tural power to mean or low uses, sooner or later the power will be
lost. Self-conscious pride will establish its own contractions. The use
of a natural power for evil ends will limit itself sooner or later. The
love for unwholesome surroundings will eventually put a check on a
perfectly free body, although sometimes the wonder is that the check is
so long in coming. If we have once trained ourselves into natural ways,
so akin are the laws of Nature and spirit, both must be obeyed; and to
rise to our greatest power means always to rise to our greatest power
for use. "A man's life is God's love for the use for which he was
made;" a man's power lies in the best direction of that use. This is a
truth as practical as the necessity for walking on the feet with the
head up.

XI.

THE CHILD AS AN IDEAL

WHILE the path of progress in the gaining of repose could not be traced
thus far without reference to the freedom of a baby, a fuller
consideration of what we may learn from this source must be of great
use to us.

The peace and freshness of a little baby are truly beautiful, but are
rarely appreciated. Few of us have peace enough in ourselves to respond
to these charms. It is like playing the softest melody upon a harp to
those whose ears have long been closed.

Let us halt, and watch, and listen, and see what we shall gain!

Throughout the muscular system of a normal, new-born baby it is
impossible to find any waste of force. An apparent waste will, upon
examination, prove itself otherwise. Its cry will at first seem to
cause contractions of the face; but the absolute removal of all traces
of contraction as the cry ceases, and a careful watching of the act
itself, show it to be merely an exaggeration of muscular action, not a
permanent contraction. Each muscle is balanced by an opposing one; in
fact, the whole thing is only a very even stretching of the face, and,
undoubtedly, has a purpose to accomplish.

Examine a baby's bed, and see how distinctly it bears the impression of
an absolute giving up of weight and power. They actually _do_ that
which we only theorize about, and from them we may learn it all, if we
will.

A babe in its bath gives us another fine opportunity for learning to be
simple and free. It yields to the soft pressure of the water with a
repose which is deeply expressive of gratitude; while we, in our clumsy
departures from Nature's state, often resist with such intensity as not
to know--i