Do not be scared by the word authorithy. Believing things on ly means believing them because you have been told them by someone you think trustworthy. Ninety-nine per cent of the things you believe are believed on authorithy. I believe there is such a place as New York. I have not seen it myself. I could not prove by abstract reasoning that there must be such a place. I believe it because reliable people have told me so. THe ordinary man believes in the Solar System, atoms, evolution, and the ciculation of the blood on authority- because the scientists say so. Every historical statement in the world is believed on authority. None of us has seen the Norman Conquest or the defeat of the Armada. None of us could prove them by pure logic as you prove a thing in mathematics. We believe them simply because people who did see them have left writings that tell us about them: in fact, on authorithy. A man who jibbed at authorithy in other things as some people do in relifion would have to be content to know nothing all his life.

树的自白

冬天过后，我发觉我的根似乎出乎意外的坚固； 我舒展一下我的枝条， 我不禁惊讶：我终于又度过一个冬天了！我似乎听到小麻雀的和应：“你度过冬天了。”忽然！我发觉树枝上仅有嫩芽生长出来了！此际， 连微风也像发出声音应和着。春雨打下来的时候，我仿佛听到：“你度过冬天了，你成长了。”我从心底里肯定的说：“我成长了！”

这时，太阳忽然从乌云中出现，它说：“你度过冬天，并且成长，应为你是被爱护的。” 我望着太阳，感受到丝丝暖意，但我知道我内心地感受是矛盾的；我终于鼓起勇气说：“我需要你的时候， 你在那里呢？”话一出口，我的眼泪便不禁夺眶而出，我说：“你离开这么久，难道你不知道我在寂寞、冰冷的黑暗中吗？我在此挂念你，你却不在。”太阳只有重复着那句话：“你度过冬天了，你成长了，你是被深爱着的。”太阳见我仍然不解的站在那里，乃说：“你难道不知道我不在时，寒风使你的身躯更强壮吗？就算在最寒冷的日子，我仍住在你里面吗？就是你身体内没有冰冻的那一角，你知道吗？其实，在你未感受到这春天的暖意时，我已使你自由，使你成长；这种改变在生命的深处成形，以至成熟，虽然你不知道！”