| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Rezanov by Gertrude Atherton: forever. The great Russian is free, but he is the
same, senorita--he too could kill for love, and such
are the men we women die for!"
Concha, ambitious and romantic, eager for the
brilliant life the advent of this Russian nobleman
seemed to herald, had assured Santiago that he
would love her; but they had been the empty words
of the Favorita of many conquests; of love and pas-
sion she had known, suspected, nothing. As she
watched Rosa, huddled and convulsed, little pointed
arrows flew into her brain. Girls in those old Span-
 Rezanov |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Soul of Man by Oscar Wilde: the keyhole. That is much worse. And what aggravates the mischief
is that the journalists who are most to blame are not the amusing
journalists who write for what are called Society papers. The harm
is done by the serious, thoughtful, earnest journalists, who
solemnly, as they are doing at present, will drag before the eyes
of the public some incident in the private life of a great
statesman, of a man who is a leader of political thought as he is a
creator of political force, and invite the public to discuss the
incident, to exercise authority in the matter, to give their views,
and not merely to give their views, but to carry them into action,
to dictate to the man upon all other points, to dictate to his
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Eugenie Grandet by Honore de Balzac: all, except in those of Eugenie, to whom it grew suddenly empty. She
wished, if it could be done unknown to her father, that Charles's room
might be kept as he had left it. Madame Grandet and Nanon were willing
accomplices in this /statu quo/.
"Who knows but he may come back sooner than we think for?" she said.
"Ah, don't I wish I could see him back!" answered Nanon. "I took to
him! He was such a dear, sweet young man,--pretty too, with his curly
hair." Eugenie looked at Nanon. "Holy Virgin! don't look at me that
way, mademoiselle; your eyes are like those of a lost soul."
From that day the beauty of Mademoiselle Grandet took a new character.
The solemn thoughts of love which slowly filled her soul, and the
 Eugenie Grandet |