| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Crisis in Russia by Arthur Ransome: Griaznovskaya.............65................45
Medianskaya..............105................90
Dobruzhskaya.............186...............250
Belgiiskaya..............127................85
Ropshinskaya..............85................55]
But this uneven working temperament was characteristic of
the Russian before the war as well as now. It has been said
that the revolution removed the stimulus to labor, and left the
Russian laziness to have its way. In the first period
of the revolution that may have been true. It is becoming
day by day less true. The fundamental reasons of low
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from A Footnote to History by Robert Louis Stevenson: government or support himself long in sole power "without very
energetic foreign help." Of what help was the consul thinking?
There was no helper in the field but Germany. On the 15th he had
an interview with the victor; told him that Tamasese's was the only
government recognised by Germany, and that he must continue to
recognise it till he received "other instructions from his
government, whom he was now advising of the late events"; refused,
accordingly, to withdraw the guard from the isthmus; and desired
Mataafa, "until the arrival of these fresh instructions," to
refrain from an attack on Mulinuu. One thing of two: either this
language is extremely perfidious, or Becker was preparing to change
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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 Gobseck by Honore de Balzac: 1763, I let a woman off, and nicely she paid me out afterwards. I
deserved it; what call was there for me to trust her?
" ' "What does this gentleman want?" asked the Count.
" 'I could see that the Countess was trembling from head to foot; the
white satin skin of her throat was rough, "turned to goose flesh," to
use the familiar expression. As for me, I laughed in myself without
moving a muscle.
" ' "This gentleman is one of my tradesmen," she said.
" 'The Count turned his back on me; I drew the bill half out of my
pocket. After that inexorable movement, she came over to me and put a
diamond into my hands. "Take it," she said, "and be gone."
Gobseck |
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 Selected Writings of Guy De Maupassant by Guy De Maupassant: had already been betrayed by another. Intimidated, his cap in his
hand, he stammered out:
"See, Madame, I have brought you back your little boy, who had
lost himself near the river."
But Simon flung his arms about his mother's neck and told her, as
he again began to cry:
"No, mamma, I wished to drown myself, because the others had
beaten me--had beaten me--because I have no papa."
A burning redness covered the young woman's cheeks, and, hurt to
the quick, she embraced her child passionately, while the tears
coursed down her face. The man, much moved, stood there, not
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