| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Two Brothers by Honore de Balzac: life of pleasure. Philippe shared the gay amusements of Tullia, a
leading singer at the Opera, of Florentine, who took Mariette's place
at the Porte-Saint-Martin, of Florine and Matifat, Coralie and
Camusot. After four o'clock, when he left his office, until midnight,
he amused himself; some party of pleasure had usually been arranged
the night before,--a good dinner, a card-party, a supper by some one
or other of the set. Philippe was in his element.
This carnival, which lasted eighteen months, was not altogether
without its troubles. The beautiful Mariette no sooner appeared at the
Opera, in January, 1821, than she captured one of the most
distinguished dukes of the court of Louis XVIII. Philippe tried to
|
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Ancient Regime by Charles Kingsley: schloss desecrated by tourists, and the neue schloss converted into
a cold-water cure. How sad to see the village, church and all,
built up again brand-new, and whitewashed to the very steeple-top;--
a new school at the town-end--a new crucifix by the wayside. How
sad to see the old folk well clothed in the fabrics of England or
Belgium, doing an easy trade in milk and fruit, because the land
they till has become their own, and not the prince's; while their
sons are thriving farmers on the prairies of the far West. Very
unpicturesque, no doubt, is wealth and progress, peace and safety,
cleanliness and comfort. But they possess advantages unknown to the
Ancien Regime, which was, if nothing else, picturesque. Men could
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Koran: therein-a great thing to the idolaters is that which ye call them
to! God elects for Himself whom He pleases and guides unto Himself him
who turns repentant.
But they did not part into sects until after the knowledge had
come to them, through mutual envy; and had it not been for thy
Lord's word already passed for an appointed time, it would surely have
been decided between them; but, verily, those who have been given
the Book as an inheritance after them, are in hesitating doubt
concerning it.
Wherefore call thou, and go straight on as thou art bidden, and
follow not their lusts; and say, 'I believe in the Book which God
The Koran |
