34 ALFRED T. SCHOPIELD, ESQ., M.D., M.E.C.S.E , ON 



ray good I " and set before themselves ideals that are abso- 

 lutely bad. That is the lowest class. Then there are morbid 

 ideals — people who aim at what is not necessarily bad, but 

 Avhich certainly ought not to form an ideal. In my pro- 

 fession, for instance, we often meet with those who " enjoy 

 bad health " ! — whose ideal is really to be invalids, and who 

 have nothing before them but sickness, and enjoy it as long 

 as they can keep it. Then we have the man whose ideal is 

 pleasure. If he can only fill his life with a round of pleasure, 

 he has satisfied his highest ideal. 



Then there are those whose ideal is negative. Their great 

 idea is never to do anyone any harm, and if they succeed 

 in passing through life Avithout doing others injury, they 

 fulfil their highest expectation. 



Then there are those who go a step higher, whose ideal is 

 to excel others in quantity, in acquisition, to store up, to 

 be the richest, and to acquire millions. Others desire to 

 excel in quality, to be the first and best, and not necessarily 

 the largest or richest. 



Higher still are those whose ideal is domestic, and who 

 seek to fulfil their highest aspirations, as a good father, a 

 good mother, daughter, or son. Then there are those who 

 are actuated by philanthropy, and those whose aim is highest 

 of all, and who feel that no ideal is satisfactory until it 

 reaches God Himself. The higher and loftier the ideal, 

 the nobler and more spiritual the character. 



The third point is the will, and that is a spring of 

 character in the sense of being the force that produces 

 conduct from f;haracter; and yet the will itself is moulded 

 by the character which it energises. Of course, we under- 

 stand a strong will may be used for good or evil. We 

 cannot will a new quality in our own character, or in that of 

 jmyone else. We cannot even ivill to play the violin, or 

 retain our balance on a bicycle or a pair of skates by an 

 effort of the will alone. But we can will the practice that 

 will produce it. We can will the means that Avill ensure it ; 

 and so we can get our results, not by directly willing the 

 thing to be acquired, but by willing those means by which 

 it may be obtained. The will, of course, can be enormously 

 strengthened, particularly in childhood. A child can be 

 accustomed, and should be accustomed to fixed purposes, 

 which it should not be allowed to change lightly, and thus 

 it should acquire a habit of keeping to what was originally 

 willed. Many are too strong-willed, and some are weak- 



