| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Lair of the White Worm by Bram Stoker: "Would it not be well, sir, if one of us could see this monster in
her real shape at close quarters? I am willing to run the risk--for
I take it there would be no slight risk in the doing. I don't
suppose anyone of our time has seen her close and lived to tell the
tale."
Sir Nathaniel held up an expostulatory hand.
"Good God, lad, what are you suggesting? Think of your wife, and
all that is at stake."
"It is of Mimi that I think--for her sake that I am willing to risk
whatever is to be risked."
Adam's young bride was proud of her man, but she blanched at the
Lair of the White Worm |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Wife, et al by Anton Chekhov: written by serious Russians, but even works translated or edited
by them. The pretentious, edifying tone of the preface; the
redundancy of remarks made by the translator, which prevent me
from concentrating my attention; the question marks and "sic" in
parenthesis scattered all over the book or article by the liberal
translator, are to my mind an outrage on the author and on my
independence as a reader.
Once I was summoned as an expert to a circuit court; in an
interval one of my fellow-experts drew my attention to the
rudeness of the public prosecutor to the defendants, among whom
there were two ladies of good education. I believe I did not
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Chinese Boy and Girl by Isaac Taylor Headland: call in the passing showman and allow him to perform, which would
serve the triple purpose of furnishing relaxation and instruction
for yourself, entertainment for the children, and business for
the showman.
This however proved to be not the monkey show but Punch and Judy,
a species of entertainment for children, the exact counterpart of
our own entertainment of that name. It may be of interest to
young readers to know how this show originated, and I doubt not
it will be a surprise to some older ones to know that it dates
back to about the year 1000 B. C.
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