“Man even surpasses all the lower order of animals in hiscapacity for being trained. Mohammedans are trained to pray five times a daywith their faces turned towards Mecca;and they do it regularly. Christians are trained to make the sign of the Crosson certain occasions, and to bow, and so forth; so that religion on the wholeis a real masterpiece of training—that is to say, it trains people what theyare to think; and the training, as is well known, There is no absurdity, howeverpalpable it may be, which may not be fixed in the minds of all men, if it isinculcated before they are six years old by continual and earnest repetition.For it is the same with men as with animals, to train them with perfect successone must begin when they are very young.”
啊哈! 不出所料: “cannotbegin too early.”
此句应该理解为: “It can not be too early tobegin the training.” Or “the training begins the earlier the better.”
读来,觉得“这种训练是不能太早开始的.”与前后文有矛盾。觉得应该是“这种训练越早开始越好”的意思。
于是有网上找来英文翻译来读:
“Man even surpasses all the lower order of animals in hiscapacity for being trained. Mohammedans are trained to pray five times a daywith their faces turned towards Mecca;and they do it regularly. Christians are trained to make the sign of the Crosson certain occasions, and to bow, and so forth; so that religion on the wholeis a real masterpiece of training—that is to say, it trains people what theyare to think; and the training, as is well known, There is no absurdity, howeverpalpable it may be, which may not be fixed in the minds of all men, if it isinculcated before they are six years old by continual and earnest repetition.For it is the same with men as with animals, to train them with perfect successone must begin when they are very young.”
啊哈! 不出所料: “cannotbegin too early.”
此句应该理解为: “It can not be too early tobegin the training.” Or “the training begins the earlier the better.”