He Pays Too Much for His Whistle
Guidance for Reciting
Human's misery results to a large extent from the wrong evaluation of their work and pursuit，yet they have paid too much for their“whistles”. Then a further question is what the criterion is for the evaluation and to what extent it is affected by the social values.
When Franklin was seven years old，his friends filled his pockets with coppers. He immediately started for the toy shop，but on the way the sound of a whistle turned him aside. Franklin was so charmed by the whistle that he offered its owner all the money he had for it. With joy he returned to tell his family of the purchase. Instead of sharing his joy，his family told him that he had paid four times what the whistle was worth. They laughed at him so much that he was soon shedding bitter tears.
As he grew older，Franklin generalized this principle. When he saw a man neglecting his family or business for political popularity，or a miser giving up friendship for the sake of accumulating wealth，he'd say，“He pays too much for his whistle.”
Notes
1.turn aside 转变方向（闪开，撇开，离开正道）
2.shed tears 流眼泪
他为一个哨子付出了过高的代价
诵读导言
人类所遭受的悲苦在很大程度上都是由于他们对事物的价值所做出错误估价而造成的，都是为他们的哨子付出了太高的代价。进一步的问题在于，这种价值判断的标准是什么？在多大程度上受到社会价值观的影响？
当富兰克林还是个七岁孩子的时候，他的朋友们给他的衣袋里塞满了铜币。他立刻向一家卖儿童玩具的店铺跑去。半路上，富兰克林却被一个哨子的叫声吸引住了，于是就用他所有的铜币换了这个哨子。然后满心欢喜地回到家里告诉家人他的这笔买卖。不过他的家人并没有分享他的喜悦，却告诉他这个哨子的价钱是它原价的四倍。他们还都起劲地嘲笑他，竟使他懊恼得哭了。
长大后，富兰克林对这条原则进行了概括：当他看到有人为了获得政治知名度而忽视了家庭或业务，或者为了积聚财富而放弃友谊甘做吝啬鬼的时候，他就会说：“他为一个哨子付出了过高的代价。”