LETTING THINGS ALONE

 There are times, said Eb Hopkins, when you want to Let Things Alone, and then again there are times when you want to Meddle¹.

 

I lean mostly to lettin’ ’em alone, myself.

 

As I git older I notice that most things sorta cure ’emselves, if you leave ’em lay.

 

I used to butt² in frequent when young, but since I passed the draft age I kinda lost my taste for fixin’ things.

 

I suppose they’s some would call me a coward, and a sidestepper, and an opportunist, and a trimmer, and all that—I dunno—maybe I am—but I’ve had my eye on old Mr. Time for lo, these many years, and I’ve 132 observed that, as a mender of bones, hearts, political differences, and religious quarrels, he is like A. Ward’s kangaroo, “seldom ekaled and never surpassed.”

 

The way to teach a boy how to swim is to throw him into the water and go away. Then he has to learn, right off.

 

There was old man Eustis and his wife, over Sanford way, that had no end o’ trouble over their boy. They was always workin’ with him and lecturin’ him and rasslin’ in prayer over him, and he was just carousin’ and actin’ up like all the time; till the old folks up and died, and then they was nobody cared a whoop³ for the boy, whether he hung hisself or not, and he had the first good spell o’ lettin’ alone he’d ever had in his life, and he just turned right around and straightened up and now he owns a bank, and is deacon in the church, and everything.

 

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Of course, you can’t always let things alone, but in case of doubt it’s trumps⁴.

 

As I read history, it seems to me that Lettin’ Folks Alone has been the secret of the success of the English-speakin’ peoples. Gov’ment Control of everything from wheat-cakes to railroads may be comin’, and it may be best, but I’m personally a leetle skittish⁵ of it.

 

The English race’s idea of Law and Gov’ment is to have as leetle of ’em as possible. The German idea is to have everything and everybody regulated, down to drawin’ their breath. And they’re tryin’ it out now, to see which idea will whip.

 

The Almighty⁶ does a heap o’ Lettin’ Folks Alone. Anybody can go to the dogs that wants to. The gates of the Bad Place are open day and night. It looks to me very much as if what saves a man must come 134 from the inside of him, and if he ain’t got nothin’ inside that will rouse up and save him, he ain’t worth savin’, and Nature is anxious to shovel⁷ him out in the discard just as soon as possible.

 

So I says, Let ’em Alone. The good ones’ll come to the top, and the bad ones will drown, and they’ll make fertilizer, and p’raps that’s what they’re intended for.

 

Thus spake Eb Hopkins.

1 meddle   

v.干预，干涉，插手

参考例句：

• I hope he doesn't try to meddle in my affairs.我希望他不来干预我的事情。
• Do not meddle in things that do not concern you.别参与和自己无关的事。

2 butt   

n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶

参考例句：

• The water butt catches the overflow from this pipe.大水桶盛接管子里流出的东西。
• He was the butt of their jokes.他是他们的笑柄。

3 whoop   

n.大叫，呐喊，喘息声；v.叫喊，喘息

参考例句：

• He gave a whoop of joy when he saw his new bicycle.他看到自己的新自行车时，高兴得叫了起来。
• Everybody is planning to whoop it up this weekend.大家都打算在这个周末好好欢闹一番。

4 trumps   

abbr.trumpets 喇叭；小号；喇叭形状的东西；喇叭筒v.（牌戏）出王牌赢（一牌或一墩）( trump的过去式 )；吹号公告，吹号庆祝；吹喇叭；捏造

参考例句：

• On the day of the match the team turned up trumps. 比赛那天该队出乎意料地获得胜利。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Every time John is late getting home he trumps up some new excuse. 每次约翰晚回家都会编造个新借口。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 skittish   

adj.易激动的，轻佻的

参考例句：

• She gets very skittish when her boy-friend is around.她男朋友在场时，她就显得格外轻佻。
• I won't have my son associating with skittish girls.我不准我的儿子与轻佻的女孩交往。

6 almighty   

adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的

参考例句：

• Those rebels did not really challenge Gods almighty power.这些叛徒没有对上帝的全能力量表示怀疑。
• It's almighty cold outside.外面冷得要命。

7 shovel   

n.铁锨，铲子，一铲之量；v.铲，铲出

参考例句：

• He was working with a pick and shovel.他在用镐和铲干活。
• He seized a shovel and set to.他拿起一把铲就干上了。