CHIIvDHOOD 



to walk alone. Lower in the scale, in the case 

 of some birds, and especially of insects, we find 

 creatures traversing the whole of their life-cycle, 

 reaching their full measure of intelligence, develop- 

 ing their charm of song, and their marvellous 

 powers of flight, reproducing their species, and 

 passing through all the natural processes of 

 maturity, decline, and death, while man is still 

 lying well-nigh helpless, and giving, as yet, only 

 intermittent signs of the existence of his slowly 

 dawning mind. It thus becomes evident that, 

 when very lofty mental and physical heights 

 are to be built up, Nature, as an experienced 

 architect, goes slow with her foundations, fixing 

 each stone carefully, and for a long time has little 

 to show in the way of progress. 



In the case of her lesser structures, although 

 the most wonderful care is still bestowed, this 

 care is clearly based on the consideration of the 

 various and less important life-purposes for which 

 the structure itself is intended. 



To begin with, certain animals there are which 

 have literally no childhood whatever. These 

 are, of necessity, the lowest forms of animal life. 

 When they appear as separate existences it is 

 impossible to say which is the parent and which 

 is the child. Thus one of these unicellular in- 

 dividuals may be observed swimming about, 

 feeding after its own peculiar manner, and ap- 

 parently deriving reasonable satisfaction from 

 life. Then, finding itself growing old and obese 

 at the age of, say sixty minutes, it grows very 

 thin in the middle, splits in two, and a couple of 

 comely and able personalities may be observed 

 in the place of one. Occasionally, by way of 

 variety, two individuals incorporate themselves 

 and multiplication proceeds by splitting as before. 

 One advantage that these animalculse possess, 



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