| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Theaetetus by Plato: units which are contained in it; any chemical compound is more than and
different from the simple elements. But ancient philosophy in this, as in
many other instances, proceeding by the path of mental analysis, was
perplexed by doubts which warred against the plainest facts.
Three attempts to explain the new definition of knowledge still remain to
be considered. They all of them turn on the explanation of logos. The
first account of the meaning of the word is the reflection of thought in
speech--a sort of nominalism 'La science est une langue bien faite.' But
anybody who is not dumb can say what he thinks; therefore mere speech
cannot be knowledge. And yet we may observe, that there is in this
explanation an element of truth which is not recognized by Plato; viz. that
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Buttered Side Down by Edna Ferber: enough to be--well, your aunty, anyway. We go out at one-thirty
to-morrow morning."
IX
THAT HOME-TOWN FEELING
We all have our ambitions. Mine is to sit in a rocking-chair on
the sidewalk at the corner of Clark and Randolph Streets, and watch
the crowds go by. South Clark Street is one of the most
interesting and cosmopolitan thoroughfares in the world (New
Yorkers please sniff). If you are from Paris, France, or Paris,
Illinois, and should chance to be in that neighborhood, you will
stop at Tony's news stand to buy your home-town paper. Don't
Buttered Side Down |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Life of the Spider by J. Henri Fabre: from any kind of house. I was obliged to change my plan of attack
and I resorted to craft. Necessity, they say, is the mother of
invention.
'It occurred to me to take a stalk, topped with its spikelet, by
way of a bait, and to rub and move it gently at the orifice of the
burrow. I soon saw that the Lycosa's attention and desires were
roused. Attracted by the bait, she came with measured steps
towards the spikelet. I withdrew it in good time a little outside
the hole, so as not to leave the animal time for reflexion; and the
Spider suddenly, with a rush, darted out of her dwelling, of which
I hastened to close the entrance. The Tarantula, bewildered by her
The Life of the Spider |
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 Deputy of Arcis by Honore de Balzac: were when we formed ourselves, a stop-gap ministry and that was all.
But you can distinguish yourself in the electoral battle that is soon
to be fought. If you can bring one vote to the Chamber, a deputy
faithful to the dynastic cause, you will find your wishes gratified. I
will speak of your good services, and I will keep my eye on the
reports of our confidential agents; I may find you some difficult task
in which you can distinguish yourself. If you succeed, I can insist
upon your talents, your devotion, and claim your reward. Your
marriage, my dear fellow, can be made only in some ambitious
provincial family of tradespeople or manufacturers. In Paris you are
too well known. We must therefore look out for a millionaire parvenu,
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