Gepaste boertery mag u, o jeugd vermaken / Doch volg geen guitentrek van Uilenspiegel op; / Blyf deugd en pligt verwand: -- dan zult gy vreugde smaken, / Dan stygt dit echt vermaek -- die zielsvreugd staêg ten top 1856 - 1900

This print by Glenisson & Zonen, presents a series of vignettes, each a moral lesson for the youth. Central to these scenes is the recurring figure of a mischievous boy, embodying a spirit akin to the medieval jester—a figure that reappears throughout visual culture. Consider the image of the boy falling from the horse and the one where he's fallen to the floor, presumably after playing a trick on the wolf: these echoes the trope of the "unruly child," a symbol present even in ancient Roman frescoes. This figure is a reminder of our own impulses, the primal urges that lie beneath the surface of civilized behavior. The lessons in the images seem to tell the youth to contain their spirit in order to rise to joy; this kind of virtue is a recurring theme in classical, religious and mythological artwork throughout history. The boy serves as a reminder that we are all capable of both great joy and great folly, and that the path to true fulfillment lies in finding a balance between the two.