| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Professor by Charlotte Bronte: I don't suppose you took appearance, or what is called LOVE, into
the account--for I understand she is older than you, and Brown
says, rather sensible-looking than beautiful. She, having then
no chance of making a better bargain, was at first inclined to
come to terms with you, but Pelet--the head or a flourishing
school--stepped in with a higher bid; she accepted, and he has
got her: a correct transaction--perfectly so--business-like and
legitimate. And now we'll talk of something else."
"Do," said I, very glad to dismiss the topic, and especially glad
to have baffled the sagacity of my cross-questioner--if, indeed,
I had baffled it; for though his words now led away from the
The Professor |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Lord Arthur Savile's Crime, etc. by Oscar Wilde: that had attracted his attention, and he told me that it was not
till he had had the chest in his possession for several days that
he had thought of making any careful examination of the inside.
One morning, however, he saw that one of the sides of the chest was
much thicker than the other, and looking more closely, he
discovered that a framed panel picture was clamped against it. On
taking it out, he found it was the picture that is now lying on the
sofa. It was very dirty, and covered with mould; but he managed to
clean it, and, to his great joy, saw that he had fallen by mere
chance on the one thing for which he had been looking. Here was an
authentic portrait of Mr. W. H., with his hand resting on the
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Democracy In America, Volume 1 by Alexis de Toqueville: instruction which awakens the understanding is not separated from
moral education which amends the heart. But I by no means
exaggerate this benefit, and I am still further from thinking, as
so many people do think in Europe, that men can be
instantaneously made citizens by teaching them to read and write.
True information is mainly derived from experience; and if the
Americans had not been gradually accustomed to govern themselves,
their book-learning would not assist them much at the present
day.
[Footnote j: I travelled along a portion of the frontier of the
United States in a sort of cart which was termed the mail. We
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