| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Firm of Nucingen by Honore de Balzac: contemn it utterly. From the year 1820 he thought, like the Baron,
that honesty was a question of appearances; he looked upon the world
as a mixture of corruption and rascality of every sort. If he admitted
exceptions, he condemned the mass; he put no belief in any virtue--men
did right or wrong, as circumstances decided. His worldly wisdom was
the work of a moment; he learned his lesson at the summit of Pere
Lachaise one day when he buried a poor, good man there; it was his
Delphine's father, who died deserted by his daughters and their
husbands, a dupe of our society and of the truest affection. Rastignac
then and there resolved to exploit this world, to wear full dress of
virtue, honesty, and fine manners. He was empanoplied in selfishness.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Disputation of the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences by Dr. Martin Luther: 16. [41] Caute sunt venie apostolice predicande, ne populus false
intelligat eas preferri ceteris bonis operibus charitatis.
17. [42] Docendi sunt christiani, quod Pape mens non est,
redemptionem veniarum ulla ex parte comparandam esse operibus
misericordie.
18. [43] Docendi sunt christiani, quod dans pauperi aut mutuans
egenti melius facit quam si venias redimereet.
19. [44] Quia per opus charitatis crescit charitas et fit homo
melior, sed per venias non fit melior sed tantummodo a pena
liberior.
20. [45] Docendi sunt christiani, quod, qui videt egenum et
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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 Ball at Sceaux by Honore de Balzac: where the lady was? In fact, he ruined a very nice thoroughbred that I
had just given him. Forgive my chatter, mademoiselle; I have but just
come home from Germany. For a year I have heard no decent French, I
have been weaned from French faces, and satiated with Germans, to such
a degree that, I believe, in my patriotic mania, I could talk to the
chimeras on a French candlestick. And if I talk with a lack of reserve
unbecoming in a diplomatist, the fault is yours, mademoiselle. Was it
not you who pointed out my brother? When he is the theme I become
inexhaustible. I should like to proclaim to all the world how good and
generous he is. He gave up no less than a hundred thousand francs a
year, the income from the Longueville property."
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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 A Straight Deal by Owen Wister: the only thing they ever complain about is that their toes get cold."
They worked without hesitation from twelve to fourteen hours a day, or a
night, for seven days a week, and with the voluntary sacrifice of public
holidays.
That is not all, or nearly all, that the women of England did--I skip
their welfare work, recreation work, nursing--but it is enough wherewith
to answer the ignorant, or the fraud, or the fool.
What did England do in the war, anyhow?
On August 8, 1914, Lord Kitchener asked for 100,000 volunteers. He had
them within fourteen days. In the first week of September 170,000 men
enrolled, 30,000 in a single day. Eleven months later, two million had
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