| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Modeste Mignon by Honore de Balzac: period of her life from seeking to enter a cloister. But this sense of
satiety cast her, saturated as she still was with Catholic
spirituality, into the love of Good, the infinite of heaven. She
conceived of charity, service to others, as the true occupation of
life; but she cowered in the gloomy dreariness of finding in it no
food for the fancy that lay crouching in her heart like an insect at
the bottom of a calyx. Meanwhile she sat tranquilly sewing garments
for the children of the poor, and listening abstractedly to the
grumblings of Monsieur Latournelle when Dumay held the thirteenth card
or drew out his last trump.
Her religious faith drove Modeste for a time into a singular track of
Modeste Mignon |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Bureaucracy by Honore de Balzac: another member of the clique. The clever heads in the offices laughed
much at this alliance of incapables. Bixiou named Baudoyer, Godard,
and Dutocq a "Trinity without the Spirit," and little La Billardiere
the "Pascal Lamb."
"You are early this morning," said Antoine to Dutocq, laughing.
"So are you, Antoine," answered Dutocq; "you see, the newspapers do
come earlier than you let us have them at the office."
"They did to-day, by chance," replied Antoine, not disconcerted; "they
never come two days together at the same hour."
The two nephews looked at each other as if to say, in admiration of
their uncle, "What cheek he has!"
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Common Sense by Thomas Paine: temper of a nation, when nothing but personal matters are the ground
of a quarrel, that Henry was taken in triumph from a prison to a palace,
and Edward obliged to fly from a palace to a foreign land; yet,
as sudden transitions of temper are seldom lasting, Henry in his turn
was driven from the throne, and Edward recalled to succeed him.
The parliament always following the strongest side.
This contest began in the reign of Henry the Sixth, and was not entirely
extinguished till Henry the Seventh, in whom the families were united.
Including a period of 67 years, viz. from 1422 to 1489.
In short, monarchy and succession have laid (not this or that kingdom only)
but the world in blood and ashes. Tis a form of government which the word
Common Sense |
