The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Cratylus by Plato: indicative equally with those which are like, if they are sanctioned by
custom and convention. And even supposing that you distinguish custom from
convention ever so much, still you must say that the signification of words
is given by custom and not by likeness, for custom may indicate by the
unlike as well as by the like. But as we are agreed thus far, Cratylus
(for I shall assume that your silence gives consent), then custom and
convention must be supposed to contribute to the indication of our
thoughts; for suppose we take the instance of number, how can you ever
imagine, my good friend, that you will find names resembling every
individual number, unless you allow that which you term convention and
agreement to have authority in determining the correctness of names? I
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Unconscious Comedians by Honore de Balzac: picture the public should hear music a la Beethoven to develop its
ideas and bring them within range of the intellect by two arts. Ah! if
the government would only lend me one of the galleries of the Louvre!"
"I'll mention it, if you want me to do so; you should never neglect an
opportunity to strike minds."
"Ah! my friends are preparing articles; but I am afraid they'll go too
far."
"Pooh!" said Bixiou, "they can't go as far as the future."
Dubourdieu looked askance at Bixiou, and continued his way.
"Why, he's mad," said Gazonal; "he is following the moon in her
courses."
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from A Tramp Abroad by Mark Twain: and no taxes to pay, so lavishly do they use it.
The streets are extravagantly wide, the paved squares
are prodigious, the houses are huge and handsome,
and compacted into uniform blocks that stretch away as
straight as an arrow, into the distance. The sidewalks
are about as wide as ordinary European STREETS, and are
covered over with a double arcade supported on great stone
piers or columns. One walks from one end to the other
of these spacious streets, under shelter all the time,
and all his course is lined with the prettiest of shops
and the most inviting dining-houses.
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