「兒女經」本事

　　顏興堂白天在報舘工作，晚上撰寫小説，筆耕所入，僅夠一家温飽，他有子女七人，要則終日忙碌，對於子女的教育，不無疏忽。

　　大女兒大明，敏慧逾人而性情好動，就讀某校初中。這是一所貴族學校，大明家境消寒，常受同學輩岐視。同學中很多以脚踏車代步的，大明頗為羡慕。

　　次子二毛，喜歡拆修機械，門鎖常被拆壞。三女三毛，肥頭胖耳，好吃零食。四子四牛，性近野蠻，好勇喜鬥。五子虎兜，性好美術，東塗西抹，壁畫琳琅。六子龍兒，終日嬉戲，惹人喜爱。最小的女兒叫客滿，尚在牙牙學語，哺乳期内。

　　家裡有了這麽個性不同的七個孩子，其喧嘩嘈雜，可想而知，興堂夫婦倆，對之束手無策。

　　大明向同學買一輛舊脚踏車，他爸爸因為手頭拮据而拒絕了。大明感到失望，又怕同學們取笑，不敢去校，逃學幾天，終因學校查問而被他父母發覺了。

　　興堂有個出版商朋友，姓張，孩子們都叫他張叔叔，常見興堂為兒女頑皮所苦，很想為其分勞。這一天來顏家，知道大明為了脚踏車而逃學，認為大明的環境不合理想，主張掉換一家訓教嚴明的學校，興堂怕多事，僅對大明加以訓斥，親送至校。大明到校後，果然被同學譏笑，恨恨囘家。二毛問明原因，知道對門小女友陳露西有脚踏車，就去向她商借。

　　陳露西的父母對此獨生女溺愛異常，養成露西種種不良習慣，加以陳氏夫婦倆的生活奢逸，把露西薰陶成為小婦人型，對二毛頗有愛意。二毛向他借車，立卽允可。

　　次日，大明駛車到校，一伸委屈，不料同學向她挑戰賽車，大明求勝心切，車竟被毁。二毛自告奮勇，貿然修理，愈弄愈壞，不得已求諸修理匠，需費三十元，向父母索款，興堂祇得給了。

　　不想這時四牛與鄰居打鬥，傷額昏厥，須送醫院，興堂無款，大明把三十元還給父親，而修車匠來要修費，幸虧張叔叔來了，替她解决了這件困難。

　　興堂也漸漸覺得孩子非加以管束不可了，可是一經訓斥，個個失去活潑，鬱鬱寡歡。放任了呢，又是家翻宅亂，弄得左右為難，那一天張叔叔來和興堂夫婦商討了整個下午，被一羣孩子們聽到了，深深受了感動。

　　大明聽從張叔叔的意思，改入别校，果因教師同學們的互相勸勉，漸改前非，返家後又教育弟妹，利用各人的優點，引導發揮，率領弟妹們幫助母親理家，或作有益的游戲，張叔叔在旁指導，頓時把一所嘈雜的家，整理得井井有條。興堂的生產加多，生活也就安定了。

　　爸爸的生辰，孩子們把節省下來的糖菓費，集起來買了一枝筆，作為壽禮。他們歌唱着，為父母祝福，為自己的前程鼓勵。

　　一條光明的大道，呈現在每個人的面前。

“AREN'T THE KIDS LOVELY?”

THE STORY

Writer Yen had a crowd of seven children. Dah - ming, the eldest daughter, was clever and active. As she watched her schoolmates riding bicycles to school and back to their homes each day, she wished very much she could also have one herself.

The second, R-mao (Little Puss), a boy enjoyed dismantling and repairs; the third, San - mao (Baby Puss), a fat girl loved candies most; the fourth, Sze - nui (Baby Buffalo), a boy liked fist fights; and the fifth, Fu-r (Baby Tiger), a boy preferred drawing on walls to any other games. Lung-r (Baby Dragon), a boy, an all-time smiling and lovely creature, ranked the sixth, and the last was a girl too, K-moen (Full House) still a baby under nuring.

Amid such a noisy and fussy pack of children, the parents indeed were having a terrible time.

One day Dah-ming tried to ask her father to buy her an used cycle from her schoolmate but without success. For fear of being laughted at by her schoolmates, she was absent from school for three days until the school authority wrote to Yen questioning about her.

When Yen’s publisher friend Uncle Chang, as the kids called him, learned about it, his advice was to transfer Dah-ming to a better school. But Yen would not stand the trouble, and shortly after giving his daughter some discipline, he sent her back to her school.

Dah-ming was unhappy all day long. In order to boost her spirit, R-mao borrowed for her a bicycle from his playmate Lucille.

Unfortunately Dah-ming wrecked the bicycle during race with her schoolmates. R-mao tried to fix it but only made it worse. In despair, they solicited the help of repair shop at a charge of thirty dollars.

They got the money from their father to pay for the charge. But Dah-ming had to give back to her father at the moment she learned of Sze-nui being wounded in street fight and her father needed the money to pay Sze-mui’s hospital fee.

Uncle Chang came just in time to their relief by paying for them the repair charge. In the hospital Chang also found Sze-nui recovering. Chang proposed again for Dah-ming’s transfer to a better school and was finally accepted by the father.

With the help of good schooling and encouragement, Dah-ming became a changed character. After school, she would now teach the youngsters how to read, to play and to keep the house clean and in order. It meant a sweeping change of the familly’s atmosphere from distress into homeliness.

On Mr. Yen’s birthday, the children presented to their father a fountain pen as the gift which was bought with their savings. They sang happily both for the parents and their own brilliant future.

