THE YOUTH 



ness of life itself, in which the lower life of other 

 creatures participates, perhaps surpasses us, in its en- 

 joyment. 



With his advancing age the boy's pleasure in mere 

 animal life lessens. His school days begin; the 

 duties of life claim his time, and confine him more 

 or less to stated hours and away from his games and 

 plays. The impulse to muscular exertion and con- 

 tests of bodily strength, partly in friendly, partly in 

 hostile strife, take the place of more childish play ; 

 the culture of his mental powers occupies increasingly 

 his time and thought; his duties become more and 

 more onerous, but with the healthy brain and body he 

 learns a new pleasure that of overcoming difficul- 

 ties and of surmounting the heights that are hard to 

 climb. 



The ambition to succeed in whatever he undertakes 

 is now stronger felt. As his bodily frame increases 

 so do his mental forces. The discipline of life be- 

 gins. The paths of life, on some of which his course 

 must run, will now lie open before him ; they should 

 not be, and seldom are, quite smooth. He must 

 choose what he shall do. If his means of living are 

 from day to day, he must seek for work such as he 

 can find ; if in better circumstances, he must seek for 

 such work as he is best fitted for. To all, to even 

 the young millionaire, the duty of considering 

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