LESSON 130

CHARACTER OF WASHINGTON

华盛顿的性格

Jared Sparks, 1789-1866, was born at Willington, Connecticut, and graduated at Harvard in 1815. He was tutor in the University for two years, and in 1819 was ordained pastor of the Unitarian Church in Baltimore. In 1823 he returned to Boston, purchased the “North American Review,” and was its sole editor for seven years. From 1839 to 1849 he was Professor in Harvard, and for the next three years was President of the University. Mr. Sparks has written extensively on American history and biography, including the lives of Washington and Franklin. He collected the materials for his biographies with great care, and wrought them up with much skill.

The person of Washington was commanding, graceful, and fitly proportioned; his stature six feet, his chest broad and full, his limbs long and somewhat slender, but well-shaped and muscular. His features were regular and symmetrical, his eyes of a light blue color, and his whole countenance, in its quiet state, was grave, placid, and benignant. When alone, or not engaged in conversation, he appeared sedate and thoughtful; but when his attention was excited, his eye kindled quickly, and his face beamed with animation and intelligence.

He was not fluent in speech, but what he said was apposite, and listened to with the more interest as being known to come from the heart. He seldom attempted sallies of wit or humor, but no man received more pleasure from an exhibition of them by others; and, although contented in seclusion, he sought his chief happiness in society, and participated with delight in all its rational and innocent amusements. Without austerity on the one hand, or an appearance of condescending familiarity on the other, he was affable, courteous, and cheerful; but it has often been remarked that there was a dignity in his person and manner not easy to be defined, which impressed everyone that saw him for the first time with an instinctive deference and awe. This may have arisen, in part, from a conviction of his superiority, as well as from the effect produced by his external form and deportment.

The character of his mind was unfolded in the public and private acts of his life; and the proofs of his greatness are seen almost as much in the one as the other. The same qualities which raised him to the ascendency he possessed over the will of a nation, as the commander of armies and chief magistrate, caused him to be loved and respected as an individual. Wisdom, judgment, prudence, and firmness were his predominant traits. No man ever saw more clearly the relative importance of things and actions, or divested himself more entirely of the bias of personal interest, partiality, and prejudice, in discriminating between the true and the false, the right and the wrong, in all questions and subjects that were presented to him. He deliberated slowly, but decided surely; and when his decision was once formed he seldom reversed it, and never relaxed from the execution of a measure till it was completed. Courage, physical and moral, was a part of his nature; and, whether in battle, or in the midst of popular excitement, he was fearless of danger, and regardless of consequences to himself.

His ambition was of that noble kind which aims to excel in whatever it undertakes, and to acquire a power over the hearts of men by promoting their happiness and winning their affections. Sensitive to the approbation of others, and solicitous to deserve it, he made no concessions to gain their applause, either by flattering their vanity or yielding to their caprices. Cautious without timidity, bold without rashness, cool in counsel, deliberate but firm in action, clear in foresight, patient under reverses, steady, persevering, and self-possessed, he met and conquered every obstacle that obstructed his path to honor, renown and success. More confident in the uprightness of his intention than in his resources, he sought knowledge and advice from other men. He chose his counselors with unerring sagacity; and his quick perception of the soundness of an opinion, and of the strong points in an argument, enabled him to draw to his aid the best fruits of their talents, and the light of their collected wisdom.

His moral qualities were in perfect harmony with those of his intellect. Duty was the ruling principle of his conduct; and the rare endowments of his understanding were not more constantly tasked to devise the best methods of effecting an object, than they were to guard the sanctity of conscience. No instance can be adduced in which he was actuated by a sinister motive or endeavored to attain an end by unworthy means. Truth, integrity, and justice were deeply rooted in his mind; and nothing could rouse his indignation so soon, or so utterly destroy his confidence, as the discovery of the want of these virtues in anyone whom he had trusted. Weaknesses, follies, indiscretions he could forgive; but subterfuge and dishonesty he never forgot, rarely pardoned.

He was candid and sincere, true to his friends, and faithful to all; neither practicing dissimulation, descending to artifice, nor holding out expectations which he did not intend should be realized. His passions were strong, and sometimes they broke out with vehemence: but he had the power of checking them in an instant. Perhaps self-control was the most remarkable trait of his character. It was, in part, the effect of discipline; yet he seems by nature to have possessed this power in a degree which has been denied to other men.

