| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Euthyphro by Plato: dislike to innovations in religion in order to injure Socrates; at the same
time he is amusingly confident that he has weapons in his own armoury which
would be more than a match for him. He is quite sincere in his prosecution
of his father, who has accidentally been guilty of homicide, and is not
wholly free from blame. To purge away the crime appears to him in the
light of a duty, whoever may be the criminal.
Thus begins the contrast between the religion of the letter, or of the
narrow and unenlightened conscience, and the higher notion of religion
which Socrates vainly endeavours to elicit from him. 'Piety is doing as I
do' is the idea of religion which first occurs to him, and to many others
who do not say what they think with equal frankness. For men are not
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Rinkitink In Oz by L. Frank Baum: Majesty."
"It may be -- it may be," agreed Rinkitink, sadly.
"It is one of my greatest failings. But what chance
brought you here, my Lord Pinkerbloo?"
"We have searched for you everywhere, sire, and all
the people of Gilgad have been in despair since you so
mysteriously disappeared. We could not appoint a new
King, because we did not know but that you still lived;
so we set out to find you, dead or alive. After
visiting many islands of the Nonestic Ocean we at last
thought of Pingaree, from where come the precious
Rinkitink In Oz |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Tom Grogan by F. Hopkinson Smith: "Or ye thought, maybe, it was mean and cruel in me that I kep' him
a burden on the State, when I was able to care for him meself.
Well, ye'll think so no more."
Babcock began to see now why he had been sent for. His heart went
out to her all the more.
"Tom, is your husband dead?" he asked, with a quiver in his voice.
She never took her eyes from his face. Few people were ever
tender with her; they never seemed to think she needed it. She
read this man's sincerity and sympathy in his eyes; then she
answered slowly:--
"He is, Mr. Babcock."
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