortune. She still greeted me with a smile each day when I gave her the paper，but I was no longer able to feel comfortable in her presence. I made up my mind that I would save my paper delivery money，and in three weeks I had the seven dollars that I calculated would cover the cost of her window. I put the money in an envelope with a note explaining that I was sorry for breaking her window and hoped that the seven dollars would cover the cost for repairing it.
当天晚上我一直在担心自己闯的祸败露，根本没有心思去想老太太门廊的窗玻璃碎了怎么办。然而，几天后，当我确信没人发现我时，我开始为带给她的麻烦而内疚。每天当我递给她报纸时，她依然微笑着向我打招呼，但在她面前，我却感到如芒刺在背。我下决心把送报纸的收入节省下来。三个星期后，我存了7美元，我算计着用这些钱可以赔她的窗户了。我把钱放进一个信封，附了一张便条，对自己打碎她的窗玻璃向她道歉，希望这7美元能赔上修理窗户的费用。
I waited until it was dark，snuck up to the old lady’s house，and put the envelope of retribution through the letter slot in her door. My soul felt redeemed and I couldn’t wait for the freedom of，once again，looking straight into the old lady’s eyes.
The next day，I handed the old lady her paper and was able to return the warm smile that I was receiving from her. She thanked me for the paper and said，"Here，I have something for you."It was a bag of cookies. I thanked her and proceeded to eat the cookies as I continued my route. After several cookies，I felt an envelope and pulled it out of the bag. When I opened the envelope，I was stunned. Inside was the seven dollars and a short note that said，"I’m proud of you."
一直等到天黑后，我悄悄溜到老太太的房前，把装着7美元的信封通过信槽塞进她家的大门里。我如释重负。我迫切地盼望着在能心安理得地直视她的眼睛。
第二天，我递给老太太报纸时，对她的微笑我也报以一笑。她道谢后说："来，我有东西给你。"她给了我一袋点心。我谢过她，然后在路上开始吃起来。吃了几块点心之后，我忽然摸到了一个信封。我把它从袋子里拿了出来，当我打开信封时，我惊呆了。里面是7美元和一张便条，便条上写着："我为你骄傲。"
