| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Proposed Roads To Freedom by Bertrand Russell: [52] ``Anarchist Communism,'' p. 27.
The conclusion, which appears to be forced upon
us, is that the Anarchist ideal of a community in
which no acts are forbidden by law is not, at any
rate for the present, compatible with the stability of
such a world as the Anarchists desire. In order to
obtain and preserve a world resembling as closely
as possible that at which they aim, it will still be
necessary that some acts should be forbidden by
law. We may put the chief of these under three
heads:
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from A Legend of Montrose by Walter Scott: subjected to him by the fate of war with the most unrelenting
rapacity; but he must beware how he sustained the slightest
reproach, even from a clergyman, if it had regard to neglect on
the score of duty. The following occurrence will prove the truth
of what I mean:--
"Here I must not forget the memory of one preacher, Master
William Forbesse, a preacher for souldiers, yea, and a captaine
in neede to leade souldiers on a good occasion, being full of
courage, with discretion and good conduct, beyond some captaines
I have knowne, that were not so capable as he. At this time he
not onely prayed for us, but went on with us, to remarke, as I
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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 Ferragus by Honore de Balzac: negatively consented. When a shower fell, he stayed near the
/cochonnet/, the slave of the bowls, and the guardian of the
unfinished game. Rain affected him no more than the fine weather did;
he was, like the players themselves, an intermediary species between a
Parisian who has the lowest intellect of his kind and an animal which
has the highest.
In other respects, pallid and shrunken, indifferent to his own person,
vacant in mind, he often came bareheaded, showing his sparse white
hair, and his square, yellow, bald skull, like the knee of a beggar
seen through his tattered trousers. His mouth was half-open, no ideas
were in his glance, no precise object appeared in his movements; he
Ferragus |
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 Chance by Joseph Conrad: conditions inside the house. The expression was humorously puzzled-
-nothing more.
For, at the end of his lesson, seizing his trusty stick and coming
out with his habitual vivacity, he very nearly cannoned just outside
the drawing-room door into the back of Miss de Barral's governess.
He stopped himself in time and she turned round swiftly. It was
embarrassing; he apologised; but her face was not startled; it was
not aware of him; it wore a singular expression of resolution. A
very singular expression which, as it were, detained him for a
moment. In order to cover his embarrassment, he made some inane
remark on the weather, upon which, instead of returning another
Chance |
