| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from New Arabian Nights by Robert Louis Stevenson: should deign to recognise his presence.
Perhaps five minutes had elapsed before the man turned leisurely
about, and disclosed the features of Prince Florizel of Bohemia.
"So, sir," he said, with great severity, "this is the manner in
which you abuse my politeness. You join yourselves to persons of
condition, I perceive, for no other purpose than to escape the
consequences of your crimes; and I can readily understand your
embarrassment when I addressed myself to you yesterday."
"Indeed," cried Silas, "I am innocent of everything except
misfortune."
And in a hurried voice, and with the greatest ingenuousness, he
|
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Menexenus by Plato: in your lives, no one will welcome or receive you. This is the message
which is to be delivered to our children.
'Some of us have fathers and mothers still living, and we would urge them,
if, as is likely, we shall die, to bear the calamity as lightly as
possible, and not to condole with one another; for they have sorrows
enough, and will not need any one to stir them up. While we gently heal
their wounds, let us remind them that the Gods have heard the chief part of
their prayers; for they prayed, not that their children might live for
ever, but that they might be brave and renowned. And this, which is the
greatest good, they have attained. A mortal man cannot expect to have
everything in his own life turning out according to his will; and they, if
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Ancient Regime by Charles Kingsley: for that is the whole duty of main," Le Sage sends forth the new
conclusion, "Take care of thyself, and feed on thy neighbours, for
that is the whole duty of man." And very faithfully was his advice
(easy enough to obey at all times) obeyed for nearly a century after
"Gil Blas" appeared.
About the same time there appeared, by a remarkable coincidence,
another work, like it the child of the Ancien Regime, and yet as
opposite to it as light to darkness. If Le Sage drew men as they
were, Fenelon tried at least to draw them as they might have been
and still might be, were they governed by sages and by saints,
according to the laws of God. "Telemaque" is an ideal--imperfect,
|
