| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The New Machiavelli by H. G. Wells: universal education grew to paramount importance in my political
scheme. It is but a short step from this to the question of the
quantity and quality of births in the community, and from that again
to these forbidden and fear-beset topics of marriage, divorce, and
the family organisation. A sporadic discussion of these aspects had
been going on for years, a Eugenic society existed, and articles on
the Falling Birth Rate, and the Rapid Multiplication of the Unfit
were staples of the monthly magazines. But beyond an intermittent
scolding of prosperous childless people in general--one never
addressed them in particular--nothing was done towards arresting
those adverse processes. Almost against my natural inclination, I
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Polly of the Circus by Margaret Mayo: "What IS goin' on?" shrieked the now desperate deacon.
The women looked at him pityingly, exchanged knowing glances,
then shook their heads at his hopeless stupidity.
Strong was not accustomed to criticism. He prided himself upon
his acuteness, and was, above all, vain about his connection with
the church. He looked from one woman to the other. He was
seething with helpless rage. The little deacon at his side
coughed nervously. Strong's pent up wrath exploded. "Why didn't
YOU tell me, Elverson, that people was a-talkin'," he roared in
the frightened man's ear.
Elverson sputtered and stammered, but nothing definite came of
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Firm of Nucingen by Honore de Balzac: sum of it all!--There is no religion left in the State!"
"Oh, bravo, Blondet!" cried Bixiou, "thou hast set thy finger on the
weak spot. Meddlesome taxation has lost us more victories here in
France than the vexatious chances of war. I once spent seven years in
the hulks of a government department, chained with bourgeois to my
bench. There was a clerk in the office, a man with a head on his
shoulders; he had set his mind upon making a sweeping reform of the
whole fiscal system--ah, well, we took the conceit out of him nicely.
France might have been too prosperous, you know she might have amused
herself by conquering Europe again; we acted in the interests of the
peace of nations. I slew Rabourdin with a caricature."[*]
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