To many men Dr. Zhou is a stern master at school and a beloved friend in life. It seems that his strict discipline of the students in school has laid the foundation of a friendship with them which becomes more and more enriched later in life. At school he was shunned and avoided; today he is much sought after. From his personality radiates a warmth which is not often known among the closest of friends.
He loves drinking and enjoys wine tremendously. But he would not drink alone. Nowadays it is bad for his health if he should drink, but when he sits down at a table and enjoys the company, to the four winds with the doctor’s order. He would drain his cup with you one after another while telling you that he knows he is going to have a bad headache all the next day. So he goes along. He has a headache every day and he has his drinks with his friends every evening. He likes wine and enjoys comradeship.
But life is not worth anything if he is not kept busy. From morning till night he toils and works on some scheme which will meet a social need or solve a social problem. He may talk to you as if he were a pessimist beyond redemption, but his own activities are always prompted by unblenching idealism. As a matter of fact, he is today a hard worker who does not get paid for it. In Peiping or in Shanghai he is the most effective public citizen wherever he is found. He cannot be said to be rich or even well-to-do, but he is most lavish in digging into his own pocket in order to induce a millionaire to make a contribution to a worthy cause.
Proud as a Lucifer, he never tolerates an act which injures his dignity. Such as insult he would not take even from his closest friend. He is humble in admitting his own mistakes when his attention is directed to them in a friendly way, but even in his fifties he would have none of the foolishness which hurts his pride.
He is wiser today through his many disappointments. But where he excels others whom we revere is that he has regained his romanticism in life through his disillusions. In other words, he has got hold of what may be called the “secondwind” and the strength of his personality is irresistible.作者: tt0yy 时间: 2008-9-18 17:17
