| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Barlaam and Ioasaph by St. John of Damascus: store by seizing for thyself the goods of others? Nay, thou
carest not for the weal of the many, but fattenest thine own
flesh, to be meat for the worms to feed on. Wherefore also thou
hast denied the God of all, and called them gods that are not,
the inventors of all wickedness, in order that, by wantonness and
wickedness after their example, thou mayest gain the title of
imitator of the gods. For, as your gods have done, why should
not also the men that follow them do? Great then is the error
that thou hast erred, O king. Thou fearest that we should
persuade certain of the people to join with us, and revolt from
thy hand, and place themselves in that hand that holdeth all
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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: Socrates in the case of Phaedo (his beloved disciple). "He stroked
my head and pressed the hair upon my neck--he had a way of playing
with my air; and then he said: 'To-morrow, Phaedo, I suppose that
these fair locks of yours will be severed.'"
It is also said that, seeing Anytus[55] pass by, Socrates remarked:
"How proudly the great man steps; he thinks, no doubt, he has
performed some great and noble deed in putting me to death, and all
because, seeing him deemed worthy of the highest honours of the state,
I told him it ill became him to bring up his so in a tan-yard.[56]
What a scamp the fellow is! he appears not to know that of us two
whichever has achieved what is best and noblest for all future time is
The Apology |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from McTeague by Frank Norris: fact."
"Sure, sure, drinks, that's the word."
At the bar Heise and Ryer ordered cocktails, Marcus called
for a "creme Yvette" in order to astonish the others. The
dentist spoke for a glass of beer.
"Say, look here," suddenly exclaimed Heise as they took
their glasses. "Look here, you fellahs," he had turned to
Marcus and the dentist. "You two fellahs have had a grouch
at each other for the last year or so; now what's the matter
with your shaking hands and calling quits?"
McTeague was at once overcome with a great feeling of
McTeague |
