事业 · 创业者自述
P.T. 巴纳姆：奋斗与胜利·补录 157
P.T. 巴纳姆《奋斗与胜利》· Struggles and Triumphs · 领导
In November, 1842, I was in Albany on business, and as the Hudson River was frozen over, I returned to New York by the Housatonic Railroad, stopping one night at Bridgeport, Connecticut, with my brother, Philo F. Barnum, who at that time kept the Franklin Hotel. I had heard of a remarkably small child in Bridgeport, and, at my request, my brother brought him to the hotel. He was not two feet high; he weighed less than sixteen pounds, and was the smallest child I ever saw that could walk alone; but he was a perfectly formed, bright-eyed little fellow, with light hair and ruddy cheeks and he enjoyed the best of health. He was exceedingly bashful, but after some coaxing he was induced to talk with me, and he told me that he was the son of Sherwood E. Stratton, and that his own name was Charles S. Stratton. After seeing him and talking with him, I at once determined to secure his services from his parents and to exhibit him in public.
出处：
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50115
定位：Additional excerpt 157 · 核对日期：2026-10-19 · 核验：短摘录
白话
1842年11月，巴纳姆在奥尔巴尼出差，因哈德逊河结冰，改乘铁路回纽约，在康涅狄格州桥港的哥哥旅馆住了一晚。他听说有个特别小的孩子，就让哥哥带来。这孩子不到两英尺高，不到十六磅，是他见过能独走的最小孩子，但体型匀称、眼睛明亮、头发浅、脸颊红润，非常健康。孩子很害羞，哄了一会儿才说话，说自己叫查尔斯·S·斯特拉顿，父亲是舍伍德·E·斯特拉顿。巴纳姆一见就决定签下他并公开展示。核心是：机会常出现在意外停留中，关键是有发现和行动的敏锐。做法：保持好奇，主动打听；亲自观察验证；看准后迅速决策。
上下文
巴纳姆在自传中讲述1842年因河冻改道，偶然发现后来著名的“拇指汤姆”查尔斯·斯特拉顿的经过。
今日一问
你最近一次“意外停留”中，有没有错过一个值得主动打听的机会？
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