| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Contrast by Royall Tyler: Congress, that a number of my brave old soldiers may
be put upon the pension-list, who were, at first, not
judged to be so materially wounded as to need the
public assistance. My sister says true [to Maria]: I
call my late soldiers my family. Those who were not
in the field in the late glorious contest, and those who
were, have their respective merits; but, I confess, my
old brother-soldiers are dearer to me than the former
description. Friendships made in adversity are last-
ping; our countrymen may forget us, but that is no
reason why we should forget one another. But I must
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Apology by Xenophon: [40] {sunagoreuein}, L. and S. cf Thuc. vi. 6, "partisans," viii. 84,
"pleaded the case of" (Jowett).
[41] Or, "laid the greatest stress of not being guilty of impiety";
"attached the greatest importance to the fact that he was never
guilty of impiety."
[42] {upotimasthai}. See L. Dind. cf. Cic. "Orat." i. 54; the
technical word is {antitimasthai}. Cf. Plat. "Apol." 36 D; Diog.
Laert. ii. 41. These authorities tell a different story. Why
should these stories, if true, as no doubt they were, be omitted?
[43] Cf. Plat. "Crit." 44 B.
When the trial drew to an end, we are told, the master said:[44]
The Apology |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Soul of the Far East by Percival Lowell: grandfather. On the contrary, it is the illustrious grandson who
reflects some of his own greatness back upon his grandfather. If a
man therefore fail to attain eminence himself, he always has another
chance in his descendants; for he will of necessity be ennobled
through the merits of those who succeed him. Such is the immemorial
law of the land. Fame is retroactive. This admirable system has
only one objection: it is posthumous in its effect. An ambitious
man who unfortunately lacks ability himself has to wait too long for
vicarious recognition. The objection is like that incident to the
making of a country seat out of a treeless plain by planting the
same with saplings. About the time the trees begin to be worth
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