Many people think that the ideas about right and wrong are only personal ideas. Bennett wrote The Book of Virtue   in which he suggested that great moral   stories can build character. The success of Bennett's book shows that many Americans still believe in moral values, just like honesty, courage, loyalty and many others. For Americans, one basic moral value is honesty. The story about George Washington and the cherry tree teaches this value clearly. Little George cut down his father's favourite cherry tree. When his father asked him about it, George said, "I did it." Instead of punishment, his father spoke highly of him. Sometimes American honesty--being open and direct--can make people angry. But Americans still believe that "honesty is the best virtue". Another virtue is perseverance  . A story tells of a little train climbing a hill. The hill is too high to get over it. But the train just kept pulling, all the while saying, "I think I can, I think I can." At last, the train was over the top because he did not give up. Compassion  may be the queen of American virtues. The story of "The Good Samaritan" from the Bible describes a man with compassion. On his way home, he found a poor traveler lying on the road. The kind man, instead of just passing by, stopped to help this person in need. Compassion can even turn into a good cycle. In 1992, people in Iowa sent plenty of water to help Floridians  hit by storms. The next summer, during the Midwest flood, Florida returned. Millions of Americans are quietly passing along the kindness shown to them. In no way can this book cover all the moral values honored (...) by Americans. But moral virtues are priceless, and they are the base of American culture and any culture. The tale about the turtle   and the rabbit that had a race can be an example to describe  _  .
honesty perseverance compassion courage