This is what I have thought, concerning the general method of educating a young gentleman; which, though I am apt to suppose may have some influence on the whole course of his education, yet I am far from imagining it contains all those particulars which his growing years, or peculiar temper, may require. But this being premised in general, we shall, in the next place, descend to a more particular consideration of the several parts of his education.
这是我能想到的关于教育一个年轻绅士的一般方法；虽然我认为这也许对他的整个教育过程有一些影响，但我远不觉得它包括了对他的成长或特殊脾气所需的所有事项。不过这只是总的前提，接下来我们要转而更仔细地考虑他的教育的几个部分。
That which every gentleman (that takes any care of his education) desires for his son, besides the estate he leaves him, is contained (I suppose) in these four things, virtue, wisdom, breeding, and learning. I will not trouble myself whether these names do not some of them sometimes stand for the same thing, or really include one another. It serves my turn here to follow the popular use of these words, which I presume is clear enough to make me be understood, and I hope there will be no difficulty to comprehend my meaning.
每个绅士 (那些关心儿子的教育的绅士)为儿子期望的，除了他留给他的产业，包括(我推测)这四种东西，美德、智慧、教养与学识。我不会麻烦自己来区分这些名目中有的是不是有时代表同样的事情，或者是不是一种真的包含另一种。这里我用这些言辞的通常用法来达到我的目的，我假设这是足够清楚能让人理解我，我希望人们不难领会我的意思。
VIRTUE | I place virtue as the first and most necessary of those endowments that belong to a man or a gentleman, as absolutely requisite to make him valued and beloved by others, acceptable or tolerable to himself. Without that, I think, he will be happy neither in this, nor the other world.
美德 | 我把美德作为一个人或绅士所应有的品质中第一位的、最必要的，他为人所看重与喜爱，为自己所接受与容忍，这都是所绝对必须的。没有美德，我认为他在今生或来世都不会幸福。
GOD | As the foundation of this, there ought very early to be imprinted on his mind a true notion of God, as of the independent Supreme Being, Author and Maker of all things, from Whom we receive all our good, Who loves us, and gives us all things. And consequent to this, instil into him a love and reverence of this Supreme Being. This is enough to begin with, without going to explain this matter any farther; for fear lest by talking too early to him of spirits, and being unseasonably forward to make him understand the incomprehensible nature of that Infinite Being, his head be either filled with false, or perplexed with unintelligible notions of Him. Let him only be told upon occasion, that God made and governs all things, hears and sees every thing, and does all manner of good to those that love and obey Him; you will find, that being told of such a God, other thoughts will be apt to rise up fast enough in his mind about Him; which, as you observe them to have any mistakes, you must set right. And I think it would be better if men generally rested in such an idea of God, without being too curious in their notions about a Being which all must acknowledge incomprehensible; whereby many, who have not strength and clearness of thought to distinguish between what they can, and what they cannot know, run themselves in superstitions or atheism, making God like themselves, or (because they cannot comprehend any thing else) none at all. And I am apt to think, the keeping children constantly morning and evening to acts of devotion to God, as to their Maker, Preserver and Benefactor, in some plain and short form of prayer, suitable to their age and capacity, will be of much more use to them in religion, knowledge, and virtue, than to distract their thoughts with curious enquiries into His inscrutable essence and being.
上帝 | 作为美德的基础，应该在他心中及早铭刻上上帝的真实概念，知道上帝是独立的至高存在，是一切事情的主宰和造物主，从神那里我们得到所有的良善，神爱我们，给我们一切；因此向他灌输对这至高存在的爱与敬畏。开始这就足够了，不必对此作进一步的解释；因为怕过早地告诉他神灵的事，不合理地超前让他理解这难以领会的无限存在的性质，反而使他脑中充满错误，或者被神费解的观念所迷惑。只在必要时告诉他上帝创造与掌管万物，听到与看见一切，给那些爱神和遵从神的人各种益处；你会发现告诉他这样一个上帝，他的心中会涌起对神的其他想法；如果看到他的想法中有任何错误，你必须加以改正。我认为最好人们普遍对上帝有这样一个认识，不要对大家认为不可理解的存在的概念太好奇；而很多人没有力量与清醒的认识来区分什么是他们能了解的，什么是他们不能了解的，因此他们自己沉迷于迷信或无神论，认为上帝就与他们自己一样，或(因为他们不能理解别的)认为没有上帝。我认为，与其让他们分心去探究上帝神妙莫测的本质与存在，不如让他们能经常早晚不断地用浅显简短的、适合他们年纪与能力的话语向上帝，他们的创造者、保守者和恩主来祷告，这在宗教、知识和美德上对他们更有益处。
SPIRITS | Having by gentle degrees, as you find him capable of it, settled such an idea of God in his mind, and taught him to pray to Him, and praise Him as the Author of his being, and of all the good he does or can enjoy; forbear any discourse of other spirits, till the mention of them coming in his way, upon occasion hereafter to be set down, and his reading the scripture-history, put him upon that enquiry.
