| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Rise and Fall of Cesar Birotteau by Honore de Balzac: concerned in a failure where he attempted to roughly handle the
insolvent, who had managed to get the better of him, obtained notes
from his debtor for an amount which together with the declared
dividend made up the sum total of his loss. These notes were to fall
due after the /concordat/. Gobseck then brought about a settlement in
the /concordat/ by which sixty-five per cent was remitted to the
bankrupt. Thus the creditors were swindled in the interests of
Gobseck. But the bankrupt had signed the illicit notes with the name
of his insolvent firm, and he was therefore able to bring them under
the reduction of sixty-five per cent. Gobseck, the great Gobseck,
received scarcely fifty per cent on his loss. From that day forth he
Rise and Fall of Cesar Birotteau |
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 Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum: minute late, and they ran swifter than a bird flies to get home
before daybreak."
Ak stroked his beard thoughtfully a moment, and then sent for the
Prince of the Knooks, who rules all his people in Burzee, and also for
the Queen of the Fairies and the Prince of the Ryls.
When all had assembled Claus told his story again, at Ak's command,
and then the Master addressed the Prince of the Knooks, saying:
"The good work that Claus is doing among mankind deserves the support
of every honest immortal. Already he is called a Saint in some of the
towns, and before long the name of Santa Claus will be lovingly known
in every home that is blessed with children. Moreover, he is a son of
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus |
