| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Somebody's Little Girl by Martha Young: And Sister Helen Vincula said: ``Now, will you stay right here on
this stone bench till I come back for you?''
Bessie Bell said, ``Yes, Sister Helen Vincula.''
So Sister Helen Vincula went away across the long bridge to see the
ladies and to tell them Good-bye.
Bessie Bell did not know much about going away, and she did not
understand about it at all, so she did not care at all about it.
She just sat on the stone bench with her little pink hands folded on
her blue checked apron, and looked at the children in their
prettiest clothes, and at the babies, and at the parasols.
She loved so to look, and she loved so to listen to the pretty gay
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from La Grande Breteche by Honore de Balzac: estate of the late Madame de Merret. We have done nothing there but
verify the number of doors and windows to assess the taxes I have to
pay annually out of the funds left for that purpose by the late Madame
de Merret. Ah! my dear sir, her will made a great commotion in the
town.'
"The good man paused to blow his nose. I respected his volubility,
perfectly understanding that the administration of Madame de Merret's
estate had been the most important event of his life, his reputation,
his glory, his Restoration. As I was forced to bid farewell to my
beautiful reveries and romances, I was to reject learning the truth on
official authority.
La Grande Breteche |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Symposium by Plato: in whose footsteps let every man follow, chanting a strain of love. Such
is the discourse, half playful, half serious, which I dedicate to the god.
The turn of Socrates comes next. He begins by remarking satirically that
he has not understood the terms of the original agreement, for he fancied
that they meant to speak the true praises of love, but now he finds that
they only say what is good of him, whether true or false. He begs to be
absolved from speaking falsely, but he is willing to speak the truth, and
proposes to begin by questioning Agathon. The result of his questions may
be summed up as follows:--
Love is of something, and that which love desires is not that which love is
or has; for no man desires that which he is or has. And love is of the
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