A child could have followed every point.

There could never have been a moment's doubt, even among his own followers, as to what a Palaeolithic statesman really meant to convey.

At the close of the contest the party who considered it had won the moral victory would be cleared away, or buried neatly on the spot, according to taste: and the discussion, until the arrival of the next generation, was voted closed.
All this must have been harassing, but it did serve to pass away the time.

Civilization has brought into being a section of the community with little else to do but to amuse itself.

For youth to play is natural; the young barbarian plays, the kitten plays, the colt gambols, the lamb skips.