A Christian in faith and practice, he was habitually devout. His reverence for religion is seen in his example, his public communications, and his private writings. He uniformly ascribed his successes to the beneficent agency of the Supreme Being. Charitable and humane, he was liberal to the poor, and kind to those in distress. As a husband, son, and brother, he was tender and affectionate. Without vanity, ostentation, or pride, he never spoke of himself or his actions unless required by circumstances which concerned the public interests.

As he was free from envy, so he had the good fortune to escape the envy of others by standing on an elevation which none could hope to attain. If he had one passion more strong than another it was love of his country. The purity and ardor of his patriotism were commensurate with the greatness of its object. Love of country in him was invested with the sacred obligation of a duty; and from the faithful discharge of this duty he never swerved for a moment, either in thought or deed, through the whole period of his eventful career.

Such are some of the traits in the character of Washington, which have acquired for him the love and veneration of mankind. If they are not marked with the brilliancy, extravagance, and eccentricity, which, in other men, have excited the astonishment of the world, so neither are they tarnished by the follies, nor disgraced by the crimes of those men. It is the happy combination of rare talents and qualities, the harmonious union of the intellectual and moral powers, rather than the dazzling splendor of any one trait, which constitute the grandeur of his character. If the title of great man ought to be reserved for him who can not be charged with an indiscretion or a vice; who spent his life in establishing the independence, the glory, and durable prosperity of his country; who succeeded in all that he undertook; and whose successes were never won at the expense of honor, justice, integrity, or by the sacrifice of a single principle,—this title will not be denied to Washington.

How sweetly on the ear such echoes sound!

While the mere victors may appall or stun

The servile and the vain, such names will be

A watchword till the future shall be free.

(Byron)

【中文阅读】

华盛顿这个人神情威严，举止优雅，身体匀称；他身高六英尺，肩宽背厚，四肢修长，虽然有点纤细，但形态优美，肌肉壮硕。他五官匀称，淡绿色的双眸，在平静状态时他面容严肃，安详和蔼。当他独处或与人交谈时，总是沉着坚定，若有所思；但是当他的注意力被调动起来时，他目光很快迸射出火焰，脸上绽出生气和智慧。

他不是一位口若悬河的人，但是他的话贴切中肯，他的兴趣更多表现在倾听上，发自内心。他很少试图说些俏皮话或表现出幽默，不过没有人会从别人对他们说的俏皮话或幽默中感受到更多的快乐。尽管满足于自己与世隔绝，但他力图在社会中寻找他最重要的幸福，因此所有理性和无伤大雅的娱乐他都欣然参加。他没有一方面严格要求自己，一方面故意装出一副和蔼可亲的样子，他平易近人，彬彬有礼而又令人不胜愉快。人们经常注意到，在他的举止仪态中有一种不容易明确解释的高贵，这使得每个与他初次接触的人都会留下一种本能的敬重和敬畏的印象。之所以有这种印象，部分原因在于认为他有优越感，以及由他外在的仪态和举止所产生的影响。

他的才智特征从他在公开和私下里的行为可见一斑。关于他伟大人格的证据几乎见诸于方方面面。他具有建立一个国家的宏愿与将他推向权势顶峰，以及作为军队统帅和首领皆源于同样的品质，这些品质使他作为一个个体受到爱戴和尊敬。睿智、出色的判断力、富有远见和坚毅是他占主导地位的性格特征。没有谁会更明确地发现这些事情和行为的相对重要性了，或者就呈现给他的所有问题和话题，在真实和虚假、正确和错误之间更彻底地抛弃个人成见、偏袒和偏见。他虽然再三权衡，一旦做出判断就果敢地下决心。而他的决定一旦形成，很少会更改，绝对不会懈怠，直到最终完成。勇气，不论身体上的还是道德上，都是他本性的一个组成部分。不论在战场上还是置身于兴高采烈的人群中，对危险他无所畏惧，不管会对他造成何等后果。

