| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Rise and Fall of Cesar Birotteau by Honore de Balzac: "Let us read the deeds before dinner," said Roguin; "we are all
alone."
Madame Ragon, Cesarine, and Constance left the contracting parties to
listen to the deeds read over to them by Alexandre Crottat. Cesar
signed, in favor of one of Roguin's clients, a mortgage bond for forty
thousand francs, on his grounds and manufactories in the Faubourg du
Temple; he turned over to Roguin Pillerault's cheque on the Bank of
France, and gave, without receipt, bills for twenty thousand francs
from his current funds, and notes for one hundred and forty thousand
francs payable to the order of Claparon.
"I have no receipt to give you," said Claparon; "you deal, for your
 Rise and Fall of Cesar Birotteau |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Crowd by Gustave le Bon: has supervened. The deceptions have been too great, the
disappointments too keen."[12]
[12] Taine, "Le Regime moderne," vol. ii., 1894. These pages are
almost the last that Taine wrote. They resume admirably the
results of the great philosopher's long experience.
Unfortunately they are in my opinion totally incomprehensible for
such of our university professors who have not lived abroad.
Education is the only means at our disposal of influencing to
some extent the mind of a nation, and it is profoundly saddening
to have to think that there is scarcely any one in France who can
arrive at understanding that our present system of teaching is a
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Spirit of the Border by Zane Grey: who had joined the group that Wetzel intended to shoot at a turtle on the log.
By straining his eyes Joe succeeded in distinguishing a small lump, which he
concluded was the turtle.
Wetzel took a step forward; the long, black rifle was raised with a stately
sweep. The instant it reached a level a thread of flame burst forth, followed
by a peculiarly clear, ringing report.
"Did he hit?" asked Colonel Zane, eagerly as a boy.
"I allow he did," answered Jonathan.
"I'll go and see," said Joe. He ran down the bank, along the beach, and
stepped on the log. He saw a turtle about the size of an ordinary saucer.
Picking it up, he saw a bullet-hole in the shell near the middle. The bullet
 The Spirit of the Border |