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This is a collection of 100 beautiful essays in English.Each essay is good for reading. I hope you will find the essays interesting and knowledge giving.
Make a schedule to read one or two essays/articles daily to keep improving your English language.
There are total 10 web pages , each containing 10 essays.You can progress on page numbers and essays by clicking from the links provided.
| Page 1 | Essays 1-10 |
| Page 2 | Essays 10-20 |
| Page 3 | Essays 21-30 |
| Page 4 | Essays 31-40 |
| Page 5 | Essays 41-50 |
| Page 6 | Essays 51-60 |
| Page 7 | Essays 61-70 |
| Page 8 | Essays 71-80 |
| Page 9 | Essays 81-90 |
| Page 10 | Essays 91-100 |
Passage 51. Sorrow of the Millionaire
The unfortunate millionaire has the responsibility of tremendous wealth without the possibility of enjoying himself more than any ordinary rich man.
Indeed, in many things he cannot enjoy himself more than many poor men do, nor even so much, for a drum major is better dressed, a trainers stable lad often rides a better horse; the first-class carriage is shared by office boys taking their young ladies out for the evening; everybody who goes down to Brighton for Sunday rides in the Pullman car; and for what use is it to be able to pay for a peacocks brain sandwich when there is nothing to be had but ham or beef?
The injustice of this state of things has not been sufficiently considered.
A man with an income of 25 a year can multiply his comfort beyond all calculation by doubling his income.
A man with 50 a year can at least quadruple his comfort by doubling his income.
Probably up to even 250 a year doubled income means doubled comfort.
After that the increment of comfort grows less in proportion to the increment of income until a point is reached at which the victim is satiated and even surfeited with everything that money can purchase.
To expect him to enjoy another hundred thousand pounds because men like money, is exactly as if you were to expect a confectioners shop boy to enjoy two hours more work a day because boys are fond of sweets.
What can the wretched millionaire do that needs a million?
[01:45.65]Does he want a fleet of yachts, a Rotten Row full of carriages, an army of servants, a whole city of town houses, or a continent for a game preserve?
Can he attend more than one theatre in one-evening, or wear more than one suit at a time, or digest more meals than his butler?
And yet there is no sympathy for this hidden sorrow of plutocracy.
The poor alone are pitied.
Societies spring up in all directions to relieve all sorts of comparatively happy people, but no hand is stretched out to the millionaire, except to beg.
In all our dealings with him lies implicit, the delusion that he has nothing to complain of, and that he ought to be ashamed of rolling in wealth whilst others are starving.
Passage 52. Address at Gettysburg
Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.
We are met on a great battlefield of that war.
We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live.
It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in larger sense, we cannot dedicate we cannot consecrate we cannot hallow this ground.
The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract.
The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.
It is for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.
It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom; and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Passage 53. Choosing an Occupation
Dear Sir,
I am very sorry that the pressure of other occupations has prevented me from sending an earlier reply to your letter.
In my opinion a man s first duty is to find a way of supporting himself, thereby relieving other people of the necessity of supporting him.
Moreover, the learning to do work of practical value in the world, in an exact and careful manner, is of itself a very important education, the effects of which make themselves felt in all other pursuits.
The habit of doing that which you do not care about when you would much rather be doing something else, is invaluable.
It would have saved me a frightful waste of time if I had ever had it drilled into me in youth.
Success in any scientific career requires an unusual equipment of capacity, industry, and energy.
If you possess that equipment, you will find leisure enough after your daily commercial work is over, to make an opening in the scientific ranks for yourself.
If you don’t, you had better stick to commerce.
Nothing is less to be desired than the fate of a young man who, as the Scotch proverb says, in trying to make a spoon spoils a horn, and becomes a mere hanger-on in literature or in science, when he might have been a useful and a valuable member of Society in other occupations.
I think that your father ought to see this letter.
Yours faithfully, T. H. Huxley
Passage 54. Dining Etiquette When Dating
Be sure to make reservations if the restaurant you chose is a fancy or popular one.
It’s very embarrassing to show up without reservations and having to wait for a table, leaving very bad impression on your date.
Also, be sure to check to see if they have a dress code and tell your date in advance what to wear.
When your food arrives, proper dinning etiquette requires you to eat at a moderate pace so that you have time to talk.
A good measure of how fast you should eat is to count 10 seconds between each mouthful and it’s a bad dining etiquette if you gobble down your food and you spend the rest of the time watching your date eat.
Don’t slurp your soup, smack your lips, or chew with your mouth open.
Nothing is more unsightly than watching someone talk and chew their food at the same time.
Your napkin should be placed on your lap at all times.
Don’t tuck it into your belt or use it as a bib.
If you have to get up, place it neatly on your seat.
When eating, insert your fork straight in your mouth.
Don’t place your fork in the side of your mouth as it increases the chances of food sliding away, which could be very embarrassing.
If you get food stuck in your mouth don’t pick it out with your fingers or fork at the table.
Excuse yourself and go to the restroom and get it out with a toothpick.
