XI　　SERIOUS　READING；　90
  XII　　DANGERS　TO　AVOID；　97
  HOW　TO　LIVE　ON
  TWENTY…FOUR　HOURS　A　DAY
  I
  THE　DAILY　MIRACLE
  〃Yes；　he's　one　of　those　men　that　don't　know　how　to　manage。
  Good　situation。　　Regular　income。　　Quite　enough　for　luxuries
  as　well　as　needs。　　Not　really　extravagant。　　And　yet　the　fellow's
  always　in　difficulties。　　Somehow　he　gets　nothing　out　of　his
  money。　　Excellent　flathalf　empty！　　Always　looks　as　if　he'd　had
  the　brokers　in。　　New　suitold　hat！　　Magnificent　necktiebaggy
  trousers！　　Asks　you　to　dinner：　　cut　glassbad　mutton；　or　Turkish
  coffeecracked　cup！　　He　can't　understand　it。　　Explanation　simply
  is　that　he　fritters　his　income　away。　　Wish　I　had　the　half　of　it！　　I'd
  show　him〃
  So　we　have　most　of　us　criticised；　at　one　time　or　another；　in　our
  superior　way。
  We　are　nearly　all　chancellors　of　the　exchequer：　　it　is　the　pride　of
  the　moment。　　Newspapers　are　full　of　articles　explaining　how　to　live
  on　such…and…such　a　sum；　and　these　articles　provoke　a　correspondence
  whose　violence　proves　the　interest　they　excite。　　Recently；　in　a　daily
  organ；　a　battle　raged　round　the　question　whether　a　woman　can　exist
  nicely　in　the　country　on　L85　a　year。　　I　have　seen　an　essay；　〃How　to
  live　on　eight　shillings　a　week。〃　　But　I　have　never　seen　an　essay；　〃How
  to　live　on　twenty…four　hours　a　day。〃　　Yet　it　has　been　said　that　time　is
  money。　　That　proverb　understates　the　case。　　Time　is　a　great　deal　more
  than　money。　　If　you　have　time　you　can　obtain　moneyusually。　　But
  though　you　have　the　wealth　of　a　cloak…room　attendant　at　the　Carlton
  Hotel；　you　cannot　buy　yourself　a　minute　more　time　than　I　have；　or　the
  cat　by　the　fire　has。
  Philosophers　have　explained　space。　　They　have　not　explained　time。　　It
  is　the　inexplicable　raw　material　of　everything。　　With　it；　all　is　possible；
  without　it；　nothing。　　The　supply　of　time　is　truly　a　daily　miracle；　an
  affair　genuinely　astonishing　when　one　examines　it。　　You　wake　up　in
  the　morning；　and　lo！　your　purse　is　magically　filled　with　twenty…four
  hours　of　the　unmanufactured　tissue　of　the　universe　of　your　life！　　It　is
  yours。　　It　is　the　most　precious　of　possessions。　　A　highly　singular
  commodity；　showered　upon　you　in　a　manner　as　singular　as　the
  commodity　itself！
  For　remark！　　No　one　can　take　it　from　you。　　It　is　unstealable。　　And　no
  one　receives　either　more　or　less　than　you　receive。
  Talk　about　an　ideal　democracy！　　In　the　realm　of　time　there　is　no　aristocracy
  of　wealth；　and　no　aristocracy　of　intellect。　　Genius　is　never　rewarded　by　even
  an　extra　hour　a　day。　　And　there　is　no　punishment。　　Waste　your　infinitely
  precious　commodity　as　much　as　you　will；　and　the　supply　will　never　be
  withheld　from　you。　　Mo　mysterious　power　will　say：〃This　man　is　a　fool；
  if　not　a　knave。　　He　does　not　deserve　time；　he　shall　be　cut　off　at　the　meter。〃
  It　is　more　certain　than　consols；　and　payment　of　income　is　not　affected　by
  Sundays。　　Moreover；　you　cannot　draw　on　the　future。　　Impossible　to　get　into
  debt！　　You　can　only　waste　the　passing　moment。　　You　cannot　waste　to…
