| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Witch, et. al by Anton Chekhov: coins, as though carefully matched, were new and glittered in the
sun. Trying to seem grave and sedate he pursed up his face and
puffed out his cheeks, and he smelt of spirits. Probably he had
visited the refreshment bar at every station. And again there was
a free-and-easiness about the man -- something superfluous and
out of place. Then Anisim had lunch and drank tea with the old
man, and Varvara turned the new coins over in her hand and
inquired about villagers who had gone to live in the town.
"They are all right, thank God, they get on quite well," said
Anisim. "Only something has happened to Ivan Yegorov: his old
wife Sofya Nikiforovna is dead. From consumption. They ordered
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Proposed Roads To Freedom by Bertrand Russell: remains an ideal to which we should wish to approach
as nearly as possible, and which, in some distant age,
we hope may be reached completely. Syndicalism
shares many of the defects of Anarchism, and, like it,
would prove unstable, since the need of a central
government would make itself felt almost at once.
The system we have advocated is a form of Guild
Socialism, leaning more, perhaps, towards Anarchism
than the official Guildsman would wholly approve. It
is in the matters that politicians usually ignore--
science and art, human relations, and the joy of life
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| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Voice of the City by O. Henry: John Hopkins sought to inject a few raisins of
conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.
"Putting a new elevator in at the office," he said,
discarding the nominative noun, "and the boss has
turned out his whiskers."
"You don't mean it! commented Mrs. Hopkins.
"Mr. Whipples," continued John, "wore his new
spring suit down to-day. I liked it fine It's a gray
with - " He stopped, suddenly stricken by a need
that made itself known to him. "I believe I'll walk
down to the corner and get a five-cent cigar,"he
The Voice of the City |
The fourth excerpt represents the element of Earth. It speaks of physical influences and the impact of the unseen on the visible world, and is drawn from Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbot: "This can never be," and on the other hand, "It must needs be
precisely thus, and we know all about it."
CONTENTS:
PART I: THIS WORLD
Section
1. Of the Nature of Flatland
2. Of the Climate and Houses in Flatland
3. Concerning the Inhabitants of Flatland
4. Concerning the Women
5. Of our Methods of Recognizing one another
6. Of Recognition by Sight
Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions |
