THE SUMMIT OF THE YEARS 



as the water-wheel stops when the dam is empty or 

 the stream is dry. The katydid begins by vociferat- 

 ing " Katy did it," "Katy did it." A little later it 

 says, "Katydid." After the first frost it says, 

 "Katy," "Katy," and then finally, as October 

 wanes, only a feeble, "Kate," "Kate." 



Much of our own lives is undoubtedly merely auto- 

 matic, the result of habit, of family, or of race traits, 

 or of unconscious imitation; but with the lower or- 

 ders of creation a much larger proportion, say ninety- 

 nine parts in one hundred, is purely automatic, or 

 the result of blind, inherited impulses. 



ii 



Another particular hi which man differs from all 

 the orders below him is this : He has to learn what 

 to eat, what is good for him. His dominant impulse 

 as a baby is to put into his mouth everything he 

 can seize, no matter what it is, stick or stone, food 

 or fuel, tool or toy. He looks it over, and then into 

 his mouth it goes. The impulse to feed is strong, but 

 it is also blind. 



The young of no other animal is such a blunderer, 

 or so omnivorous a devourer. All other species seem 

 to know their proper food instinctively, but man 

 seems born with only the blind impulse to thrust all 

 things into his mouth. And he has gone on thrust- 

 ing all things into his mouth and surviving the ex- 

 periment as best he may. There is no doubt what- 

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