| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Sanitary and Social Lectures by Charles Kingsley: Constantinople: then, at least, you saw baths, and used them; and
felt, after the bath, that you were civilised men, and not
'sordidi ac foetentes,' as we used to call you when fresh out of
your bullock-waggons and cattle-pens. How is it that you have
forgotten that lesson?"
The minister, I fear, would have to answer that our ancestors were
barbarous enough, not only to destroy the Roman cities, and
temples, and basilicas, and statues, but the Roman baths likewise;
and then retired, each man to his own freehold in the country, to
live a life not much more cleanly or more graceful than that of
the swine which were his favourite food. But he would have a
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Wrong Box by Stevenson & Osbourne: 'Go abroad?' repeated John eagerly. 'Why shouldn't I go at once?
Tell 'em that Joseph and I are seeing life in Paris.'
'Nonsense,' said Morris.
'Well, but look here,' said John; 'it's this house, it's such a
pig-sty, it's so dreary and damp. You said yourself that it was
damp.'
'Only to the carpenter,' Morris distinguished, 'and that was to
reduce the rent. But really, you know, now we're in it, I've seen
worse.'
'And what am I to do?' complained the victim. 'How can I
entertain a friend?'
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson by Robert Louis Stevenson: figures: I should guess it nearer twelve; but let me take credit
for what residents allege; and I was riding again the day after, so
I need say no more about health. Honolulu does not agree with me
at all: I am always out of sorts there, with slight headache,
blood to the head, etc. I had a good deal of work to do and did it
with miserable difficulty; and yet all the time I have been gaining
strength, as you see, which is highly encouraging. By the time I
am done with this cruise I shall have the material for a very
singular book of travels: names of strange stories and characters,
cannibals, pirates, ancient legends, old Polynesian poetry, - never
was so generous a farrago. I am going down now to get the story of
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