I. Economy -- (3)

Most men, even in this comparatively free country, through mere ignorance and mistake, are so occupied with the factitious cares and superfluously coarse labors of life that its finer fruits cannot be plucked by them. Their fingers, from excessive toil, are too clumsy and tremble too much for that. Actually, the laboring man has not leisure for a true integrity day by day; he cannot afford to sustain the manliest relations to men; his labor would be depreciated in the market. He has no time to be anything but a machine. How can he remember well his ignorance- which his growth requires- who has so often to use his knowledge? We should feed and clothe him gratuitously sometimes, and recruit him with our cordials, before we judge of him. The finest qualities of our nature, like the bloom on fruits, can be preserved only by the most delicate handling. Yet we do not treat ourselves nor one another thus tenderly.

即使是在这个相对自由的国家，大多数人也会仅仅因无知和错误，便让无谓的忧虑和冗繁的劳役占据自己的生活，无法采集生命的美果。过度地劳作令他们的双手变得粗笨颤抖，无法采集美好果实。劳作的人们没有一丝闲暇让自己的生活变得完整，如此日复一日。他们与他人相处时不能维持刚正强毅，他们的劳动成果在市场上也因此贬值。他们只是一台机器。是啊，他们又怎会清楚地记得自己的无知呢？他们可全是靠着自己的无知活下来的，他们不是经常为此而不得不绞尽脑汁吗？但在评价他们之前，我们先要无条件地让他们吃饱穿暖，授以甘霖让他们恢复健康。人最美好的品格就像果实上的白霜，需要最精心的呵护才能得以保留。然而，不论是对自己还是他人，我们都不曾这样温柔以待。

Walden 瓦尔登湖