to do; he has but to interpret and to trust.

But even supposing that one has learnt one's own lesson in the school
of ambition, the question comes in as to how far it should be used as a
motive for the young, by those who are entrusted with educational
responsibilities. It is one of the most difficult things to decide as
to what extent it is permissible to use motives that are lower than the
highest, because they may possess a greater effectiveness in the case
of immature minds. It is easy enough to say sincerely that one ought
always to appeal to the highest possible motive; but when one is
conscious that the highest motive is quite out of the horizon of the
person concerned, and practically is no motive at all, is it not merely
pedantry to insist upon appealing to the highest motive for one's own
satisfaction? It is not perhaps so difficult where the lower reason for
a course of action is still a sound reason in itself, as, for instance,
if one is trying to help a man out of drunken habits. The highest
motive to appeal to is the truth that in yielding to sensual impulses,
in such a matter, a man is falling short of his best ideal; but a more
practical motive is to point out the loss of health and respectability
that results from the practice. Yet when one appeals to a boy's
ambition, and encourages him to be ambitious, one cannot be quite
certain whether one is not appealing to a false motive altogether. The
excuse for using it is the hope that, when for the sake of ambition he
has learnt diligence and perseverance, he may grow to perceive that the
competitive instinct, which in its barest form is the desire to obtain
desirable things at the expense of others, is not in reality a good
motive at all. With immature characters part of the joy of success is
that others have been beaten, the pride of having carried off a prize
which others are disappointed of obtaining. And if one talks to an
ambitious boy, and tries to inculcate the principle that one should do
one's best without caring about results, one is generally conscious
that he believes it to be only a tiresome professional platitude, the
kind of sentiment in which older people think fit to indulge for the
purpose, if possible, of throwing cold water on innocent enjoyment.

Yet, after all, how very few people there are who do learn the further
lesson! The successful man generally continues to show to the end of
his life a contempt for unsuccessful persons, which