| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Voyage of the Beagle by Charles Darwin: Quoy mentions this case of the Millepora; and I have heard
of stinging corals in the West Indies. Many marine animals
seem to have this power of stinging: besides the Portuguese
man-of-war, many jelly-fish, and the Aplysia or sea-slug
of the Cape de Verd Islands, it is stated in the voyage
of the Astrolabe, that an Actinia or sea-anemone, as well as
a flexible coralline allied to Sertularia, both possess this
means of offence or defence. In the East Indian sea, a
stinging sea-weed is said to be found.
Two species of fish, of the genus Scarus, which are common
here, exclusively feed on coral: both are coloured of a
The Voyage of the Beagle |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Symposium by Xenophon: whole community, should we not have found in this accomplished person
an arch-go-between?
Clearly so (they answered with one voice).
Soc. If then a man had power to make his clients altogether pleasing;
that man, I say, might justly pride himself upon his art, and should
by rights receive a large reward?[96]
[96] Or, "he deserves to do a rattling business," "to take handsome
fees." Cf. Sheridan's Mrs. Coupler, in "A Trip to Scarborough."
And when these propositions were agreed to also, he turned about and
said: Just such a man, I take it, is before you in the person of
Antisthenes![97]
The Symposium |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Historical Lecturers and Essays by Charles Kingsley: The old order changeth, giving place to the new;
And God fulfils Himself in many ways,
Lest one good custom should corrupt the world.
And that custom of conquest and empire and transplantation did more
than once corrupt the world. And yet in it, too, God may have more
than once fulfilled His own designs, as He did, if Scripture is to
be believed, in Cyrus, well surnamed the Great, the founder of the
Persian Empire some 2400 years ago. For these empires, it must be
remembered, did at least that which the Roman Empire did among a
scattered number of savage tribes, or separate little races, hating
and murdering each other, speaking different tongues, and
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