the complete writings-4-第9章

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e　they　were　not　thicker　than　the　poor　man's　plaster；　they　were　spread　so　thin　upon　the　crust　that　they　were　better　fitted　to　draw　out　hunger　than　to　satisfy　it。　They　used　to　be　made　up　by　the　great　oven…full　and　kept　in　the　dry　cellar；　where　they　hardened　and　dried　to　a　toughness　you　would　hardly　believe。　　This　was　a　long　time　ago；　and　they　make　the　pumpkin…pie　in　the　country　better　now；　or　the　race　of　boys　would　have　been　so　discouraged　that　I　think　they　would　have　stopped　coming　into　the　world。

The　truth　is；　that　boys　have　always　been　so　plenty　that　they　are　not　half　appreciated。　　We　have　shown　that　a　farm　could　not　get　along　without　them；　and　yet　their　rights　are　seldom　recognized。　　One　of　the　most　amusing　things　is　their　effort　to　acquire　personal　property。　The　boy　has　the　care　of　the　calves；　they　always　need　feeding；　or　shutting　up；　or　letting　out；　when　the　boy　wants　to　play；　there　are　those　calves　to　be　looked　after；until　he　gets　to　hate　the　name　of　calf。　　But　in　consideration　of　his　faithfulness；　two　of　them　are　given　to　him。　　There　is　no　doubt　that　they　are　his：　he　has　the　entire　charge　of　them。　　When　they　get　to　be　steers　he　spends　all　his　holidays　in　breaking　them　in　to　a　yoke。　　He　gets　them　so　broken　in　that　they　will　run　like　a　pair　of　deer　all　over　the　farm；　turning　the　yoke；　and　kicking　their　heels；　while　he　follows　in　full　chase；　shouting　the　ox　language　till　he　is　red　in　the　face。　　When　the　steers　grow　up　to　be　cattle；　a　drover　one　day　comes　along　and　takes　them　away；　and　the　boy　is　told　that　he　can　have　another　pair　of　calves；　and　so；　with　undiminished　faith；　he　goes　back　and　begins　over　again　to　make　his　fortune。　　He　owns　lambs　and　young　colts　in　the　same　way；　and　makes　just　as　much　out　of　them。

There　are　ways　in　which　the　farmer…boy　can　earn　money；　as　by　gathering　the　early　chestnuts　and　taking　them　to　the　corner　store；　or　by　finding　turkeys'　eggs　and　selling　them　to　his　mother；　and　another　way　is　to　go　without　butter　at　the　tablebut　the　money　thus　made　is　for　the　heathen。　　John　read　in　Dr。　Livingstone　that　some　of　the　tribes　in　Central　Africa　（which　is　represented　by　a　blank　spot　in　the　atlas）　use　the　butter　to　grease　their　hair；　putting　on　pounds　of　it　at　a　time；　and　he　said　he　had　rather　eat　his　butter　than　have　it　put　to　that　use；　especially　as　it　melted　away　so　fast　in　that　hot　climate。

Of　course　it　was　explained　to　John　that　the　missionaries　do　not　actually　carry　butter　to　Africa；　and　that　they　must　usually　go　without　it　themselves　there；　it　being　almost　impossible　to　make　it　good　from　the　milk　in　the　cocoanuts。　　And　it　was　further　explained　to　him　that　even　if　the　heathen　never　received　his　butter　or　the　money　for　it；　it　was　an　excellent　thing　for　a　boy　to　cultivate　the　habit　of　self…denial　and　of　benevolence；　and　if　the　heathen　never　heard　of　him；　he　would　be　blessed　for　his　generosity。　　This　was　all　true。

But　John　said　that　he　was　tired　of　supporting　the　heathen　out　of　his　butter；　and　he　wished　the　rest　of　the　family　would　also　stop　eating　butter　and　save　the　money　for　missions；　and　he　wanted　to　know　where　the　other　members　of　the　family　got　their　money　to　send　to　the　heathen；　and　his　mother　said　that　he　was　about　half　right；　and　that　self…denial　was　just　as　good　for　grown　people　as　it　was　for　little　boys　and　girls。