他的抱负是旨在超越本身承担的任何使命所赋予的那种高尚的雄心，通过增进人们的幸福和赢得他们的爱，来得到征服他们内心的力量。他对别人的赞扬很敏感，渴望自己配得上这样的赞扬，他不会单纯为了赢得人们的掌声而妥协，既不会因图虚荣而受谄媚的蛊惑，也不放任他们的任性。小心谨慎而不怯懦，勇敢而不鲁莽，在考虑时冷静处之，待采取行动时则从容不迫和果敢坚定，在预见时保持清晰的头脑，遇到挫折时则耐心反思、稳定、坚忍和自信。横亘在他通向荣誉、名望和成功道路上的每一个障碍，他遇到后都会一一克服。他对自己目标的正当性要比这些目标产生的根源抱有更大的信心，他征求别人的意见，并努力从别人身上学习长处。他凭借准确无误的判断挑选自己的顾问，对一种意见的正当性以及一项论证的重点具有敏锐的觉察能力，使他能从助手的才智中汲取最好的结果。

他的道德品质与他的智慧体现出的品质完美地融合到一起。责任是他行为的最高原则。与捍卫良心的圣洁相比，他罕见的理解力不经常承担设想出对一个目标施加影响的最善的方法这种任务。没有这种可以推断出他被邪恶的动机或者通过卑鄙的手段达到某一目的所驱使的例子。真理、正直和正义深深扎根于他的内心；没有什么能如此快地激起他的愤怒，或者彻底摧毁他的信心，我们发现他信任的人身上倒是往往缺乏这些优点。怯懦、愚蠢和举止言行轻率是可以原谅的，但是为逃脱责备与困难而耍伎俩和不诚实，他绝不会忘记，也很少原谅。

他是光明磊落和真诚的人，对朋友真心实意，忠实于所有人。他既不会刻意掩饰和假装镇静，也不会坚持不切实际的期望。他的感情是强烈的，有时候会猛烈地爆发出来。不过，他有在片刻间便抑制住这些感情的能力。也许自制力是他性格中最突出的特征。这一部分是训练产生的效果。然而，他似乎天生就有其他人所摒弃的这种影响力。

不论信仰还是实际情形，他都是一位虔诚的基督徒。他对宗教的尊敬见之于他的事例，他的公开表述以及私下的文字中。他始终如一地将自己的成功归于上帝仁慈的代理人。他对穷人慷慨施舍和施以仁爱，善待处境艰难的人。作为丈夫、儿子和兄弟，他和蔼并充满爱心，他的言谈举止中绝无虚荣、盛气凌人或者傲慢，除非与大众利益息息相关，否则他绝不会谈自己。

正因为他摆脱了妒忌——这种低级趣味，于是他很幸运地摆脱了其他人的妒忌，这些人站在没有谁有希望达到的高度上。如果说他有一种比别人更强烈的激情的话，那就是对他的祖国的爱。他的爱国精神中的纯粹性和狂热与目标的伟大是相称的。他身上体现出的对国家的爱赋予一种责任以神圣的使命感，他一刻也不会改变对这种责任的忠实履行。要么在思想上要么在行为上，这种责任会贯穿他的整个生涯。

上面提到的是华盛顿性格中的一些特征，正是这些特征为他赢得了世人的爱和敬仰。如果这些性格特征不是光芒四射，而是像其他人身上体现出的令世人惊愕不已的言行放纵和反复无常，那么这些性格特征要么会被愚蠢的行为所玷污，要么会为那些人的罪恶蒙受耻辱。在华盛顿身上体现出的是罕见的才能和品质的完美结合，是智慧与道德感染力的和谐统一，而不是其中任何一种构成他伟大人格的具体特征发出炫目的光芒。如果伟人这个称号应该留给不会被指责为举止轻率或道德败坏的人，留给将自己的一生都用在争取自己国家独立、荣耀和持久繁荣这一伟大事业的人，留给完成了自己担负的所有使命的人，留给他的成功决不以牺牲荣誉、正义、正直或牺牲某一原则为代价的人的话——那么，这个称号不会拒绝华盛顿。

耳畔的回音多么美妙！

只不过胜利者会令人屈从恐惧

令虚荣一场空

这样的名声将成为在将来流行的口号。

（拜伦）