The Eambles of an Idler 



stage's floor than Fortinbras is so completely 

 forgotten that we can only with difficulty recall 

 his name. 



Too much is said of this endless struggle for 

 success, too often ecstatic to the touch and 

 ashes to the taste. The positive curse of all 

 this flourish of rhetorical trumpets is the set- 

 ting up, not of high ideals, but of ideals at a 

 preposterous elevation. It is shouted abroad 

 at this season: Goad your ambition and reach 

 to the unattainable. So far, bad. All too sel- 

 dom is it advised: Curb your ambition and be 

 content with moderation. Youth is set to run 

 at a mad, killing pace and, prematurely grown 

 old, has nothing in the end to show for a prod- 

 igal waste of energy. Statistics will bear this 

 out. Why aim to be a comet that outshines all 

 the stars? Comets are but transitory affairs. 

 The fixed planets and the myriad stars serenely 

 shining have a better time of it. Better to be 

 happy in a modest way than miserable under 

 the load of vast undertakings. 



A later June day was that of General Nest 

 Delivery among the robins. Young birds were 

 everywhere and the old ones were in a state of 



82 



