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The same lethargy, I am afraid, characterizes the use of all our faculties and senses. Only the deaf appreciate hearing, only the blind realize the manifold blessings that lie in sight. Particularly does this observation apply to those who have lost sight and hearing in adult life.But those who have never suffered impairment of sight or hearing seldom make the fullest use of these blessed faculties. Their eyes and ears take in all sights and sounds hazily, without concentration, and with little appreciation. It is the same old story of not being grateful for what we have until we lose it, of not being conscious of health until we are ill.
同樣的沒精打采恐怕也代表了我們使用所有官能與感官的特點。只有聾子才珍惜聽覺， 只有盲人才意識到視覺所蘊涵的多種幸福。這一說法尤其適用于那些成年之后才喪失視覺和聽覺的人。但那些視覺或聽覺從未遭受過傷害的人卻很少最充分地利用這些天賜的官能。他們的眼睛和耳朵模模糊糊地接受所有的景象和聲音，漫不經心，毫不在意。這正像老話所說的，直到失去了我們所有的東西我們才會感激上帝的恩賜，直到病魔纏身我們才意識到健康的重要。
I have often thought it would be a blessing if each human being were stricken blind and deaffor a few days at some time during his early adult life. Darkness would make him more appreciative of sight, silence would tech him the joys of sound.
我常想,如果每個人在其成年之初的某個時刻突然失明失聰幾天，那倒是一件幸事。黑暗將使他更加珍惜視力，沉寂將教給他聲音的歡樂。
Now and then I have tested my seeing friends to discover what they see. Recently I was visited by a very good friends who had just returned from a long walk in the woods, and I asked her what she had observed. "Nothing in particular,"she replied. I might have been incredulous had I not been accustomed to such reposes, for long ago I became convinced that the seeing see little.
我不時地測試我的看得見的朋友們，想發現他們看到些什么。最近，一個很要好的朋友來看我，她剛從樹林里長時間漫步回來，我便問她看到些什么。“沒什么特別的，”她回答說。要不是我對這種回答已經習以為常，我也許難以相信，事實上我早已確信，有視覺的人幾乎看不到什么東西。
