| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from My Bondage and My Freedom by Frederick Douglass: have been driven to the wall; and while I believe we were able to
carry the conscience of the country against the action of the
Free Church, the battle, it must be confessed, was a hard-fought
one. Abler defenders of the doctrine of fellowshiping
slaveholders as christians, have not been met with. In defending
this doctrine, it was necessary to deny that slavery is a sin.
If driven from this position, they were compelled to deny that
slaveholders were responsible for the sin; and if driven from
both these positions, they must deny that it is a sin in such a
sense, and that slaveholders are sinners in such a sense, as to
make it wrong, in the circumstances in which they were placed, to
My Bondage and My Freedom |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Psychology of Revolution by Gustave le Bon: China is at the present time making a very interesting but
impossible experiment, in seeking, by means of the government,
suddenly to renew the institutions of the country. The
revolution which overturned the dynasty of her ancient sovereigns
was the indirect consequence of the discontent provoked by
reforms which the government had sought to impose with a view to
ameliorating the condition of China. The suppression of opium
and gaming, the reform of the army, and the creation of schools,
involved an increase of taxation which, as well as the reforms
themselves, greatly indisposed the general opinion.
A few cultured Chinese educated in the schools of Europe profited
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Dracula by Bram Stoker: Same day, later.--I have made the effort, and God helping me, have come
safely back to this room. I must put down every detail in order.
I went whilst my courage was fresh straight to the window on the south side,
and at once got outside on this side. The stones are big and roughly cut,
and the mortar has by process of time been washed away between them.
I took off my boots, and ventured out on the desperate way.
I looked down once, so as to make sure that a sudden glimpse of the awful
depth would not overcome me, but after that kept my eyes away from it.
I know pretty well the direction and distance of the Count's window, and made
for it as well as I could, having regard to the opportunities available.
I did not feel dizzy, I suppose I was too excited, and the time seemed
Dracula |
