Wliilam N. Brown/‌威廉·N·布朗

During my youth in America's Appalachian mountains, I learned that farmers preferred sons over daughters，largely because boys were better at heavy farm labor (though what boys anywhere could best the tireless Hui’an girls in the fields of Fujian!)

With only 3% of Americans in agriculture today，brain has supplanted brawn, yet cultural preferences, like bad habits，are easier to make than break. But history warns repeatedly of the tragic cost of dismissing too casually the gifts of the so-called weaker sex.

我在美国的阿巴拉契亚山区度过青少年时代时，发现那里的农民重男轻女，多半因为男子更能胜任重体力农活。当然，如果要同福建省惠安县农田里的妇女相比，她们那份不歇不竭的能耐是任何地方的男子都自叹弗如的！

今天在美国，脑力已经取代了体力，只有3%的美国人在从事农业。但文化上的习俗正如陋规，形成容易冲破难。面对所谓“阴柔”性别，历史再三告诫我们，若对她们的禀赋过于轻率地否定，其代价将会何等惨重！

About 150 years ago，a village church vicar in Yorkshire, England，had three lovely，intelligent daughters but his hopes hinged entirely on the sole male heir, Branwell, a youth with remarkable talent in both art and literature.

Branweir s father and sister hoarded their pennies to pack him off to London' s Royal Academy of Arts, but if art was his calling, he dialed a wrong number. Within weeks he hightailed it home, a penniless failure.

约150年前在英国的约克郡有一个乡村教区的牧师，他有三个聪慧可爱的女儿，但是他的希望却独独钉在唯一的继承者儿子布朗维尔身上。这个年轻人在艺术和文学上都有出众的天赋。

父亲和姐妹都省吃俭用，帮兄弟打点完备，送他上了伦敦皇家艺术学院。可是尽管他要以艺术为业，但拨错了号。不到几个礼拜，就不名一文，弃甲归家。

Hopes still high, the family landed Branwell a job as a private tutor, hoping this would free him to develop his literary skills and achieve the success and fame that he deserved. Failure again.

For years the selfless sisters squelched their own goals， farming themselves out as teachers and governesses in support of their increasingly indebted brother, convinced the world must eventually recognize his genius. As failures multiplied, Branwell turned to alcohol，then opium，and eventually died as he had lived: a failure. So died hope in the one male8 _ but what of the three anonymous sisters?

然而家人并不就此罢休，他们又想方设法帮布朗维尔捞到一份私人教师的活儿，希望这份差事能够使他自由发展文学才能，走上应得的功成名就的大道：这次又失败了。

几年来，无私的姐妹们压抑着她们自己的目标和志向，受雇于人做管家或家庭教师以支持她们那日益债台高筑的兄弟，她们深信世界总有一天会认识到他的天才。随着接踵而至的失败，布兰维尔开始酗酒，后来又吸上鸦片，最后死时与生前一样，一无所成，于是寄托在这唯一男性身上的指望也随之死去。但是，那三位默默无闻的姐妹们又如何了呢？