THE SCIENCE OF HAPPINESS 



are really ready for so momentous a step, there are 

 many others who tend to hold back from what they 

 consider a dangerous experiment, and who drift finally 

 into confirmed old-bachelorhood to the lasting dis- 

 sipation of their best chances of happiness. And 

 assuredly the case of these unfortunates must not be 

 overlooked. 



The youths, of both sexes, that come within the 

 range of the present point of view, are chiefly those 

 ambitious ones that make their way to the great cities, 

 and undertake to carve out careers under the adverse 

 conditions that prevail there. To be specific, the case 

 I have in mind is that of the young men and women who, 

 possessed of some measure of talent for a professional 

 or an artistic career, are disposed to feel that marriage 

 would be a hindrance. They are inclined therefore, 

 to decide against matrimony, and in the somewhat 

 grandiloquent manner to which youth is prone to 

 elect a " Career " leading presumably to the heights of 

 accomplishment and fame. The budding artist, the 

 newspaper woman, the aspiring writer or musician are 

 cases in point. They are wont to feel that "freedom" 

 is necessary to them if they are to scale the heights. 

 They must not be hampered by the cares and respon- 

 sibilities of a family. Their mission is for something 

 "higher." 



To one who has passed the time of that fine young 

 enthusiasm, there is always something delightful in the 

 contemplation of the eager spirit of conquest which 

 these adolescent aspirants manifest. Adolescence is 

 the time for such day-dreams, and surely no sympathetic 



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