| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Underground City by Jules Verne: The passage, after ascending obliquely to the surface of the ground,
led out directly among the ruins of Dundonald Castle.
There was, therefore, a communication between New Aberfoyle and the hills
crowned by this ancient castle. The upper entrance to this gallery,
being completely concealed by stones and brushwood, was invisible
from without; at the time of their search, therefore, the magistrates
had been able to discover nothing.
A few days afterwards, James Starr, guided by Harry, came himself to
inspect this curious natural opening into the coal mine. "Well," said he,
"here is enough to convince the most superstitious among us.
Farewell to all their brownies, goblins, and fire-maidens now!"
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Dreams by Olive Schreiner: some lay on her knee and half covered the book that rested there. She
watched the needle go in and out; and the dreary hum of the bees and the
noise of the children's voices became a confused murmur in her ears, as she
worked slowly and more slowly. Then the bees, the long-legged wasp-like
fellows who make no honey, flew closer and closer to her head, droning.
Then she grew more and more drowsy, and she laid her hand, with the
stocking over it, on the edge of the table, and leaned her head upon it.
And the voices of the children outside grew more and more dreamy, came now
far, now near; then she did not hear them, but she felt under her heart
where the ninth child lay. Bent forward and sleeping there, with the bees
flying about her head, she had a weird brain-picture; she thought the bees
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Statesman by Plato: STRANGER: To resume:--Do you remember that we spoke of a command-for-self
exercised over animals, not singly but collectively, which we called the
art of rearing a herd?
YOUNG SOCRATES: Yes, I remember.
STRANGER: There, somewhere, lay our error; for we never included or
mentioned the Statesman; and we did not observe that he had no place in our
nomenclature.
YOUNG SOCRATES: How was that?
STRANGER: All other herdsmen 'rear' their herds, but this is not a
suitable term to apply to the Statesman; we should use a name which is
common to them all.
Statesman |
