| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table by Oliver Wendell Holmes: on the key and the man of facts asserts his true dignity. I have
known three of these men of facts, at least, who were always
formidable, - and one of them was tyrannical.
- Yes, a man sometimes makes a grand appearance on a particular
occasion; but these men knew something about almost everything, and
never made mistakes. - He? VENEERS in first-rate style. The
mahogany scales off now and then in spots, and then you see the
cheap light stuff - I found - very fine in conversational
information, the other day when we were in company. The talk ran
upon mountains. He was wonderfully well acquainted with the
leading facts about the Andes, the Apennines, and the Appalachians;
The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Paz by Honore de Balzac: he left his bed, went out, tried a few amusements, and recovered his
health.
About the end of February Adam lost a large sum of money at the
Jockey-Club, and as he was afraid of his wife, he begged Thaddeus to
let the sum appear in the accounts as if he had spent it on Malaga.
"There's nothing surprising in your spending that sum on the girl; but
if the countess finds out that I have lost it at cards I shall be
lowered in her opinion, and she will always be suspicious in future."
"Ha! this, too!" exclaimed Thaddeus, with a sigh.
"Now, Thaddeus, if you will do me this service we shall be forever
quits,--though, indeed, I am your debtor now."
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Astoria by Washington Irving: the execution of it, on the part of the projector. It was a
magnificent enterprise; well concerted and carried on, without
regard to difficulties or expense. A succession of adverse
circumstances and cross purposes, however, beset it almost from
the outset; some of them, in fact, arising from neglect of the
orders and instructions of Mr. Astor. The first crippling blow
was the loss of the Tonquin, which clearly would not have
happened, had Mr. Astor's earnest injunctions with regard to the
natives been attended to. Had this ship performed her voyage
prosperously, and revisited Astoria in due time, the trade of the
establishment would have taken its preconcerted course, and the
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