| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Oscar Wilde Miscellaneous by Oscar Wilde: Beardsley's illustrations are too well known to need more than a
passing reference. In the world of art criticism they excited
almost as much attention as Wilde's drama has excited in the world
of intellect.
During May 1905 the play was produced in England for the first time
at a private performance by the New Stage Club. No one present will
have forgotten the extraordinary tension of the audience on that
occasion, those who disliked the play and its author being
hypnotised by the extraordinary power of Mr. Robert Farquharson's
Herod, one of the finest pieces of acting ever seen in this country.
My friends the dramatic critics (and many of them are personal
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Coxon Fund by Henry James: the chance of a lecture--one of the wonderful lectures? Isn't
there another course announced?"
"Another? There are about thirty!" I exclaimed, turning away and
feeling Mrs. Saltram's little eyes in my back. A few days after
this I heard that Gravener's marriage was near at hand--was settled
for Whitsuntide; but as no invitation had reached me I had my
doubts, and there presently came to me in fact the report of a
postponement. Something was the matter; what was the matter was
supposed to be that Lady Coxon was now critically ill. I had
called on her after my dinner in the Regent's Park, but I had
neither seen her nor seen Miss Anvoy. I forget to-day the exact
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Records of a Family of Engineers by Robert Louis Stevenson: the 17th, the party, counting twenty-four in number, embarked
on board of the SMEATON about ten o'clock p.m., and sailed
from Arbroath with a gentle breeze at west. Our ship's
colours having been flying all day in compliment to the
commencement of the work, the other vessels in the harbour
also saluted, which made a very gay appearance. A number of
the friends and acquaintances of those on board having been
thus collected, the piers, though at a late hour, were
perfectly crowded, and just as the SMEATON cleared the
harbour, all on board united in giving three hearty cheers,
which were returned by those on shore in such good earnest,
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