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CHAPTER 20—As the Twig is Bent
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I knew, in my youth, a French village far up among the Cevennes Mountains, where the one cultivated man of the place, saddened by the unlovely lives of the peasants around him and by the bare walls of the village school, organized evening classes for the boys. During these informal hours, he talked to them of literature and art and showed them his prints and paintings. When the youths’ interest was aroused he lent them books, that they might read about the statues and buildings that had attracted their attention. At first it appeared a hopeless task to arouse any interest among these peasants in subjects not bearing on their abject1 lives. To talk with boys of the ideal, when their poor bodies were in need of food and raiment, seemed superfluous2; but in time the charm worked, as it always will. The beautiful appealed to their simple natures, elevating and refining them, and opening before their eager eyes perspectives of undreamed-of interest. The self-imposed task became a delight as his pupils’ minds responded to his efforts. Although death soon ended his useful life, the seed planted grew and bore fruit in many humble3 homes.
At this moment I know men in several walks of life who revere4 with touching5 devotion the memory of the one human being who had brought to them, at the moment when they were most impressionable, the gracious message that existence was not merely a struggle for bread. The boys he had gathered around him realize now that the encouragement and incentive6 received from those evening glimpses of noble works existing in the world was the mainspring of their subsequent development and a source of infinite pleasure through all succeeding years.
This reference to an individual effort toward cultivating the poor has been made because other delicate spirits are attempting some such task in our city, where quite as much as in the French village schoolchildren stand in need of some message of beauty in addition to the instruction they receive,—some window opened for them, as it were, upon the fields of art, that their eyes when raised from study or play may rest on objects more inspiring than blank walls and the graceless surroundings of street or schoolroom.
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1
abject
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adj.极可怜的,卑屈的 | |
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2
superfluous
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adj.过多的,过剩的,多余的 | |
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humble
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adj.谦卑的,恭顺的;地位低下的;v.降低,贬低 | |
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4
revere
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vt.尊崇,崇敬,敬畏 | |
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touching
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adj.动人的,使人感伤的 | |
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incentive
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n.刺激;动力;鼓励;诱因;动机 | |
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7
graceful
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adj.优美的,优雅的;得体的 | |
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harmonious
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adj.和睦的,调和的,和谐的,协调的 | |
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deplore
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vt.哀叹,对...深感遗憾 | |
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10
adorn
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vt.使美化,装饰 | |
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adornment
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n.装饰;装饰品 | |
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incapable
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adj.无能力的,不能做某事的 | |
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appreciation
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n.评价;欣赏;感谢;领会,理解;价格上涨 | |
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chambers
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n.房间( chamber的名词复数 );(议会的)议院;卧室;会议厅 | |
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belongings
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n.私人物品,私人财物 | |
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longing
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n.(for)渴望 | |
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astonishment
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n.惊奇,惊异 | |
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laborious
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adj.吃力的,努力的,不流畅 | |
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ardor
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n.热情,狂热 | |
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admiration
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n.钦佩,赞美,羡慕 | |
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hideous
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adj.丑陋的,可憎的,可怕的,恐怖的 | |
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artistically
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adv.艺术性地 | |
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artistic
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adj.艺术(家)的,美术(家)的;善于艺术创作的 | |
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severely
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adv.严格地;严厉地;非常恶劣地 | |
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entirely
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ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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exquisite
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adj.精美的;敏锐的;剧烈的,感觉强烈的 | |
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tint
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n.淡色,浅色;染发剂;vt.着以淡淡的颜色 | |
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transformation
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n.变化;改造;转变 | |
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judiciously
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adv.明断地,明智而审慎地 | |
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expended
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v.花费( expend的过去式和过去分词 );使用(钱等)做某事;用光;耗尽 | |
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refinement
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n.文雅;高尚;精美;精制;精炼 | |
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dreariest
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使人闷闷不乐或沮丧的( dreary的最高级 ); 阴沉的; 令人厌烦的; 单调的 | |
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colonnade
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n.柱廊 | |
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quay
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n.码头,靠岸处 | |
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instinctively
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adv.本能地 | |
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entails
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使…成为必要( entail的第三人称单数 ); 需要; 限定继承; 使必需 | |
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perilous
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adj.危险的,冒险的 | |
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disaffected
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adj.(政治上)不满的,叛离的 | |
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enjoyment
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n.乐趣;享有;享用 | |
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cramped
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a.狭窄的 | |
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innate
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adj.天生的,固有的,天赋的 | |
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bust
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vt.打破;vi.爆裂;n.半身像;胸部 | |
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counterfeit
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vt.伪造,仿造;adj.伪造的,假冒的 | |
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imbibing
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v.吸收( imbibe的现在分词 );喝;吸取;吸气 | |
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labors
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v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 );苦干;详细分析;(指引擎)缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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lighter
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n.打火机,点火器;驳船;v.用驳船运送;light的比较级 | |
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domed
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adj. 圆屋顶的, 半球形的, 拱曲的 动词dome的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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mosques
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清真寺; 伊斯兰教寺院,清真寺; 清真寺,伊斯兰教寺院( mosque的名词复数 ) | |
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