「兒女經」本事

　　顏興堂白天在報舘工作，晚上撰寫小説，筆耕所入，僅夠一家温飽，他有子女七人，要則終日忙碌，對於子女的教育，不無疏忽。

　　大女兒大明，敏慧逾人而性情好動，就讀某校初中。這是一所貴族學校，大明家境消寒，常受同學輩岐視。同學中很多以脚踏車代步的，大明頗為羡慕。

　　次子二毛，喜歡拆修機械，門鎖常被拆壞。三女三毛，肥頭胖耳，好吃零食。四子四牛，性近野蠻，好勇喜鬥。五子虎兜，性好美術，東塗西抹，壁畫琳琅。六子龍兒，終日嬉戲，惹人喜爱。最小的女兒叫客滿，尚在牙牙學語，哺乳期内。

　　家裡有了這麽個性不同的七個孩子，其喧嘩嘈雜，可想而知，興堂夫婦倆，對之束手無策。

　　大明向同學買一輛舊脚踏車，他爸爸因為手頭拮据而拒絕了。大明感到失望，又怕同學們取笑，不敢去校，逃學幾天，終因學校查問而被他父母發覺了。

　　興堂有個出版商朋友，姓張，孩子們都叫他張叔叔，常見興堂為兒女頑皮所苦，很想為其分勞。這一天來顏家，知道大明為了脚踏車而逃學，認為大明的環境不合理想，主張掉換一家訓教嚴明的學校，興堂怕多事，僅對大明加以訓斥，親送至校。大明到校後，果然被同學譏笑，恨恨囘家。二毛問明原因，知道對門小女友陳露西有脚踏車，就去向她商借。

　　陳露西的父母對此獨生女溺愛異常，養成露西種種不良習慣，加以陳氏夫婦倆的生活奢逸，把露西薰陶成為小婦人型，對二毛頗有愛意。二毛向他借車，立卽允可。

　　次日，大明駛車到校，一伸委屈，不料同學向她挑戰賽車，大明求勝心切，車竟被毁。二毛自告奮勇，貿然修理，愈弄愈壞，不得已求諸修理匠，需費三十元，向父母索款，興堂祇得給了。

　　不想這時四牛與鄰居打鬥，傷額昏厥，須送醫院，興堂無款，大明把三十元還給父親，而修車匠來要修費，幸虧張叔叔來了，替她解决了這件困難。

　　興堂也漸漸覺得孩子非加以管束不可了，可是一經訓斥，個個失去活潑，鬱鬱寡歡。放任了呢，又是家翻宅亂，弄得左右為難，那一天張叔叔來和興堂夫婦商討了整個下午，被一羣孩子們聽到了，深深受了感動。

　　大明聽從張叔叔的意思，改入别校，果因教師同學們的互相勸勉，漸改前非，返家後又教育弟妹，利用各人的優點，引導發揮，率領弟妹們幫助母親理家，或作有益的游戲，張叔叔在旁指導，頓時把一所嘈雜的家，整理得井井有條。興堂的生產加多，生活也就安定了。

　　爸爸的生辰，孩子們把節省下來的糖菓費，集起來買了一枝筆，作為壽禮。他們歌唱着，為父母祝福，為自己的前程鼓勵。

　　一條光明的大道，呈現在每個人的面前。

“AREN'T THE KIDS LOVELY?”

THE STORY

Writer Yen had a crowd of seven children. Dah - ming, the eldest daughter, was clever and active. As she watched her schoolmates riding bicycles to school and back to their homes each day, she wished very much she could also have one herself.

The second, R-mao (Little Puss), a boy enjoyed dismantling and repairs; the third, San - mao (Baby Puss), a fat girl loved candies most; the fourth, Sze - nui (Baby Buffalo), a boy liked fist fights; and the fifth, Fu-r (Baby Tiger), a boy preferred drawing on walls to any other games. Lung-r (Baby Dragon), a boy, an all-time smiling and lovely creature, ranked the sixth, and the last was a girl too, K-moen (Full House) still a baby under nuring.

Amid such a noisy and fussy pack of children, the parents indeed were having a terrible time.

One day Dah-ming tried to ask her father to buy her an used cycle from her schoolmate but without success. For fear of being laughted at by her schoolmates, she was absent from school for three days until the school authority wrote to Yen questioning about her.

When Yen’s publisher friend Uncle Chang, as the kids called him, learned about it, his advice was to transfer Dah-ming to a better school. But Yen would not stand the trouble, and shortly after giving his daughter some discipline, he sent her back to her school.

Dah-ming was unhappy all day long. In order to boost her spirit, R-mao borrowed for her a bicycle from his playmate Lucille.

Unfortunately Dah-ming wrecked the bicycle during race with her schoolmates. R-mao tried to fix it but only made it worse. In despair, they solicited the help of repair shop at a charge of thirty dollars.

They got the money from their father to pay for the charge. But Dah-ming had to give back to her father at the moment she learned of Sze-nui being wounded in street fight and her father needed the money to pay Sze-mui’s hospital fee.

Uncle Chang came just in time to their relief by paying for them the repair charge. In the hospital Chang also found Sze-nui recovering. Chang proposed again for Dah-ming’s transfer to a better school and was finally accepted by the father.

With the help of good schooling and encouragement, Dah-ming became a changed character. After school, she would now teach the youngsters how to read, to play and to keep the house clean and in order. It meant a sweeping change of the familly’s atmosphere from distress into homeliness.

On Mr. Yen’s birthday, the children presented to their father a fountain pen as the gift which was bought with their savings. They sang happily both for the parents and their own brilliant future.