| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Thus Spake Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche: But even the simpletons contradict him. "What?" say the simpletons, "all
in flux? Planks and railings are still OVER the stream!
"OVER the stream all is stable, all the values of things, the bridges and
bearings, all 'good' and 'evil': these are all STABLE!"--
Cometh, however, the hard winter, the stream-tamer, then learn even the
wittiest distrust, and verily, not only the simpletons then say: "Should
not everything--STAND STILL?"
"Fundamentally standeth everything still"--that is an appropriate winter
doctrine, good cheer for an unproductive period, a great comfort for
winter-sleepers and fireside-loungers.
"Fundamentally standeth everything still"--: but CONTRARY thereto,
Thus Spake Zarathustra |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Court Life in China by Isaac Taylor Headland: scanty European population of the great capital. By chance some
of the eunuchs from the imperial palace, wandering about the city
in search of something to please little Tsai Tien, dropped into
this store on Legation Street and bought some of these foreign
toys for his infant Majesty.
They had already ransacked the city for Chinese toys. They had
gone to every fair, visited every toy-shop, called upon every
private dealer, and paid high prices for samples of their best
work made especially for the royal child. There were crowing
cocks and cackling hens; barking dogs and crying infants; music
balls and music carts; horns, drums, diabolos and tops; there
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