  morrow；　it　is　kept　for　you。　　You　cannot　waste　the　next　hour；　it　is　kept　for　you。
  I　said　the　affair　was　a　miracle。　　Is　it　not？
  You　have　to　live　on　this　twenty…four　hours　of　daily　time。　　Out　of　it　you　have
  to　spin　health；　pleasure；　money；　content；　respect；　and　the　evolution　of　your
  immortal　soul。　　Its　right　use；　its　most　effective　use；　is　a　matter　of　the　highest
  urgency　and　of　the　most　thrilling　actuality。　　All　depends　on　that。　　Your
  happinessthe　elusive　prize　that　you　are　all　clutching　for；　my　friends！
  depends　on　that。　　Strange　that　the　newspapers；　so　enterprising　and　up…to…
  date　as　they　are；　are　not　full　of　〃How　to　live　on　a　given　income　of　time；〃
  instead　of　〃How　to　live　on　a　given　income　of　money〃！　　Money　is　far
  commoner　than　time。　　When　one　reflects；　one　perceives　that　money　is　just
  about　the　commonest　thing　there　is。　　It　encumbers　the　earth　in　gross　heaps。
  If　one　can't　contrive　to　live　on　a　certain　income　of　money；　one　earns　a
  little　moreor　steals　it；　or　advertises　for　it。　　One　doesn't　necessarily
  muddle　one's　life　because　one　can't　quite　manage　on　a　thousand　pounds
  a　year；　one　braces　the　muscles　and　makes　it　guineas；　and　balances　the
  budget。　　But　if　one　cannot　arrange　that　an　income　of　twenty…four　hours
  a　day　shall　exactly　cover　all　proper　items　of　expenditure；　one　does
  muddle　one's　life　definitely。　　The　supply　of　time；　though　gloriously
  regular；　is　cruelly　restricted。
  Which　of　us　lives　on　twenty…four　hours　a　day？　　And　when　I　say　〃lives；〃
  I　do　not　mean　exists；　nor　〃muddles　through。〃　　Which　of　us　is　free　from
  that　uneasy　feeling　that　the　〃great　spending　departments〃　of　his　daily
  life　are　not　managed　as　they　ought　to　be？　　Which　of　us　is　quite　sure
  that　his　fine　suit　is　not　surmounted　by　a　shameful　hat；　or　that　in　attending
  to　the　crockery　he　has　forgotten　the　quality　of　the　food？　　Which　of　us　is
  not　saying　to　himselfwhich　of　us　has　not　been　saying　to　himself　all　his
  life：　　〃I　shall　alter　that　when　I　have　a　little　more　time〃？
  We　never　shall　have　any　more　time。　　We　have；　and　we　have　always　had；
  all　the　time　there　is。　　It　is　the　realisation　of　this　profound　and　neglected
  truth　（which；　by　the　way；　I　have　not　discovered）　that　has　led　me　to　the
  minute　practical　examination　of　daily　time…expenditure。
  II
  THE　DESIRE　TO　EXCEED　ONE'S　PROGRAMME
  〃But；〃　someone　may　remark；　with　the　English　disregard　of　everything
  except　the　point；　〃what　is　he　driving　at　with　his　twenty…four　hours　a　day？
  I　have　no　difficulty　in　living　on　twenty…four　hours　a　day。　　I　do　all　that　I
  want　to　do；　and　still　find　time　to　go　in　for　newspaper　competitions。　　Surely
  it　is　a　simple　affair；　knowing　that　one　has　only　twenty…four　hours　a　day；　to
  content　one's　self　with　twenty…four　hours　a　day！〃
  To　you；　my　dear　sir；　I　present　my　excuses　and　apologies。　　You　are　precisely
  the　man　that　I　have　been　wishing　to　meet　for　about　forty　years。　　Will　you
  kindly　send　me　your　name　and　address；　and　state　your　charge　for　telling　me
