事业 · 创业者自述
P.T. 巴纳姆：奋斗与胜利·补录 585
P.T. 巴纳姆《奋斗与胜利》· Struggles and Triumphs · 领导
In 1861, I learned that some fishermen at the mouth of the St. Lawrence had succeeded in capturing a living white whale, and I was also informed that a whale of this kind, if placed in a box lined with sea-weed and partially filled with salt water, could be transported by land to a considerable distance, and be kept alive. It was simply necessary that an attendant, supplied with a barrel of salt water and a sponge, should keep the mouth and blow-hole of the whale constantly moist. It seemed incredible that a living whale could be “expressed” by railroad on a five days’ journey, and although I knew nothing of the white whale or its habits, since I had never seen one, I determined to experiment in that direction. Landsman as I was, I believed that I was quite as competent as a St. Lawrence fisherman to superintend the capture and transportation of a live white whale.
出处：
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50115
定位：Additional excerpt 585 · 核对日期：2026-10-19 · 核验：短摘录
白话
1861年，巴纳姆听说圣劳伦斯河口的渔民抓到一头活白鲸，还听说只要用海藻铺箱子、装点海水，就能用火车运很远，途中让人用海绵蘸盐水保持鲸鱼嘴和呼吸孔湿润。他觉得活鲸坐五天火车不可思议，但决定试一试。他没看过白鲸，也不懂它的习性，却自信能比渔民更好地指挥捕捉和运输。这里的关键是：面对没做过的事，先判断关键条件是否可控，再大胆实验，而不是被“不可能”吓住。
上下文
巴纳姆在自传中回忆自己如何起意把活鲸鱼运到纽约展览。
今日一问
你最近有没有因为“没做过”而放弃一个可以小规模试验的想法？
公版传记；原文逐字取自 Project Gutenberg，仅摘录段落并附全书链接。
你的邮箱
只用于发送原典。不发广告，不卖名单。
本文本为公版；底本与原文链接见上。 版权