[originaltext] A Broadway comedian once had a nightmare: he dreamed he was t

A Broadway comedian once had a nightmare: he dreamed he was telling stories and singing songs in a crowded theater, with thousands of people watching him —but no one laughed or clapped. "Even at ＄100,000 a week," he says, "that would be just hell on earth."
    It is not only the actor who needs applause. Without praise or encouragement anyone can lose self-confidence. Then we all have a double necessity: to be praised and to know how to praise.
    No one, great or obscure, is untouched by genuine appreciation. Children especially are hunger for encouragement, and the want of kindly appreciation in childhood can endanger the growth of character. A young mother once told me of a heart-aching story:
    "My little daughter often misbehaves and I have to scold her. But one day she had been especially good. That night, after I tucked her in bed and Started downstairs, I heard her sobbing. Turning back, I found her head hidden in the pillow. Between sobs she asked, ’Haven’t I been a good girl today?’ That question went through me like a knife. I had been quick to correct her when she did wrong, but when she had tried to behave I had not noticed it. I had put it to bed without one word of appreciation."