| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Misalliance by George Bernard Shaw: slave of a theory. You and Lord Summerhays are experienced married
men. If you can tell me of any trustworthy method of selecting a
wife, I shall be happy to make use of it. I await your suggestions.
_[He looks with polite attention to Lord Summerhays, who, having
nothing to say, avoids his eye. He looks to Tarleton, who purses his
lips glumly and rattles his money in his pockets without a word]._
Apparently neither of you has anything to suggest. Then Patsy will do
as well as another, provided the money is forthcoming.
HYPATIA. Oh, you beauty, you beauty!
TARLETON. When I married Patsy's mother, I was in love with her.
PERCIVAL. For the first time?
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Euthydemus by Plato: dispute any longer about nominalism and realism. We do not confuse the
form with the matter of knowledge, or invent laws of thought, or imagine
that any single science furnishes a principle of reasoning to all the rest.
Neither do we require categories or heads of argument to be invented for
our use. Those who have no knowledge of logic, like some of our great
physical philosophers, seem to be quite as good reasoners as those who
have. Most of the ancient puzzles have been settled on the basis of usage
and common sense; there is no need to reopen them. No science should raise
problems or invent forms of thought which add nothing to knowledge and are
of no use in assisting the acquisition of it. This seems to be the natural
limit of logic and metaphysics; if they give us a more comprehensive or a
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Young Forester by Zane Grey: producing leaves. As a consequence these branches die. Then they dry, rot,
and fall off, so when the trees mature they are clean-shafted. They have
fine, clear trunks. They have cleaned themselves, and so make the best of
lumber, free from knots."
So our talk went on. Once in town I was impatient to write to my father,
for we had decided that we would not telegraph. Leaving our horses in
Cless's corral, we went to the hotel and proceeded to compose the letter.
This turned out more of a task than we had bargained for. But we got it
finished at last, not forgetting to put in a word for Jim Williams, and
then we both signed it.
"There!" I cried. "Dick, something will be doing round Holston before many
The Young Forester |
