英语励志美文精华 57

（单词翻译）

Don't Step Out of Character

BY VIRGINIA SAL!

ON A PLANE flying from Chicago to New York, my seat companion

was a young girl who gave me a friendly smile as I sat beside her, but

whose young face showed great sadness. Hesitantly, she told me she

was on her way to the funeral of her seventeen-year-old brother, had been Wiled² in Korea. She also told me that her only other relatives

were two brothers, both in the service, and that they had loss

their eldest³ brother in the war in Europe. I wanted to say something

to comfort her ... I felt so useless. ... All I could say was "I'm so sorry." And I thought, "Just what can I do to help bring order and

hope into the world today?" And the thought came to me, "I can

pray and my prayers will tune⁴ in with other sincere prayers to create

a mighty⁵ force for good and for peace in the world."

As a girl I was fortunate in having old-fashioned, religious parents

and I often think of the old hymn⁶ my good father sang so lustily as

I stood beside him in church, "I need Thee every hour As I'v

grown older my philosophy has changed in a way. I don't think of

God now as an old man with a long gray beard sitting up on a throne

I believe in a practical religion. What good is it unless I can use it that

help solve my daily problems, large or small?

I am grateful for what I consider the most worthwhile things

my life a happy marriage, a good husband, and a son and daughter

who become ininitely finer as they grow up. Success in my theatrical⁷

career has come second to these. However, no matter what my material blessings⁹ may be, I realize that my happiness must come from

within myself. I can't get back anything I don't give out. Anybody

knows a sure cure for the blues¹⁰ is to get out and do something nice for

someone else.

I have had a wonderful opportunity, on my tours with my one

woman show, to meet fine, good people in every one of the seven

hundred towns I've played. From them I know that good people predominate in every part of this country.

I love my work. I believe that laughter is a great sou! cleanser, and

I pray that my audiences may somehow be better off for having seen

my show. I believe in blessing⁸ everything and everybody along the

way. Sometimes I may have let stage fright and nerves rob me and

my audience of my best performance. I have failed if I haven't beforehand blessed everyone in my audience, everyone backstage, and,

when I'm working in television, radio or motion pictures, everyone

in the studio my fellow actors and the director and technicians. I

admire their courage, their goodhearted generous qualities.

What do I mean by "blessing"? Well, I first have a deep sense of

gratitude¹¹ to an audience, and a feeling of good will and good wishes,

so that I know there is complete harmony between them and me,

and I know they will like me because I really like them that we will

tune in together.

My late brother, the great character actor and comedian¹², Charles

"Chic¹" Sale, said to me one time we were talking about spiritual

things and about being perfect channels for expression: "The thing

to do, kiddo, is to stay in character be God's child." And I try never

to forget this. a