| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Enemies of Books by William Blades: the volumes to their places, notice should be taken of the binding,
and especially when the books are in whole calf or morocco care
should be taken not to let them rub together. The best bound books
are soonest injured, and quickly deteriorate in bad company.
Certain volumes, indeed, have evil tempers, and will scratch
the faces of all their neighbours who are too familiar with them.
Such are books with metal clasps and rivets on their edges;
and such, again, are those abominable old rascals, chiefly born
in the fifteenth century, who are proud of being dressed in REAL
boards with brass corners, and pass their lives with fearful knobs and
metal bosses, mostly five in number, firmly fixed on one of their sides.
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton: confused and contradictory. To this end he had willingly
acquiesced in his removal to a large quiet establishment, with an
open space and trees about it, where he had found a number of
intelligent companions, some, like himself, engaged in preparing
or reviewing statements of their cases, and others ready to lend
an interested ear to his own recital.
For a time he was content to let himself go on the tranquil
current of this existence; but although his auditors gave him for
the most part an encouraging attention, which, in some, went the
length of really brilliant and helpful suggestion, he gradually
felt a recurrence of his old doubts. Either his hearers were not
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Laches by Plato: imposition, in either case such an acquirement is not worth having. For my
opinion is, that if the professor of this art be a coward, he will be
likely to become rash, and his character will be only more notorious; or if
he be brave, and fail ever so little, other men will be on the watch, and
he will be greatly traduced; for there is a jealousy of such pretenders;
and unless a man be pre-eminent in valour, he cannot help being ridiculous,
if he says that he has this sort of skill. Such is my judgment,
Lysimachus, of the desirableness of this art; but, as I said at first, ask
Socrates, and do not let him go until he has given you his opinion of the
matter.
LYSIMACHUS: I am going to ask this favour of you, Socrates; as is the more
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