230 LIBERTY AND A LIVING. 



standpoint, necessarily implies monotony. 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 hundred men and 

 women, taken at random, what makes life 

 worth living, and certainly the great majority 

 will say that a life of luxurious idleness offers 

 the greatest opportunities. At least this is 

 what they mean, although they will hesitate to 

 use the word idleness, as contrary to good 

 morals. Given good health and an ample in- 

 come, that life is worth living to the liver at 

 least may be considered as sure to follow in 

 the general estimation of people. Nevertheless 

 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- 

 ^0 cise. I doubt whether a man who passes more 

 JL /*v than three fourths of his waking hours in-doors 

 ****Yv\ can remam a healthy animal or get the enjoy- 

 ment out of life which the mere sense of physi- 

 cal well-being gives. The doctors tell us that 



