| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Ancient Regime by Charles Kingsley: which is often a good substitute for the philosophy of the schools.
We may feel against him a just and honest indignation when we
remember that he dared to travestie into a foul satire the tale of
his country's purest and noblest heroine; but we must recollect, at
the same time, that he did a public service to the morality of his
own country, and of all Europe, by his indignation--quite as just
and honest as any which we may feel--at the legal murder of Calas.
We must recollect that, if he exposes baseness and foulness with too
cynical a license of speech (in which, indeed, he sinned no more
than had the average of French writers since the days of Montaigne),
he at least never advocates them, as did Le Sage. We must recollect
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Bab:A Sub-Deb, Mary Roberts Rinehart by Mary Roberts Rinehart: mustache, and Passionate eyes. I felt, too, that he would be
jealous. The eyes would be of the smouldering type, showing the
green-eyed monster beneath.
I was very much cheered up. At least they could not ignore me any
more, and I felt that they would see the point. If I was old enough
to have a lover--especialy a jealous one with the aformentioned
eyes--I was old enough to have the necks of my frocks cut out.
While they were getting their wraps on in the lower hall, I counted
my money. I had thirteen dollars. It was enough for a Plan I was
beginning to have in mind.
"Go to bed early, Barbara," mother said when they were ready to go out.
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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 Father Goriot by Honore de Balzac: has been unexceptionable."
"But if his Excellency the Minister of Police is certain that M.
Vautrin is this Trompe-la-Mort, why should he want me?" asked
Mlle. Michonneau.
"Oh yes," said Poiret, "if the Minister, as you have been so
obliging as to tell us, really knows for a certainty----"
"Certainty is not the word; he only suspects. You will soon
understand how things are. Jacques Collin, nicknamed Trompe-la-
Mort, is in the confidence of every convict in the three prisons;
he is their man of business and their banker. He makes a very
good thing out of managing their affairs, which want a MAN OF
Father Goriot |
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 Soul of Man by Oscar Wilde: not depend, as it does now, on the state of the weather. If a
frost comes we shall not have a hundred thousand men out of work,
tramping about the streets in a state of disgusting misery, or
whining to their neighbours for alms, or crowding round the doors
of loathsome shelters to try and secure a hunch of bread and a
night's unclean lodging. Each member of the society will share in
the general prosperity and happiness of the society, and if a frost
comes no one will practically be anything the worse.
Upon the other hand, Socialism itself will be of value simply
because it will lead to Individualism.
Socialism, Communism, or whatever one chooses to call it, by
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