| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Alexandria and her Schools by Charles Kingsley: be regarded by the cultivated Alexandrian as anything but a barbaric
superstition. One eastern nation had intermingled closely with the
Macedonian race, and from it Alexandrian thought received a new impulse.
I mentioned in my first lecture the conciliatory policy which the
Ptolemies had pursued toward the Jews. Soter had not only allowed but
encouraged them to settle in Alexandria and Egypt, granting them the
same political privileges with the Macedonians and other Greeks. Soon
they built themselves a temple there, in obedience to some supposed
prophecy in their sacred writings, which seems most probably to have
been a wilful interpolation. Whatsoever value we may attach to the
various myths concerning the translation of their Scriptures into Greek,
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Polity of Athenians and Lacedaemonians by Xenophon: contrary, the stronger a man is the more readily does he bow before
constituted authority. And indeed, they magnify themselves on their
humility, and on a prompt obedience, running, or at any rate not
crawling with laggard step, at the word of command. Such an example of
eager discipline, they are persuaded, set by themselves, will not fail
to be followed by the rest. And this is precisely what has taken
place. It[4] is reasonable to suppose that it was these same noblest
members of the state who combined[5] to lay the foundation of the
ephorate, after they had come to the conclusion themselves, that of
all the blessings which a state, or an army, or a household, can
enjoy, obedience is the greatest. Since, as they could not but reason,
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson: since they had come together to the doors of the Moat House the
younger lad had disappeared, and Dick began to weary for a word
with him.
About an hour after, mass being somewhat hastily run through by Sir
Oliver, the company gathered in the hall for dinner. It was a
long, low apartment, strewn with green rushes, and the walls hung
with arras in a design of savage men and questing bloodhounds; here
and there hung spears and bows and bucklers; a fire blazed in the
big chimney; there were arras-covered benches round the wall, and
in the midst the table, fairly spread, awaited the arrival of the
diners. Neither Sir Daniel nor his lady made their appearance.
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