| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Essays of Travel by Robert Louis Stevenson: passage did he give a shadow of offence; yet he was always, by his
innocent freedoms and love of fun, brought upon that narrow margin
where politeness must be natural to walk without a fall. He was once
seriously angry, and that in a grave, quiet manner, because they
supplied no fish on Friday; for Barney was a conscientious Catholic.
He had likewise strict notions of refinement; and when, late one
evening, after the women had retired, a young Scotsman struck up an
indecent song, Barney's drab clothes were immediately missing from
the group. His taste was for the society of gentlemen, of whom, with
the reader's permission, there was no lack in our five steerages and
second cabin; and he avoided the rough and positive with a girlish
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Land of Footprints by Stewart Edward White: returned after a few moments carrying a bunch of the small eating
bananas which she laid at our feet. Billy fished some beads out
of her saddle bags, and presented them. Friendly relations having
been thus fully established, two or three of the women scurried
hastily away, to return a few moments later each with her small
child. To these infants they carefully and earnestly pointed out
Billy and her wonders, talking in a tongue unknown to us. The
admonition undoubtedly ran something like this:
"Now, my child, look well at this: for when you get to be a very
old person you will be able to look back at the day when with
your own eyes you beheld a white woman. See all the strange
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Jungle by Upton Sinclair: considered that the representation of things in their present similarity
might be altogether unintelligible upon a more elevated plane. There were
assuredly wonderful mysteries about the developing of these things; and
then, becoming confidential, Mr. Finnegan proceeded to tell of some
discoveries of his own. "If ye have iver had onything to do wid
shperrits," said he, and looked inquiringly at Jurgis, who kept shaking
his head. "Niver mind, niver mind," continued the other, "but their
influences may be operatin' upon ye; it's shure as I'm tellin' ye, it's
them that has the reference to the immejit surroundin's that has the most
of power. It was vouchsafed to me in me youthful days to be acquainted
with shperrits" and so Tommy Finnegan went on, expounding a system of
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