| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Underground City by Jules Verne: James Starr and Simon Ford knew and esteemed each other well.
"Good-by, Simon," said the engineer.
"Good-by, Mr. Starr," replied the overman, "let me add,
till we meet again!"
"Yes, till we meet again. Ford!" answered James Starr. "You know
that I shall be always glad to see you, and talk over old times."
"I know that, Mr. Starr."
"My house in Edinburgh is always open to you."
"It's a long way off, is Edinburgh!" answered the man shaking his head.
"Ay, a long way from the Dochart pit."
"A long way, Simon? Where do you mean to live?"
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Market-Place by Harold Frederic: and the seven deadly sins. The barriers are down now.
Everything which used to be exclusively the nobleman's
is now within everybody's reach, including the sins.
And it is not only that others have levelled up to him;
they have levelled him down. He cannot dress now more
expensively than other people. Gambling used to be
recognized as one of his normal relaxations, but now,
the higher his rank, the more sharply he is scolded for it.
Naturally he does not know what to do with himself.
As an institution, he descends from a period when the only
imaginable use for wealth was to be magnificent with it.
The Market-Place |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Stories From the Old Attic by Robert Harris: a beautiful Old Master painting depicting youths and maidens
frolicking in a wood. The directors were only too glad to pay
millions for this painting because they were captivated by its
beauty and elegance. How delightfully the maidens' hair and mouths
were drawn, how perfectly the hands and arms of the youths, how
life-like the bare feet on the forest floor. But the curator of the
museum was the happiest one of all, for he had now become guardian
and protector of a famous work by a famous painter. "Every time I
look at that painting," he would say, "I see new beauties and
excellences. Just look at these leaves here, the sweep of the
branches from this tree, capturing just the hint of a breeze and
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