When dinning, keep your eyes on your date at all times and try to smile between mouthfuls.
Occasionally, you should make an effort to show some interest and ask questions like, how do you like the beef.
If she needs anything, you are the one who is supposed to flag down the waiter by a gentle wave of the hand until someone notices you.
Passage 55. Stress and Relaxation
It is commonly believed that only rich middle-aged businessmen suffer from stress.
In fact anyone may become ill as a result of stress if they experience a lot of worry over a long period and their health is not especially good.
Stress can be a friend or an enemy: it can warn you that you are under too much pressure and should change your way of life.
It can kill you if you don’t notice the warning signals.
Doctors agree that it is probably the biggest single cause of illness in the Western world.
When we are very frightened and worried our bodies produce certain chemicals to help us fight what is troubling us.
Unfortunately, these chemicals produce the energy needed to run away fast from an object of fear, and in modern life that’s often impossible.
If we don’t use up these chemicals, or if we produce too many of them, they may actually harm us.
The parts of the body that are most affected by stress are the stomach, heart, skin, head and back.
Stress can cause car accidents, heart attacks, and alcoholism, and may even drive people to suicide.
Our living and working conditions may put us under stress.
Overcrowding in large cities, traffic jams, competition for jobs, worry about the future, any big changes in our lives, may cause stress.
Some British doctors have pointed out that one of Britain’s worst waves of influenza happened soon after the new coins came into use.
Also if you have changed jobs or moved house in recent months you are more likely to fall ill than if you haven’t.
And more people commit suicide in times of inflation.
As with all illnesses, prevention is better than cure.
If you find you can’t relax, it is a sign of danger.
When you are taking work home, when you can’t enjoy an evening with friends, when you haven’t time for outdoor exercise that is the time to stop and ask yourself whether your present life really suits you.
Says one family doctor.
Then it’s time to join a relaxation class, or take up dancing, painting or gardening.
Passage 56. The Reasons We Fight over Finance
When I started doing research for this column, asking what sorts of money fights people have, every single couple said the same thing:
Well, we don’t really fight about money.
Right, right, right, I’d have to say, backing away from the flame of lies.
But we all have the occasional childish squabble, right?
Even then people were hesitant. Well… maybe, they’d say.
One woman described how her husband took away her credit card one day.
Not that they fought about it.
Or take another couple I know.
I was at their house recently when the husband came home from work with a new drum set.
He hadn’t planned to drop 500 dollars on drums that day, he explained, as he unloaded the car, he just saw a classified ad and thought, why not?
Although his wife appeared calm while I was there, she told me later that they had a long discussion about the fact that they had agreed to save money to buy a house never mind their long-planned trip to Europe this summer and why did he have to buy a drum set NOW?
What we have here is a failure to communicate.
It’s a fairly common fight, and it usually happens because the two people involved aren’t on the same page, says Barbara Steinmetz, a financial planner in Burlingame, Calif.
One person thinks they have a shared goal of saving for a house, car or retirement, and the other doesn’t.
In fact, most fights occur not because of the amount of money spent but because of unspoken expectations that couples have and are often afraid to talk about.
Sometimes it’s clashing styles, sometimes mismatched agendas but people get so rooted in their own money views
That they can’t see that their partner simply has a different perspective.
Steinmetz described one couple she advised who had this blind spot.
The husband first outlined his goals for investing, retirement savings, etc.
Steinmetz then asked the wife about her goals.
The husband was shocked to find out his wife had goals and they were different from his! she says.
Passage 57 Washington’s Address to His Troops
The time is now near at hand which must probably determine whether Americans are to be freemen of slaves; whether they are to have any property they can call their own; whether their houses and farms are to be pillaged and destroyed, and themselves consigned to a state of wretchedness from which no human efforts will deliver them.
The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army.
Our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us only the choice of a brave resistance or the most abject submission.
We have, therefore, to resolve to conquer or to die.
Our own, our country’s honor, calls upon us for a vigorous and manly exertion; and if we now shamefully fail, we shall become infamous to the whole world.
Let us then rely on the goodness of our cause, and the aid of the supreme being, in whose hands victory is, to animate and encourage us to great and noble actions.
The eyes of all our countrymen are now upon us, and we shall have their blessings and praises, if happily we are the instruments of saving them from the tyranny meditated against them.
Let us animate and encourage each other, and show the whole world that a free man contending for liberty on his own ground is superior to any slavish mercenary on earth.
Liberty, property, life, and honor are all at stake; upon your courage and conduct rest the hopes of our bleeding and insulted country; our wives, children, and parents expect safety from us, only; and they have every reason to believe that Heaven will crown with success so just a cause.
The enemy will endeavor to intimidate by show and appearance; but remember, they have been repulsed on various occasions by a few brave Americans.
Their cause is bad their men are conscious of it; and if opposed with firmness and coolness on their first onset, with our advantage of works, and knowledge of the ground, the victory is most assuredly ours.
Every good soldier will be silent and attentive wait for orders, and reserve his fire until he is sure of doing execution.
