| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Adam Bede by George Eliot: to spill a little by accident; but Mrs. Poyser (too officiously,
Tom thought) interfered to prevent the exaction of the penalty.
To any listener outside the door it would have been the reverse of
obvious why the "Drink, boys, drink!" should have such an
immediate and often-repeated encore; but once entered, he would
have seen that all faces were at present sober, and most of them
serious--it was the regular and respectable thing for those
excellent farm-labourers to do, as much as for elegant ladies and
gentlemen to smirk and bow over their wine-glasses. Bartle
Massey, whose ears were rather sensitive, had gone out to see what
sort of evening it was at an early stage in the ceremony, and had
Adam Bede |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Inaugural Address by John F. Kennedy: born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace,
proud of our ancient heritage. . .and unwilling to witness or permit the slow
undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed,
and to which we are committed today. . .at home and around the world.
Let every nation know. . .whether it wishes us well or ill. . .
that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship,
support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and
the success of liberty. This much we pledge. . .and more.
To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share:
we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. United. . .there is
little we cannot do in a host of co-operative ventures.
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Polity of Athenians and Lacedaemonians by Xenophon: Lycurgus first came to deal with the question, the Spartans like the
rest of the Hellenes, used to mess privately at home. Tracing more
than half the current misdemeanours to this custom,[2] he was
determined to drag his people out of holes and corners into the broad
daylight, and so he invented the public mess-rooms. Whereby he
expected at any rate to minimise the transgression of orders.
[1] Lit. "with each age."; see Plut. "Lycurg." 25; Hesychius, {s. u.
irinies}; "Hell." VI. iv. 17; V. iv. 13.
[2] Reading after Cobet, {en touto}.
As to food,[3] his ordinance allowed them so much as, while not
inducing repletion, should guard them from actual want. And, in fact,
|