神灵 | 当你发现他能够理解，你要逐渐在他心里奠定上帝的观念，教他向上帝祷告，赞美上帝作他本身的主宰，作他所行或所享的善的主宰；不可向他谈论任何别的神灵，除非他先提及，需要日后记下来，或者他在读圣经史的时候产生那样的疑问。
GOBLINS | But even then, and always whilst he is young, be sure to preserve his tender mind from all impressions and notions of spirits and goblins, or any fearful apprehensions in the dark. This he will be in danger of from the indiscretion of servants, whose usual method is to awe children, and keep them in subjection, by telling them of Raw-Head and Bloody-Bones, and such other names as carry with them the ideas of something terrible and hurtful, which they have reason to be afraid of when alone, especially in the dark. This must be carefully prevented: for though by this foolish way, they may keep them from little faults, yet the remedy is much worse than the disease; and there are stamped upon their imaginations ideas that follow them with terror and affrightment. Such bugbear thoughts once got into the tender minds of children, and being set on with a strong impression from the dread that accompanies such apprehensions, sink deep, and fasten themselves so as not easily, if ever, to be got out again; and whilst they are there, frequently haunt them with strange visions, making children dastards when alone, and afraid of their shadows and darkness all their lives after. I have had those complain to me, when men, who had been thus used when young; that though their reason corrected the wrong ideas they had taken in, and they were satisfied that there was no cause to fear invisible beings more in the dark than in the light, yet that these notions were apt still upon any occasion to start up first in their prepossessed fancies, and not to be removed without some pains. And to let you see how lasting and frightful images are, that take place in the mind early, I shall here tell you a pretty remarkable but true story. There was in a town in the west a man of a disturbed brain, whom the boys used to tease when he came in their way: this fellow one day seeing in the street one of those lads, that used to vex him, stepped into a cutler's shop he was near, and there seizing on a naked sword, made after the boy; who seeing him coming so armed, betook himself to his feet, and ran for his life, and by good luck had strength and heels enough to reach his father's house before the mad-man could get up to him. The door was only latched; and when he had the latch in his hand, he turned about his head, to see how near his pursuer was, who was at the entrance of the porch, with his sword up ready to strike; and he had just time to get in, and clap to the door to avoid the blow, which, though his body escaped, his mind did not. This frightening idea made so deep an impression there, that it lasted many years, if not all his life after. For, telling this story when he was a man, he said, that after that time till then, he never went in at that door (that he could remember) at any time without looking back, whatever business he had in his head, or how little soever before he came thither he thought of this mad-man.
鬼怪 | 但是尽管那样，当他年轻时，你一定要保护他幼稚的心灵不受一切神灵鬼怪的印象与想法所侵，使他在黑暗中也没有一点可怕的疑虑。这方面他会受到仆人们轻率行为的危害，他们总是用"骷髅头"与"血骨架"等等带有恐怖害人意味的名目来吓唬小孩，使他们服从，而小孩孤单一人，特别是在黑暗中，当然很容易害怕。这必须小心防范：因为虽然用这种愚蠢的方法，他们可能防止孩子的小错，但是这医药比毛病更糟糕；这给他们的想象加上恐怖惧怕的印记。这种恼人的念头一旦进入小孩幼稚的心灵，由担忧而来的惧怕使小孩产生强烈的印象，由此根深蒂固，即使想清除也不容易；而且当这种念头盘踞他们的头脑中，经常会让他们受到奇怪幻觉的困扰，他们单独一人时就懦弱胆小，他们以后终其一生都害怕自己的影子和黑暗。我遇到过一些小时候受到这种恐吓的人，他们抱怨虽然自己的理智纠正了他们曾有的错误观念，他们也明白没有理由比光明中更害怕黑暗中的看不见的东西，但是这些观念还是一有机会就引起这种有过的幻想，不费一些力气还难以清除。为使你了解这种心理早期产生的印象是何等的持久与可怕，我这里告诉你一个不寻常而又真实的故事。从前在西边的一个小镇有一个神经错乱的人，男孩们碰到他总爱戏弄他。一天这个人在街上看到一个曾经戏弄他的小孩，他就走进附近的一个刀具店，握住一把出鞘的剑，去追那个孩子；那个孩子看见他拿武器冲来，立刻拔腿就跑，赶快逃命，幸亏他力气与脚力足够强健，跑到他父亲的房前，还没有被这个疯子追上。房门只是扣上的；小孩手放在门扣上，回头看看追他的人有多近时，那人已经到了门廊的入口，正举剑要砍；他刚够时间跑进去，关门才躲开剑砍，虽然他身体逃脱了，他的精神却没有。这个可怕的念头给他极其深的印象，即使没有持续一生，但也保持了许多年。因为当他长大成人，讲述这个故事的时候，他说，那次以后直到说故事时，无论何时他走进那门(那是他记得的)，不管他头脑中想着什么事情，或者不管他一点也没想到这疯子，他总要回头看看。
If children were let alone, they would be no more afraid in the dark, than in broad sun-shine; they would in their turns as much welcome the one for sleep as the other to play in. There should be no distinction made to them by any discourse of more danger or terrible things in the one than the other: but if the folly of any one about them should do them this harm, and make them think there is any difference between being in the dark and winking, you must get it out of their minds as soon as you can; and let them know, that God, who made all things good for them, made the night that they might sleep the better and the quieter; and that they being under his protection, there is nothing in the dark to hurt them. What is to be known more of God and good spirits, is to be deferred till the time we shall hereafter mention; and of evil spirits, it will be well if you can keep him from wrong fancies about them till he is ripe for that sort of knowledge.
