| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Montezuma's Daughter by H. Rider Haggard: lime, and some of mud, which was filling rapidly with a vast number
of people, men women and children, who all stared at me as I went
towards the pyramid on the top of which the fire burned. At the
foot of this pyramid I was led into a little chamber hollowed in
its thickness, and here my dress was torn from me by more priests,
leaving me naked except for a cloth about my loins and a chaplet of
bright flowers which was set upon my head. In this chamber were
three other men, Indians, who from the horror on their faces I
judged to be also doomed to death.
Presently a drum began to beat high above us, and we were taken
from the chamber and placed in a procession of many priests, I
Montezuma's Daughter |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Vailima Prayers & Sabbath Morn by Robert Louis Stevenson: and the recitation in concert of the Lord's Prayer, also in Samoan.
Many of these hymns were set to ancient tunes, very wild and
warlike, and strangely at variance with the missionary words.
Sometimes a passing band of hostile warriors, with blackened faces,
would peer in at us through the open windows, and often we were
forced to pause until the strangely savage, monotonous noise of the
native drums had ceased; but no Samoan, nor, I trust, white person,
changed his reverent attitude. Once, I remember a look of
surprised dismay crossing the countenance of Tusitala when my son,
contrary to his usual custom of reading the next chapter following
that of yesterday, turned back the leaves of his Bible to find a
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Manon Lescaut by Abbe Prevost: greatest of your misfortunes is no doubt my presence, which has
been always an obstacle to your happiness. Open your eyes; look
up and see who it is that is here; you will not throw away tears
of tenderness upon an unhappy wretch whom you have betrayed and
abandoned.'
"She kissed my hands without changing her position. `Inconstant
Manon,' said I again, `ungrateful and faithless girl, where now
are all your promises and your vows? Capricious and cruel that
you are! what has now become of the love that you protested for
me this very day? Just Heavens,' added I, `is it thus you permit
a traitor to mock you, after having called you so solemnly to
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