事业 · 创业者自述
P.T. 巴纳姆:奋斗与胜利·补录 643
P.T. 巴纳姆《奋斗与胜利》· Struggles and Triumphs · 领导
The only safe inhabitants of a free country are educated citizens who vote. The gentleman from Milford lives near the old Washington toll-bridge, which spans the Housatonic River, and he doubtless remembers, as I do, when the Boston and New York stages crossed that bridge, and the coachman would always denounce the “infernal bridge monopoly” which compelled him to pay a dollar every time the stage crossed. The passengers would generally laugh and say: “Let him pay, it’s nothing to us; we are only passengers.” Some twenty years ago, one of the gentlemen accustomed to travel in that stage, was crossing the Atlantic in a steamship. At the hour of midnight, when nearly all were wrapt in sleep, the fearful cry of “fire” rang through the ship. There were the poor passengers, threatened by the devouring element, and only a plank between them and death. Our passenger, not half awake, rubbed his eyes and probably fancying he was in the old stage-coach, cried out: “Fire away, I am only a passenger!” Fortunately, it was a false alarm; but when the gentleman was wide awake, he discovered that there could be no disinterested passengers on board a burning ship.
出处:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50115
定位:Additional excerpt 643 · 核对日期:2026-10-19 · 核验:短摘录
白话
巴纳姆讲了个故事:以前坐驿车过桥,车夫骂桥垄断收费,乘客却笑说“让他付,我们只是乘客”。后来这人坐船,半夜有人喊“失火”,他半梦半醒还嘟囔“烧吧,我只是乘客”。幸好是虚惊,但他醒后明白:船着火时,没有谁只是乘客。巴纳姆借此说:自由国家里唯一安全的居民,是受教育且投票的公民。不参与的人以为事不关己,真到危机时谁也逃不掉。所以别做旁观者,要受教育、要投票、要担起责任。
上下文
巴纳姆在议会用驿车和轮船的轶事,说明公民不能对公共事务袖手旁观。
今日一问
你有没有在某个共同体里抱着“我只是乘客”的心态,直到危机来临才发现逃不掉?
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