rs afterwards be the owner of upwards of a dozen horses, the
produce of this one present, and his cattle having increased in like
manner, he may begin to live upon his stock. The time of the youth may
then be occupied in cultivating a certain portion of ground, in hunting
as a means of supplying food, and in watching his stock; and thus he has
but few cares or anxieties, and lives what may fairly be termed a
natural life. He is at least twelve hours a day in the open air, and
enjoys consequently most robust health.

Let us compare the daily occupations of this man with those of hundreds
of thousands of men of similar position as regards a first start in life
among civilised nations. A youth is educated, but he must gain his own
living, because his predecessors have not been able to do much more than
secure the means of living and of educating their children. The youth
is found a situation in an office in one of the cities of Europe. In
this office it is competition, a race for wealth, and none but the hard
worker can hope even to avoid ruin. A youth thus started leads a life
probably as follows. He rises early in the morning, hurriedly eats a
breakfast, walks down to the train, is carried rapidly to a smoky city,
enters an office in which the light of the sun is a rarity, labours in
this office amidst a crowd until near the hour of sunset, again enters
his train, and amidst the darkness is deposited near his dwelling, where
the remaining hours are occupied. Day after day, and year after year,
this life is passed, until the man becomes fitted for nothing else, and
cares for nothing else, even his recreations often being partaken of as
a matter of business. It seems strange to reflect that perhaps on the
very spot that is now the scene of such artificial life, our ancestors,
before Caesar had `taught them to clothe their pinked and painted
hides,' may have enjoyed the greatest freedom, may have hurled their
darts at the bounding stag, or transfixed the passing salmon, and each
day may have enjoyed sport and feasted upon their game in a manner which
few of these day-labourers are able to do.

Here, however, is the singular comparison of lives of the two divisions
of mankind, and Hans having for a time seen the civilised man's life,
and having partaken in a measure of this, could not, now that he was
once more free, imagine how any man could endure the life which he had
seen many pursue in their offices or on board