CONFORMATION AND ACTION 273 



but pretty close to it. I have owned a few that were 

 very satisfactory, but never one that was entirely 

 so. Still I have hope. I suspect that when one re- 

 alizes his ideal in anything, life loses some of its 

 zest. The pursuit, the seeking, the longing for the 

 unattained these are the things that make life 

 so interesting, so absorbing. If I had the horse I 

 have long had in my mind I should be glad, no 

 doubt. But I might be sorry, too. There is one 

 saving fact, however. We change our ideals as we 

 get more experience and further knowledge. I 

 have changed my opinions often about horses, 

 since I first became interested in them. While 

 writing the last chapter of this book I confess that 

 I have changed some of my opinions during the 

 two or three months that I have been engaged in 

 the composition. I have learned some things that 

 I did not know before ; I have parted with some 

 prejudices which I ought never to have entertain- 

 ed. So it was inevitable that I should modify my 

 views. If, therefore, I should ever obtain my ideal 

 in horse-flesh I might awaken a few weeks later to 

 find that I really wanted something just a little 

 different. I seek the ideal, therefore, without fear 



