| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Kwaidan by Lafcadio Hearn: apt to become sentimental about ants or bees; but he will not hesitate to
acknowledge that, in regard to social evolution, these insects appear to
have advanced "beyond man." Mr. Herbert Spencer, whom nobody will charge
with romantic tendencies, goes considerably further than Professor Sharp;
showing us that ants are, in a very real sense, ethically as well as
economically in advance of humanity,-- their lives being entirely devoted
to altruistic ends. Indeed, Professor Sharp somewhat needlessly qualifies
his praise of the ant with this cautious observation:--
"The competence of the ant is not like that of man. It is devoted to the
welfare of the species rather than to that of the individual, which is, as
it were, sacrificed or specialized for the benefit of the community."
 Kwaidan |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Figure in the Carpet by Henry James: Genoese shore, where Vereker was making a stay. I wrote him a
letter which was to await him at Aden - I besought him to relieve
my suspense. That he had found my letter was indicated by a
telegram which, reaching me after weary days and in the absence of
any answer to my laconic dispatch to him at Bombay, was evidently
intended as a reply to both communications. Those few words were
in familiar French, the French of the day, which Covick often made
use of to show he wasn't a prig. It had for some persons the
opposite effect, but his message may fairly be paraphrased. "Have
patience; I want to see, as it breaks on you, the face you'll
make!" "Tellement envie de voir ta tete!" - that was what I had to
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