| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Alcibiades II by Platonic Imitator: am resolved to disobey none of his commands, if I am likely to be the
better for them.
SOCRATES: And surely he has a wondrous care for you.
ALCIBIADES: It seems to be altogether advisable to put off the sacrifice
until he is found.
SOCRATES: You are right: that will be safer than running such a
tremendous risk.
ALCIBIADES: But how shall we manage, Socrates?--At any rate I will set
this crown of mine upon your head, as you have given me such excellent
advice, and to the Gods we will offer crowns and perform the other
customary rites when I see that day approaching: nor will it be long
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Road to Oz by L. Frank Baum: need do is to dust myself with fresh sugar."
"Tik-tok always wears the same suits of clothes," said the Tin
Woodman; "and so does our friend the Scarecrow."
"My feathers are good enough for any occasion," cried Billina,
from her corner.
"Then I shall leave you four to welcome any new guests that come,"
said Dorothy; "for Button-Bright and I must look our very best at
Ozma's banquet."
"Who is still to come?" asked the Scarecrow.
"Well, there's King Kik-a-bray of Dunkiton, and Johnny Dooit, and the
Good Witch of the North. But Johnny Dooit may not get here until
The Road to Oz |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Enemies of Books by William Blades: the upper hand, retaliated with interest upon the pagan literature.
The Mohammedan reason for destroying books--"If they contain what is
in the Koran they are superfluous, and if they contain anything
opposed to it they are immoral," seems, indeed, _mutatis mutandis_,
to have been the general rule for all such devastators.
The Invention of Printing made the entire destruction of any author's
works much more difficult, so quickly and so extensively did books
spread through all lands. On the other hand, as books multiplied,
so did destruction go hand in hand with production, and soon
were printed books doomed to suffer in the same penal fires,
that up to then had been fed on MSS. only.
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