假如小孩不受干扰，他们在黑暗中不会比在白昼中更害怕；他们欢迎黑夜可以睡觉，正如欢迎白天可以游戏一样。他们应当不被那些关于黑夜比白天有更多危险或可怕东西的讨论所左右：但是如果他们周围的人愚蠢地使他们这样受害，让他们觉得在黑暗中与光亮中有区别，你必须尽快把这念头从他们心中去除；并且让他们知道，上帝为他们创造了一切的好东西，他创造了夜晚以便他们能有更好、更安静的睡眠；他们是在上帝的保护下，黑暗中没有什么东西会伤害他们。至于更多的了解上帝与好的神灵，那要等到我们以后再说；而对于恶神，在他成熟能理解这种知识之前，你最好不让他知道太多，以免产生错误的想象。
TRUTH | Having laid the foundations of virtue in a true notion of a God, such as the creed wisely teaches, as far as his age is capable, and by accustoming him to pray to Him; the next thing to be taken care of is to keep him exactly to speaking of truth, and by all the ways imaginable inclining him to be good-natured. Let him know that twenty faults are sooner to be forgiven than the straining of truth to cover any one by an excuse. And to teach him betimes to love and be good-natured to others, is to lay early the true foundation of an honest man; all injustice generally springing from too great love of ourselves and too little of others.
真实 | 就象教义明智教导的那样，在他年纪许可的条件下，使他习惯地向上帝祈祷，那么你就以一种关于上帝的真实观念为他的德行奠定了基础；接下来要注意的是让他完全说实话，用一切可以想到的方法使他成为一个友善的人。让他明白二十件过失都比歪曲真相、用借口掩盖过犯更容易得到原谅。你及早教他爱别人与对人和善，也就是为他成为一个诚实的人奠定了真正的基础；所有的不义一般都出于太多地爱自己，太少地爱别人。
This is all I shall say of this matter in general, and is enough for laying the first foundations of virtue in a child: as he grows up, the tendency of his natural inclination must be observed; which, as it inclines him more than is convenient on one or the other side from the right path of virtue, ought to have proper remedies applied. For few of Adam's children are so happy, as not to be born with some byass in their natural temper, which it is the business of education either to take off, or counterbalance. But to enter into particulars of this, would be beyond the design of this short treatise of education. I intend not a discourse of all the virtues and vices, how each virtue is to be attained, and every particular vice by its peculiar remedies cured: though I have mentioned some of the most ordinary faults, and the ways to be used in correcting them.
这是我就此问题大体上要说的，这足够在小孩身上打下德行的最初基础：随着他的成长，必须要注意他本性的倾向；当他的本性使他偏离了德行的正道，就应该用合适的方法加以矫治。因为没有多少亚当(Adam)的子孙会如此幸运，他们的天性生来没有一点偏差，这些偏差应该是教育的任务去消除或加以平衡的。但是要详细地讨论这一点，是超出了这篇短短的教育论文的计划范围。我并不打算讨论所有的美德与邪恶，每件美德怎样去获得，每个特别的邪恶怎样用特有方法医治；不过我已经提到一些最常见的错误，以及用来矫治它们的方法。
摘自Some Thoughts Concerning Education (English-Chinese Edition)(ISBN-10: 1537479857)
