| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Forged Coupon by Leo Tolstoy: stoy's appeals and notwithstanding his untiring
personal devotion, strengthened further the con-
viction, so constantly affirmed in his writings, of
the impotence of money to alleviate distress.
Whatever negations of this dictum our own sys-
tems of charitable organizations may appear to
offer, there can be no question but that in Russia
it held and holds true.
The social condition of Russia is like a tideless
sea, whose sullen quiescence is broken from time
to time by terrific storms which spend themselves
The Forged Coupon |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Tao Teh King by Lao-tze: without discerning any flavour; to consider what is small as great,
and a few as many; and to recompense injury with kindness.
2. (The master of it) anticipates things that are difficult while they
are easy, and does things that would become great while they are
small. All difficult things in the world are sure to arise from a
previous state in which they were easy, and all great things from one
in which they were small. Therefore the sage, while he never does
what is great, is able on that account to accomplish the greatest
things.
3. He who lightly promises is sure to keep but little faith; he who is
continually thinking things easy is sure to find them difficult.
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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 Bickerstaff-Partridge Papers by Jonathan Swift: expectation, prove with child, to the great joy of their
husbands.
On the 23rd a famous buffoon of the play-house will die a
ridiculous death, suitable to his vocation.
June. This month will be distinguish'd at home, by the utter
dispersing of those ridiculous deluded enthusiasts, commonly
call'd the Prophets; occasion'd chiefly by seeing the time come
that many of their prophecies should be fulfill'd, and then
finding themselves deceiv'd by contrary events. It is indeed to
be admir'd how any deceiver can be so weak, to foretel things
near at hand, when a very few months must of necessity discover
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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 The Lock and Key Library by Julian Hawthorne, Ed.: The monstrous thought came into my mind, as I perused the fixed
eyes and the saturnine face, that this was a spirit, not a man. I
have speculated since, whether there may have been infection in his
mind.
In my turn, I stepped back. But in making the action, I detected
in his eyes some latent fear of me. This put the monstrous thought
to flight.
"You look at me," I said, forcing a smile, "as if you had a dread
of me."
"I was doubtful," he returned, "whether I had seen you before."
"Where?"
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