the university of hard knocks-第3部分
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r days fill up with disappointment； their vision becomes dulled。 They become anaemic feeding upon the husks。
They just must get their coffee…pot！
How they must be bumped to think upon their ways。 Every time we do wrong we get a Needless Knock。 Every time！ We may not always get bumped on the outside； but we always get bumped on the inside。 A bump on the conscience is worse than a bump on the 〃noodle。〃
〃I can do wrong and not get bumped。 I have no feelings upon the subject；〃 somebody says； You can？ You poor old sinner； you have bumped your conscience numb。 That is why you have no feelings on the subject。 You have pounded your soul into a jelly。 You don't know how badly you are hurt。
How the old devil works day and night to keep people amused and doped so that they will not think upon their ways！ How he keeps the music and the dazzle going so they will not see they are bumping themselves！
Consider the Sticky Flypaper
Did you ever watch a fly get his Needless Knocks on the sticky flypaper？
The last thing Mamma Fly said as Johnny went off to the city was； 〃Remember； son； to stay away from the sticky flypaper。 That is where your poor dear father was lost。〃 And Johnny Fly remembers for several minutes。 But when he sees all the smart young flies of his set go over to the flypaper； he goes over； too。 He gazes down at his face in the stickiness。 〃Ah！ how pretty I am！ This sticky flypaper shows me up better than anything at home。 What a fine place to skate。 Just see how close I can fly over it and not get stuck a bit。 Mother is such a silly old worryer。 She means all right； of course； but she isn't up…to…date。 We young set of modern flies are naturally bright and have so many more advantages。 You can't catch us。 They were too strict with me back home。〃
You see Johnny fly back and forth and have the time of his naturally bright young life。 Afterwhile； tho； he stubs his toe and lands in the stickiness。 〃Well； well； how nice this is on the feet； so soft and soothing！〃
First he puts one foot down and pulls it out。 That is a lot of fun。 It shows he is not a prisoner。 He is a strong…minded fly。 He can quit it or play in it； just as he pleases。 After while he puts two feet down in the stickiness。 It is harder to pull them out。 Then he puts three down and puts down a few more trying to pull them out。
〃Really；〃 says Johnny Fly bowing to his comrades also stuck around him； 〃really； boys； you'll have to excuse me now。 Good…bye！〃 But he doesn't pull loose。 He feels tired and he sits down in the sticky flypaper。 It is a fine place to stick around。 All his young set of flies are around him。 He does like the company。 They all feel the same waythey can play in the sticky flypaper or let it alone； just as they please； for they are strong…minded flies。 They have another drink and sing； 〃We won't go home till morning。〃
Johnny may get home； but he will leave a wing or a leg。 Most of them stay。 They just settle down into the stickiness with sleeping sickness。
The tuition in The College of Needless Knocks is very high indeed！
〃Removed〃 or 〃Knocked Out〃？
The man who goes to jail ought to congratulate himself if he is guilty。 It is the man who does not get discovered who is to be pitied； for he must get some more knocks。
The world loves to write resolutions of respect。 How often we write； 〃Whereas； it has pleased an all…wise Providence to remove；〃 when we might reasonably ask whether the victim was 〃removed〃 or merely 〃knocked out。〃
There is a good deal of suicide charged up to Providence。
Chapter III
The College of Needful Knocks
The Bumps That Bump Into Us
BUT occasionally all of us get bumps that we do not bump into。 They bump into us。 They are the guideboard knocks that point us to the higher pathway。
You were bumped yesterday or years ago。 Maybe the wound has not yet healed。 Maybe you think it never will heal。 You wondered why you were bumped。 Some of you in this audience are just now wondering why。
You were doing rightdoing just the best you knew howand yet some blow came crushing upon you and gave you cruel pain。
It broke your heart。 You have had your heart broken。 I have had my heart broken more times than I care to talk about now。 Your home was darkened； your plans were wrecked； you thought you had nothing more to live for。
I am like you。 I have had more trouble than anybody else。 I have never known anyone who had not had more trouble than anyone else。
But I am discovering that life only gets good after we have been killed a few times。 Each death is a larger birth。
We all must learn； if we have not already learned； that these blows are lessons in The College of Needful Knocks。 They point upward to a higher path than we have been traveling。
In other words； we are raw material。 You know what raw material ismaterial that needs more Needful Knocks to make it more useful and valuable。
The clothing we wear； the food we eat； the house we live in； all have to have the Needful Knocks to become useful。 And so does humanity need the same preparation for greater usefulness。