Passage 58. Adolescence
Parents are often upset when their children praise the homes of their friends and regard it as a slur on their own cooking, or cleaning, or furniture, and often are foolish enough to let the adolescents see that they are annoyed.
They may even accuse them of disloyalty, or make some spiteful remark about the friends parents.
Such a loss of dignity and descent into childish behavior on the part of the adults deeply shocks the adolescents, and makes them resolve that in future they will not talk to their parents about the places or people they visit.
Before very long the parents will be complaining that the child is so secretive and never tells them anything, but they seldom realize that they have brought this on themselves.
Disillusionment with the parents, however good and adequate they may be both as parent and as individuals, is to some degree inevitable.
Most children have such a high ideal of their parents, unless the parents themselves have been unsatisfactory, that it can hardly hope to stand up to a realistic evaluation.
Parents would be greatly surprised and deeply touched if they realized how much belief their children usually have in their character and infallibility, and how much this faith means to a child.
If parents were prepared for this adolescent reaction, and realized that it was a sign that the child was growing up and developing valuable powers of observation and independent judgment, they would not be so hurt, and therefore would not drive the child into opposition by resenting and resisting it.
The adolescent, with his passion for sincerity, always respects a parent who admits that he is wrong, or ignorant, or even that he has been unfair or unjust.
What the child cannot forgive is the parents’ refusal to admit these charges if the child knows them to be true.
Victorian parents believed that they kept their dignity by retreating behind an unreasoning authoritarian attitude; in fact they did nothing of the kind, but children were then too cowed to let them know how they really felt.
Today we tend to go to the other extreme, but on the whole this is a healthier attitude both for the child and the parent.
It is always wiser and safer to face up to reality, however painful it may be at the moment.
Passage 59. Work
It is physically impossible for a well-educated, intellectual, or brave man to make money the chief object of his thoughts; as physically impossible as it is for him to make his dinner the principal object of them.
All healthy people like their dinner, but their dinner is not the main object of their lives.
So all healthy minded people like making money ought to like it and to enjoy the sensation of winning it; but the main object of their lives is not money; it is something better than money.
A good soldier, for instance, mainly wishes to do his fighting well.
He is glad of his pay very properly so, and justly grumbles when you keep him ten months without it; still his main notion of life is to win battles, not to be paid for winning them.So of doctors.
They like fees no doubt ought to like them; yet if they are brave and well educated, the entire object of their lives is not fees.
They, on the whole, desire to cure the sick, and if they are good doctors, and the choice were fairly put to them would rather cure their patient and lose their fee than kill him and get it.
And so with all other brave and rightly trained men; their work is first, their fee second, very important always, but still second.
But in every nation, there is a vast class of people who are cowardly, and more or less stupid. And with these people, just as certainly the fee is first and the work second, as with brave people the work is first and the fee second.
And this is no small distinction. It is the whole distinction.
It is the whole distinction in a man.
You cannot serve two masters; you must serve one or the other.
If your work is first with you, and your fee second, work is your master.
Observe, then, all wise work is mainly threefold in character.
It is honest, useful, and cheerful.
I hardly know anything more strange than that you recognize honesty in play, and do not in work.
In your lightest games you have always someone to see what you call fair play.
In boxing you must hit fair; in racing, start fair.
Your watchword is fair play; your hatred, foul play.
Did it ever strike you that you wanted another watchword also, fair work, and another hatred also, foul work?
Passage 60. Benjamin Franklin
Franklins life is full of charming stories which all young men should know how he peddled ballads in Boston, and stood, the guest of kings, in Europe; how he worked his passage as a stowaway to Philadelphia, and rode in the queen’s own litter in France; how he walked the streets of Philadelphia, homeless and unknown, with three-penny rolls for his breakfast, and dined at the tables of princess, and received his friends in a palace; how he raised a kite from a cow shed, and was showered with all the high degrees the colleges of the world could give; how he was duped by a false friend as a boy, and became the friend of all humanity as a man; how he was made Major General Franklin, only to resign because, as he said, he was no soldier, and yet helped to organize the army that stood before the trained troops of England and Germany.
This poor Boston boy, with scarcely a day’s schooling, became master of six languages and never stopped studying; this neglected apprentice tamed the lightning, made his name famous, received degrees and diplomas from colleges in both hemispheres, and became forever remembered as Doctor Franklin, philosopher, patriot, scientist, philanthropist and statesman.
Self-made, self-taught, self-reared, the candle maker’s son gave light to all the world; the street ballad seller set all men singing of liberty; the runaway apprentice became the most sought-after man of two continents, and brought his native land to praise and honor him.
He built America for what our Republic is today is largely due to the prudence, the forethought, the statesmanship, the enterprise, the wisdom, and the ability of Benjamin Franklin.
He belongs to the world, but especially does he belong to America, as the nations honored him while living, so the Republic glorifies him when dead, and has enshrined him in the choicest of its niches the one he regarded as the loftiest the hearts of the common people, from whom he had sprung and in their hearts Franklin will live forever.