THE INDIVIDUAL LIFE CYCLE 171 



pendence on the mother, a long childhood. It is fa- 

 mihar in kittens, lambs, kids, foals, and so on. What 

 is the biological significance of childhood ? It is the 

 time of self-expression, of character-forming, of finding 

 oneself, of substituting experiment for instinctive prompt- 

 ing, and not least of play. We shall take the last first. 



To Groos in particular we owe the idea that animals 

 continue young in order that they may play, for play 

 is of fundamental importance in hfe. There are many 

 play-instincts among higher animals — sham fights and 

 sham hunts, races and foUow-my-leader, gambols and 

 * daring do ' ; and playing is justified not only as a 

 safety-valve for overflowing energy and spirits, and as 

 the motor expression of emotions, but also as affording 

 elbowroom for idiosyncrasies and originahties before 

 criticism is too stringent, and most of all as a not too 

 responsible 'prentice time for educating aptitudes 

 which are essential in after-life, replaciug or modifying 

 instinctive promptings by the registered results of 

 experiment. Man's brain has relatively few instincts, 

 but it is eminently educable ; and in play there is a 

 chance for learning and testing, roving and adventur- 

 ing before Qonsequences are too serious. Play is the 

 young form of work ; and it gives elbowroom for self- 

 expression. Instead of being a trivial and dispensable 

 activity, play is of profound biological and psychologi- 

 cal importance. In general it may be said that those 

 who play best will afterwards work best, live best, and 

 love best. 



It goes without sajdng that the biological and psy- 



