| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from A Straight Deal by Owen Wister: do you think is the best foundation for the League of Nations? Do you
imagine that so long as nations do not like each other, that mere words
of good intention, written on mere paper, are going to be enough? Write
down the words by all means, but see to it that behind your words there
shall exist actual good will. Discourage histories for children (and for
grown-ups too) which breed international dislike. Such exist among us
all. There is a recent one, written in England, that needs some changes.
Should an Englishman say to me:
"I have the will to friendship. Is there any particular thing which I can
do to help?" I should answer him:
"Just now, or in any days to come, should you be tempted to remind us
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Whirligigs by O. Henry: residence of the Van Plushvelts.
The Van Plushvelts have a hundred million dollars,
and their name is a household word with tradesmen and
photographers.
On the fifteenth of June the Van Plushvelts boarded
up the front door of their city house, carefully deposited
their cat on the sidewalk, instructed the caretaker not
to allow it to eat any of the ivy on the walls, and whizzed
away in a 40-horse-power to Fishampton to stray alone
the shade -- Amaryllis not being in their class. If
a subscriber to the Toadies' Magazine, you have
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Emerald City of Oz by L. Frank Baum: "Ah ha!" laughed the General, who was now on the mountain path.
"I fooled you that time."
"So you did; and perhaps you fooled yourself," retorted the alligator.
"Go up the mountain, if you dare, and find out what the First and
Foremost will do to you!"
"I will," declared Guph, boldly; and on he went up the path.
At first the scene was wild enough, but gradually it grew more and
more awful in appearance. All the rocks had the shapes of frightful
beings and even the tree trunks were gnarled and twisted like serpents.
Suddenly there appeared before the Nome a man with the head of an owl.
His body was hairy like that of an ape, and his only clothing was a
The Emerald City of Oz |
