第一冊第19篇：選擇職業(yè)

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Hodeslea, Eastbourne, 伊斯特本，荷達斯里亞

November 5, 1892 一八九二年十一月五日

Dear Sir,

I am very sorry that the pressure of other occupations has prevented me from sending an earlier reply to your letter.

In my opinion a man’s first duty is to find a way(1) of supporting himself, thereby relieving other people of(2) the necessity of supporting him. Moreover, the learning to do work of practical value in the world, in an exact and careful manner, is of itself(3) a very important education, the effects of which make themselves felt(4) in all other pursuits. The habit of doing that which you do not care about’ when you would much rather be doing something else, is invaluable. It would have saved me a frightful waste of time if I had ever had it drilled into me in youth.(5)

Success in any scientific career requires an unusual equipment of capacity, industry, and energy. If you possess that equipment, you will find leisure enough after your daily commercial work is over, to make an opening(6) in the scientific ranks for yourself. If you do not, you had better stick to commerce. Nothing is less to be desired than the fate of a young man who, as the Scotch proverb says, in "trying to make a spoon spoils a horn,"(7) and becomes a mere hanger- on in literature or in science, when he might have been a useful and a valuable member of Society in other occupations.(8)

I think that your father ought to see this letter.

Yours faithfully,

T. H. Huxley

中文譯文：

親愛的閣下：

近來忙于各種事務(wù)，未能及早復(fù)信，深感抱歉。

依我看來，一個人的首要職責是設(shè)法自立，以免除別人對他生活的負擔。此外，學會嚴謹而審慎地從事社會上有實際價值的工作，其本身就是一種非常重要的教育，其效果必將體現(xiàn)在所有別的事業(yè)上。在你寧愿做其他事情的時候，卻仍能夠從事你不感興趣的工作，這種習慣是十分可貴的。要是我在年輕時養(yǎng)成了這種習慣，就可以避免時間上驚人的浪費。

任何科學事業(yè)上的成就，都需要具有不尋常的才能、勤勉和精力。你若具有上述資質(zhì)，你在日常商業(yè)工作之余，將有足夠的閑暇為自己在科學界覓得立足之地。你若不具有那種資質(zhì)，還是一心經(jīng)商為宜。天下最不足取的事情，莫過于一個年輕人如同蘇格蘭諺語所說的那樣，"匙子沒做成，倒毀了羊角，"成為在文學或科學領(lǐng)域里濫竽充數(shù)的食客，要是去從事其他工作的話，他或許會成為社會上有用和有價值的一員。

我認為此信應(yīng)請你父親一閱。

你的忠實的

T.H·赫胥黎

英文注釋：

(1)to find a way： 設(shè)法。

(2)relieving other people of...： 使別人免除……。relieve Sb.of sth.：free sb.from sth.

(3)of itself：本身。

(4)make themselves felt： felt是過去分詞，作賓語補語，意為"被人感覺到"，此處可解釋為"體現(xiàn)"。

(5) It would have saved...if l had ever had it drilled into me…： 過去時態(tài)虛擬語氣。第二個it指the habit。drill into：通過反復(fù)教導(dǎo)或訓(xùn)練使人學會。

(6)to make an opening：開辟一條路。

(7) trying to make a spoon spoils a horn： 原為蘇格蘭諺語："匙子做不成反而毀了做匙子的羊角"，含有兩者都落空之意。

(8)Nothing is less to be desired than…in other occupations： 這是一個比較復(fù)雜的主從復(fù)合句，主句為Nothing is less to be desired，它帶有一個比較狀語從句than the fate of a young man(is to be desired)，該從句本身又帶有一個定語從句，定語從句中who的謂語動詞是spoils和becomes，as the Scotch proverb says是插入語。when he might…為定語從句中的狀語從句，修飾becomes…