| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Democracy In America, Volume 1 by Alexis de Toqueville: as much as possible, and they intrust the power of the whole
party to a very small number of leaders.
The members of these associations respond to a watchword,
like soldiers on duty; they profess the doctrine of passive
obedience; say rather, that in uniting together they at once
abjure the exercise of their own judgment and free will; and the
tyrannical control which these societies exercise is often far
more insupportable than the authority possessed over society by
the Government which they attack. Their moral force is much
diminished by these excesses, and they lose the powerful interest
which is always excited by a struggle between oppressors and the
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Tom Grogan by F. Hopkinson Smith: most important of the villages of Staten Island. In this call it
was most positively and clearly stated that the contract was to be
awarded to the lowest risponsible bidder who gave the proper
bonds. Two risponses were made to this call, wan by Mrs. Grogan,
acting on behalf of her husband,--well known to be a hopeless
cripple in wan of the many charitable institootions of our noble
State,--and the other by our distinguished fellow-townsman, Mr.
Daniel McGaw, whom I have the honor to ripresint. With that
strict sinse of justice which has always characterized the
decisions of this honorable boord, the contract was promptly
awarded to Thomas Grogan, he being the lowest bidder; and my
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Dead Souls by Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol: stamped paper you have!" (she had peered into the dispatch-box, where,
sure enough, there lay a further store of the paper in question).
"Would you mind letting me have a sheet of it? I am without any at
all, although I shall soon have to be presenting a plea to the land
court, and possess not a morsel of paper to write it on."
Upon this Chichikov explained that the paper was not the sort proper
for the purpose--that it was meant for serf-indenturing, and not for
the framing of pleas. Nevertheless, to quiet her, he gave her a sheet
stamped to the value of a rouble. Next, he handed her the letter to
sign, and requested, in return, a list of her peasants. Unfortunately,
such a list had never been compiled, let alone any copies of it, and
Dead Souls |