The　boy　is　not　always　slow　to　take　what　he　considers　his　rights。　Speaking　of　those　thin　pumpkin…pies　kept　in　the　cellar　cupboard。　　I　used　to　know　a　boy；　who　afterwards　grew　to　be　a　selectman；　and　brushed　his　hair　straight　up　like　General　Jackson；　and　went　to　the　legislature；　where　he　always　voted　against　every　measure　that　was　proposed；　in　the　most　honest　manner；　and　got　the　reputation　of　being　the　〃watch…dog　of　the　treasury。〃　　Rats　in　the　cellar　were　nothing　to　be　compared　to　this　boy　for　destructiveness　in　pies。　　He　used　to　go　down　whenever　he　could　make　an　excuse；　to　get　apples　for　the　family；　or　draw　a　mug　of　cider　for　his　dear　old　grandfather　（who　was　a　famous　story…teller　about　the　Revolutionary　War；　and　would　no　doubt　have　been　wounded　in　battle　if　he　had　not　been　as　prudent　as　he　was　patriotic）；　and　come　upstairs　with　a　tallow　candle　in　one　hand　and　the　apples　or　cider　in　the　other；　looking　as　innocent　and　as　unconscious　as　if　he　had　never　done　anything　in　his　life　except　deny　himself　butter　for　the　sake　of　the　heathen。　　And　yet　this　boy　would　have　buttoned　under　his　jacket　an　entire　round　pumpkin…pie。　　And　the　pie　was　so　well　made　and　so　dry　that　it　was　not　injured　in　the　least；　and　it　never　hurt　the　boy's　clothes　a　bit　more　than　if　it　had　been　inside　of　him　instead　of　outside；　and　this　boy　would　retire　to　a　secluded　place　and　eat　it　with　another　boy；　being　never　suspected　because　he　was　not　in　the　cellar　long　enough　to　eat　a　pie；　and　he　never　appeared　to　have　one　about　him。　　But　he　did　something　worse　than　this。　　When　his　mother　saw　that　pie　after　pie　departed；　she　told　the　family　that　she　suspected　the　hired　man；　and　the　boy　never　said　a　word；　which　was　the　meanest　kind　of　lying。　　That　hired　man　was　probably　regarded　with　suspicion　by　the　family　to　the　end　of　his　days；　and　if　he　had　been　accused　of　robbing；　they　would　have　believed　him　guilty。

I　shouldn't　wonder　if　that　selectman　occasionally　has　remorse　now　about　that　pie；　dreams；　perhaps；　that　it　is　buttoned　up　under　his　jacket　and　sticking　to　him　like　a　breastplate；　that　it　lies　upon　his　stomach　like　a　round　and　red…hot　nightmare；　eating　into　his　vitals。　Perhaps　not。　　It　is　difficult　to　say　exactly　what　was　the　sin　of　stealing　that　kind　of　pie；　especially　if　the　one　who　stole　it　ate　it。　It　could　have　been　used　for　the　game　of　pitching　quoits；　and　a　pair　of　them　would　have　made　very　fair　wheels　for　the　dog…cart。　　And　yet　it　is　probably　as　wrong　to　steal　a　thin　pie　as　a　thick　one；　and　it　made　no　difference　because　it　was　easy　to　steal　this　sort。　　Easy　stealing　is　no　better　than　easy　lying；　where　detection　of　the　lie　is　difficult。　　The　boy　who　steals　his　mother's　pies　has　no　right　to　be　surprised　when　some　other　boy　steals　his　watermelons。　　Stealing　is　like　charity　in　one　respect；it　is　apt　to　begin　at　home。




X

FIRST　EXPERIENCE　OF　THE　WORLD

If　I　were　forced　to　be　a　boy；　and　a　boy　in　the　country；the　best　kind　of　boy　to　be　in　the　summer；I　would　be　about　ten　years　of　age。　As　soon　as　I　got　any　older；　I　would　quit　it。　　The　trouble　with　a　boy　is；　that　just　as　he　begins　to　enjoy　himself　he　is　too　old；　and　has　to　be　set　to　doing　something　else。　　If　a　country　boy　were　wise；　he　would　stay　at　just　that　age　when　he　could　enjoy　himself　most；　and　have　the　least　expected　of　him　in　the　way　of　work。

Of　course　the　perfectly　good　boy　will　always　prefer　to　work　and　to　do　〃chores〃　for　his　father　and　errands　for　his　mother　and　sisters；　rather　than　enjoy　himself　in　his　own　way。　　I　never　saw　but　one　such　boy。　　He　lived　in　the　town　of　Goshen；not　the　place　where　the　butter　is　made；　but　a　much　better　Goshen　than　that。　　And　I　never　saw　him；　but　I　heard　of　him；　and　being　about　the　same　age；　as　I　supposed；　I　was　taken　once　from　Zoah；　where　I　lived；　to　Goshen　to　see　him。　　But　he　was　dead。　　He　had　been　dead　almost　a　year；　so　that　it　was　impossible　to　see　him。　　He　died　of　the　most　singular　disease：　it　was　from　not　eating　green　apples　in　the　season　of　them。　　This　boy；　whose　name　was　Solomon；　before　he　died；　would　rather　split　up　kindling…wood　for　his　mother　than　go　a…fishing；the　consequence　was；　that　he　was　kept　at　splitting　kindling…wood　and　such　work　most　of　the　time；　and　grew　a　better　and　more　useful　boy　day　by　day。　　Solomon　would　not　disobey　his　parents　and　eat　green　apples；not　even　when　they　were　ripe　enough　to　knock　off　with　a　stick；　but　he　had　such　a　longing　for　them；　that　he　pined；　and　passed　away。　　If　he　had　eaten　the　green　apples；　he　would　have　died　of　them；　probably；　so　that　his　example　is　a　difficult　one　to　follow。　　In　fact；　a　boy　is　a　hard　subject　to　get　a　moral　from。　　All　his　little　playmates　who　ate　green　apples　came　to　Solomon's　funeral；　and　were　very　sorry　for　what　they　had　done。

John　was　a　very　different　boy　from　Solomon；　not　half　so　good；　nor　half　so　dead。　　He　was　a　farmer's　boy；　as　Solomon　was；　but　he　did　not　take　so　much　interest　in　the　farm。　　If　John　could　have　had　his　way；　he　would　have　discovered　a　cave　full