242 The Dangers of Cutting Loose 



the same things and viewing everything from 

 the same standpoint, necessarily implies mo- 

 notony. In our views of what makes a life 

 worth living there is pretty certain to be a 

 good deal of this monotony. Ask half a hun- 

 dred men and women, taken at random, what 

 makes life worth living, and certainly the great 

 majority will say that a life of luxurious idle- 

 ness offers the greatest opportunities. At least 

 this is what they mean, although they will hesi- 

 tate to use the word idleness, as contrary to 

 good morals. Given good health and an ample 

 income, that life is worth living to the liver 

 at least may be considered as sure to follow 

 in the general estimation of people. Never- 

 theless most of us can point out some people 

 who have health and more money than they 

 know what to do with, and yet do not live a 

 life which we consider the best that they could 

 lead. 



I will define a life worth living as the one 

 which offers out-door work and sport, freedom 

 from anxiety, and plenty of intellectual exer- 

 cise. I doubt whether a man who passes more 

 than three fourths of his waking hours in-doors 



