The Message in Morse Code
摩斯电码的召唤
一个工作机会的把握，也许就在一瞬间——
Back when the telegraph was the fastest method of long-distance communication, a young man applied for a job as a Morse Code operator. Answering an ad in the newspaper, he went to the office address that was listed. When he arrived, he entered a large, busy office filled with noise and clatter, including the sound of the telegraph in the background. A sign on the receptionist’s counter instructed job applicants to fill out a form and wait until they were summoned to enter the inner office.
The young man filled out his form and sat down with the seven other applicants in the waiting area. After a few minutes, the young man stood up, crossed the room to the door of the inner office, and walked right in. Naturally the other applicants perked up, wondering what was going on. They muttered among themselves that they hadn’t heard any summons yet.
They assumed that the young man who went into the office made a mistake and would be disqualified. Within a few minutes, however, the employer escorted the young man out of the office and said to the other applicants,“Gentlemen, thank you very much for coming, but the job has just been filled.” The other applicants began grumbling to each other, and one spoke up saying,“Wait a minute, I don’t understand. He was the last to come in, and we never even got a chance to be interviewed. Yet he got the job. That’s not fair！”
The employer said, “I’m sorry, but the last several minutes while you’ve been sitting here, the telegraph has been ticking out the following message in Morse Code:‘If you understand this message, then come right in. The job is yours.’ None of you heard it or understood it. This young man did. The job is his.”
从前，在电报是最快的远程通信工具时，一个青年想找一份摩斯码报务员的工作。他见了报纸上的广告前去应聘。青年按照广告上提供的地址来到了办公室，走进了一个宽敞、忙碌且嘈杂的房间，背景中夹杂着“滴滴答答”的电报声。接待台上有一个说明，提示求职者在进入里间办公室前要填写一张表格，然后等待召唤。
青年填完表格，来到等待室，与其它7名求职者坐在一起。几分钟后，青年站了起来，穿过房间，朝里间门走去，径直进入里间的办公室。显然，其它求职者不安起来，想知道究竟是怎么回事。他们窃窃私语道：“并没有听到召唤啊！”
他们猜想走进办公室的青年犯了一个错误，他一定会失去求职的资格。然而，几分钟之内，雇主随同青年从里间走了出来，对其它求职者说：“各位先生，感谢你们前来应聘，但是这个职位已有人占了。”那些求职者相互抱怨起来。有一个人嚷道：“等一下，我不明白。他是最后一个进来的，我们连面试的机会都没有，他却得到了这个职位，这岂不有失公平！”
雇主说道：“很抱歉，但是在最后几分钟里，你们一直坐在这儿，发报机一直在发以下摩斯密码：‘如果你能读懂这条信息，就立刻进来，这份工作属于你。’可是你们谁也没有听出这条召唤密码，或者说谁也没能破解这一密码，除了这位男士。因此，这职位就是他的。”（摘自2007年11月《英语广场?美丽英文》）