  how　you　do　it？　　Instead　of　me　talking　to　you；　you　ought　to　be　talking　to　me。
  Please　come　forward。　　That　you　exist；　I　am　convinced；　and　that　I　have　not
  yet　encountered　you　is　my　loss。　　Meanwhile；　until　you　appear；　I　will　continue
  to　chat　with　my　companions　in　distressthat　innumerable　band　of　souls　who
  are　haunted；　more　or　less　painfully；　by　the　feeling　that　the　years　slip　by；　and
  slip　by；　and　slip　by；　and　that　they　have　not　yet　been　able　to　get　their　lives　into
  proper　working　order。
  If　we　analyse　that　feeling；　　we　shall　perceive　it　to　be；　primarily；　one　of
  uneasiness；　of　expectation；　of　looking　forward；　of　aspiration。　　It　is　a　source
  of　constant　discomfort；　for　it　behaves　like　a　skeleton　at　the　feast　of　all　our
  enjoyments。　　We　go　to　the　theatre　and　laugh；　but　between　the　acts　it　raises
  a　skinny　finger　at　us。　　We　rush　violently　for　the　last　train；　and　while　we　are
  cooling　a　long　age　on　the　platform　waiting　for　the　last　train；　it　promenades
  its　bones　up　and　down　by　our　side　and　inquires：　　〃O　man；　what　hast　thou
  done　with　thy　youth？　　What　art　thou　doing　with　thine　age？〃　　You　may　urge
  that　this　feeling　of　continuous　looking　forward；　of　aspiration；　is　part　of　life
  itself；　and　inseparable　from　life　itself。　　True！
  But　there　are　degrees。　　A　man　may　desire　to　go　to　Mecca。　　His　conscience
  tells　him　that　he　ought　to　go　to　Mecca。　　He　fares　forth；　either　by　the　aid　of
  Cook's；　or　unassisted；　he　may　probably　never　reach　Mecca；　he　may　drown
  before　he　gets　to　Port　Said；　he　may　perish　ingloriously　on　the　coast　of　the
  Red　Sea；　his　desire　may　remain　eternally　frustrate。　　Unfulfilled　aspiration
  may　always　trouble　him。　　But　he　will　not　be　tormented　in　the　same　way　as
  the　man　who；　desiring　to　reach　Mecca；　and　harried　by　the　desire　to　reach
  Mecca；　never　leaves　Brixton。
  It　is　something　to　have　left　Brixton。　　Most　of　us　have　not　left　Brixton。　　We
  have　not　even　taken　a　cab　to　Ludgate　Circus　and　inquired　from　Cook's　the
  price　of　a　conducted　tour。　　And　our　excuse　to　ourselves　is　that　there　are　only
  twenty…four　hours　in　the　day。
  If　we　further　analyse　our　vague；　uneasy　aspiration；　we　shall；　I　think；　see
  that　it　springs　from　a　fixed　idea　that　we　ought　to　do　something　in　addition
  to　those　things　which　we　are　loyally　and　morally　obliged　to　do。　　We　are
  obliged；　by　various　codes　written　and　unwritten；　to　maintain　ourselves
  and　our　families　（if　any）　in　health　and　comfort；　to　pay　our　debts；　to　save；
  to　increase　our　prosperity　by　increasing　our　efficiency。　　A　task　sufficiently
  difficult！　　A　task　which　very　few　of　us　achieve！　　A　task　often　beyond　our
  skill！　　yet；　if　we　succeed　in　it；　as　we　sometimes　do；　we　are　not　satisfied；　the
  skeleton　is　still　with　us。
  And　even　when　we　realise　tat　the　task　is　beyond　our　skill；　that　our　powers
  cannot　cope　with　it；　we　feel　that　we　should　be　less　discontented　if　we　gave
  to　our　powers；　already　overtaxed；　something　still　further　to　do。
  And　such　is；　indeed；　the　fact。　　The　wish　to　accomplish　something　outside
  their　form