| 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: won as President of the Extraordinary Committee for
Fighting Counter-Revolution would frighten people into
taking this Committee seriously. Throughout the country in
each government or province similar committees, called
"Troikas," were created, each of three members, one from
the Commissariat of War, one from the Department of
Labor, one from the Department of Management, in each
case from the local Commissariats and Departments attached
to the local Soviet. Representatives of the Central Statistical
Office and its local organs had a right to be present at the
meeting of these committees of three, or "Troikas," but had
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Virginian by Owen Wister: could do that themselves. And they appealed to me, several
speaking at once, like a concerted piece at the opera: "Say, do
you believe babies go to hell?"--"Ah, of course he
don't."--"There ain't no hereafter, anyway."--"Ain't
there?"--"Who told yu'?"--"Same man as told the preacher we were
all a sifted set of sons-of-guns."--"Well, I'm going to stay a
Mormon."--"Well, I'm going to quit fleeing from
temptation."--"that's so! Better get it in the neck after a good
time than a poor one." And so forth. Their wit was not extreme,
yet I should like Dr. MacBride to have heard it. One fellow put
his natural soul pretty well into words, "If I happened to learn
The Virginian |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Adventure by Jack London: to pay all expenses out of her gear, which the natives will not
have carried off. And if I do save her, it is the haul of a life-
time. And if I don't save her, I'll fill the Emily and the
Flibberty-Gibbet with recruits. Recruits are needed right now on
Berande more than anything else.
And please, please don't be angry with me. You said I shouldn't go
recruiting on the Flibberty, and I won't. I'll go on the Emily.
I bought two cows this afternoon. That trader at Nogi died of
fever, and I bought them from his partner, Sam Willis his name is,
who agrees to deliver them--most likely by the Minerva next time
she is down that way. Berande has been long enough on tinned milk.
|
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 The Young Forester by Zane Grey: home-going. Evidently Dick felt cut up about it, and it caused me such a
pang that I drove it from my mind. Toward the end of our ride Dick began
again to talk of forestry.
"Ken, it's mighty interesting--all this you've said about trees. Some of
the things are so simple that I wonder I didn't hit on them long ago; in
fact, I knew a lot of what you might call forestry, but the scientific
ideas--they stump me. Now, what you said about a pine-tree cleaning
itself--come back at me with that."
"Why, that's simple enough, Dick," I answered. "Now, say here we have a
clump of pine saplings. They stand pretty close--close enough to make dense
shade, but not too crowded. The shade has prevented the lower branches from
The Young Forester |
