sometimes closely watched even at their play, until they are well on in years. 

 These differences in customs are to a degree conventional and more or less 

 arbitrary. Some of the differences are probably adaptations to extreme con- 

 ditions of climate, for example, or of crowding. Or they may be related to 

 natural resources, for when food is abundant young and old are likely to be 

 carefree and easygoing. It is possible, too, that among races, as among varieties 

 in some other species of animals, there are inherited or constitutional differ- 

 ences, as well as those connected with the modes of living. 



One of the important differences between human beings and other animals 

 is the ease with which humans learn, or change their "instincts". Living for a 

 long time in one place or with other people produces an effect. One becomes 

 "attached", as we say; one's feelings become involved. And this applies to 

 parents and young both. We learn to like, we learn to love deeply — ^just as we 

 learn to dislike unpleasant associations, things and places and people that 

 hurt or annoy us. Children imitate their elders and they learn many tricks 

 about getting along, about what to eat and what to avoid. They learn how to 

 do various things, how to manage various situations. 



By the time they are running about and getting acquainted with other 

 children, our youngsters already have a substantial amount of lore to guide 

 them, to protect them. If the shelter of older people continues, they may 

 presumably accumulate more skills, more useful knowledge, more under- 

 standing of how to deal with various problems and situations. It is for these 

 reasons that so much effort has been made to increase and to improve school- 

 ing. The idea has always been to give young people the greatest possible 

 amount of preparation before they are exposed to the difficulties and dangers 

 of adult Hfe. And, generally speaking, communities or cultures that have made 

 the greatest provision for their young have also managed to get fuller and 

 longer lives for their members. 



Are All Plant and Animal Activities Necessary for Living? 



Necessities and Extras We depend for our subsistence upon plants and 

 animals, and eventually upon photosynthesis and nutritive processes. We 

 are, of course, interested also in the reproduction of plants and animals, and 

 for two distinct reasons. We want an abundance of the useful plants and ani- 

 mals, and that means regulating their reproduction. And we also depend more 

 and more upon grains, fruits, and seeds of plants, rather than on leaves, roots, 

 and tubers; and we are using greater quantities of eggs and dairy products, as 

 against the flesh of animals. But people seem to be more fascinated by some 

 of the "secondary" structures and activities associated with reproduction and 

 with the preservation of the various species. One does not need to be a scien- 

 tist or a practical farmer or a technician to be interested in flowers or in the 

 songs and plumage of birds or in the playing of a cat with her kittens. 



427 



