| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Christ in Flanders by Honore de Balzac: by religion--a myth, the blossom of imaginative fancy; an allegory
that the wise may interpret to suit themselves. To each his own
pasturage, and the task of separating the tares from the wheat.
The boat that served to carry passengers from the Island of Cadzand to
Ostend was upon the point of departure; but before the skipper loosed
the chain that secured the shallop to the little jetty, where people
embarked, he blew a horn several times, to warn late lingerers, this
being his last journey that day. Night was falling. It was scarcely
possible to see the coast of Flanders by the dying fires of the
sunset, or to make out upon the hither shore any forms of belated
passengers hurrying along the wall of the dykes that surrounded the
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from O Pioneers! by Willa Cather: heart. She tried to be patient with her hus-
band. He and his hired man usually played Cal-
ifornia Jack in the evening. Marie sat sew-
ing or crocheting and tried to take a friendly
interest in the game, but she was always
thinking about the wide fields outside, where
the snow was drifting over the fences; and
about the orchard, where the snow was falling
and packing, crust over crust. When she went
out into the dark kitchen to fix her plants
for the night, she used to stand by the window
O Pioneers! |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Apology by Plato: sons were foals or calves, there would be no difficulty in finding some one
to put over them; we should hire a trainer of horses, or a farmer probably,
who would improve and perfect them in their own proper virtue and
excellence; but as they are human beings, whom are you thinking of placing
over them? Is there any one who understands human and political virtue?
You must have thought about the matter, for you have sons; is there any
one?' 'There is,' he said. 'Who is he?' said I; 'and of what country? and
what does he charge?' 'Evenus the Parian,' he replied; 'he is the man, and
his charge is five minae.' Happy is Evenus, I said to myself, if he really
has this wisdom, and teaches at such a moderate charge. Had I the same, I
should have been very proud and conceited; but the truth is that I have no
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