I should like to know every person in this audience。 But the ones I should most appreciate knowing are the ones who have known the most of these knockswho have faced the great crises of life and have been tried in the crucibles of affliction。 For I am learning that these lives are the gold tried in the fire。
The Sorrows of the Piano
See the piano on this stage？ Good evening； Mr。 Piano。 I am glad to see you。 You are so shiny； beautiful； valuable and full of music； if properly treated。
Do you know how you got upon this stage； Mr。 Piano？ You were bumped here。 This is no reflection upon the janitor。 You became a piano by the Needful Knocks。
I can see you back in your callow beginnings； when you were just a treea tall； green tree。 You were green！ Only green things grow。 Did you get the meaning of that； children？ I hope you are green。
There you stood in the forest； a perfectly good； green young tree。 You got your lessons； combed your hair； went to Sunday school and were the best young tree you could be。
That is why you were bumpedbecause you were good！ There came a man into the woods with an ax； and he looked for the best trees there to bump。 He bumped youhit you with the ax！ How it hurt you！ And how unjust it was！ He kept on hitting you。 〃The operation was just terrible。〃 Finally you fell； crushed； broken； bleeding。
It is a very sad story。 They took you all bumped and bleeding to the sawmill and they bumped and ripped you more。 They cut you in pieces and hammered you day by day。
They did not bump the little； crooked； dissipated； cigaret…stunted trees。 They were not worth bumping。
But shake； Mr。 Piano。 That is why you are on this stage。 You were bumped here。 All the beauty； harmony and value were bumped into you。
The Sufferings of the Red Mud
One day I was up the Missabe road about a hundred miles north of Duluth； Minnesota； and came to a hole in the ground。 It was a big holeabout a half…mile of hole。 There were steam…shovels at work throwing out of that hole what I thought was red mud。
〃Kind sir； why are they throwing that red mud out of that hole？〃 I asked a native。
〃That hain't red mud。 That's iron ore； an' it's the best iron ore in the world。〃
〃What is it worth？〃
〃It hain't worth nothin' here； that's why they're movin' it away。〃
There's red mud around every community that 〃hain't worth nothin'〃 until you move itsend it to college or somewhere。
Not very long after this； near Pittsburgh； Pennsylvania； I saw some of this same red mud。 It had been moved over the Great Lakes and the rails to what they call a blast furnace； the technological name of which being The College of Needful Knocks for Red Mud。
I watched this red mud matriculate into a great hopper with limestone； charcoal and other textbooks。 Then they corked it up and school began。 They roasted it。 It is a great thing to be roasted。
When it was done roasting they stopped。 Have you noticed that they always stop when anything is done roasting？ If we are yet getting roasted； perhaps we are not done！
Then they pulled the plug out of the bottom of the college and held promotion exercises。 The red mud squirted out into the sand。 It was not red mud now； because it had been roasted。 It was a freshman pig iron； worth more than red mud； because it had been roasted。
Some of the pig iron went into another department； a big teakettle； where it was again roasted； and now it came out a sophomoresteel； worth more than pig iron。
Some of the sophomore steel went up into another grade where it was roasted yet again and rolled thin into a junior。 Some of that went on up and up； at every step getting more pounding and roasting and affliction。
It seemed as tho I could hear the suffering red mud crying out； 〃O； why did they take me away from my happy hole…in…the…ground？ Why do they pound me and break my heart？ I have been good and faithful。 O； why do they roast me？ O； I'll never get over this！〃
But after they had given it a diplomaa pricemark telling how much it had been roastedthey took it proudly all over the world； labeled 〃Made in America。〃 They hung it in show windows； they put it in glass cases。 Many people admired it and said； 〃Isn't that fine work！〃 They paid much money for it now。 They paid the most money for what had been roasted the most。
If a ton of that red mud had become watch…springs or razor…blades； the price had gone up into thousands of dollars。
My friends； you and I are the raw material； the green trees； the red mud。 The Needful Knocks are necessary to make us serviceable。
Every bump is raising our price。 Every bump is disclosing a path to a larger life。 The diamond and the chunk of soft coal are exactly the same material； say the chemists。 But the diamond has gone to The College of Needful Knocks more than has her crude sister of the coal…scuttle。
There is no human diamond that has not been crystallized in the crucibles of affliction。 There is no gold that has not been refined in the fire。
Cripple Taught by Bumps
One evening when I was trying to lecture in a chautauqua tent in Illinois； a crippled woman was wheeled into the tent and brought
