CONFOKMATrON AND ACTION 273 



but pretty close to it. I have owned a few that were 

 very satisfactory, but never one that was entirely 

 so. Still I have hope. I suspect that when one re- 

 alizes his ideal in anything, life loses some of its 

 zest. The pursuit, the seeking, the longing for the 

 unattained — these are the things that make life 

 so interesting, so absorbing. If I had the horse I 

 have long had in my mind I should be glad, no 

 doubt. But I might be sorry, too. There is one 

 saving fact, however. We change our ideals as we 

 get more experience and further knowledge. I 

 have changed my opinions often about horses, 

 since I first became interested in them. While 

 writing the last chapter of this book I confess that 

 I have changed some of my opinions during the 

 two or three months that I have been engaged in 

 the composition. I have learned some things that 

 I did not know before; I have parted with some 

 prejudices which I ought never to have entertain- 

 ed. So it was inevitable that I should modify my 

 views. If, therefore, I should ever obtain my ideal 

 in horse-flesh I might awaken a few weeks later to 

 find that I really wanted something just a little 

 different. I seek the ideal, therefore, without fear 



