| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Tom Grogan by F. Hopkinson Smith: Her uplifted fist, tight-clenched, shot past Lathers's ear. A
quick blow, a plank knocked clear of its fastenings, and a flood
of daylight broke in behind Lathers's head!
"Now, the next time I come, Pete Lathers," she said firmly, "I'll
miss the plank and take yer face."
Then she turned, and stalked out of the yard.
III
SERGEANT DUFFY'S LITTLE GAME
The bad weather so long expected finally arrived. An afternoon of
soft, warm autumn skies, aglow with the radiance of the setting
sun, and brilliant in violet and gold, had been followed by a
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Salome by Oscar Wilde: parfums, et quand je te regardais j'entendais une musique etrange!
Ah! pourquoi ne m'as-tu pas regardee, Iokanaan? Derriere tes mains
et tes blasphemes tu as cache ton visage. Tu as mis sur tes yeux le
bandeau de celui qui veut voir son Dieu. Eh bien, tu l'as vu, ton
Dieu, Iokanaan, mais moi, moi . . . tu ne m'as jamais vue. Si tu
m'avais vue, tu m'aurais aimee. Moi, je t'ai vu, Iokanaan, et je
t'ai aime. Oh! comme je t'ai aime. Je t'aime encore, Iokanaan. Je
n'aime que toi . . . J'ai soif de ta beaute. J'ai faim de ton
corps. Et ni le vin, ni les fruits ne peuvent apaiser mon desir.
Que ferai-je, Iokanaan, maintenant? Ni les fleuves ni les grandes
eaux, ne pourraient eteindre ma passion. J'etais une Princesse, tu
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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 A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson: And a harbour as well where my vessels may ride.
Great is the palace with pillar and wall,
A sort of a tower on the top of it all,
And steps coming down in an orderly way
To where my toy vessels lie safe in the bay.
This one is sailing and that one is moored:
Hark to the song of the sailors aboard!
And see, on the steps of my palace, the kings
Coming and going with presents and things!
Yet as I saw it, I see it again,
The kirk and the palace, the ships and the men,
A Child's Garden of Verses |
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 Crisis in Russia by Arthur Ransome: played on while the workers all sang together.
The idea of the "Saturdayings" spread quickly from railways
to factories, and by the middle of the summer reports of
similar efforts were coming from all over Russia. Then
Lenin became interested, seeing in these "Saturdayings" not
only a special effort in the face of common danger, but an
actual beginning of Communism and a sign that Socialism
could bring about a greater productivity of labor than could
be obtained under Capitalism. He wrote: "This is a work of
great difficulty and requiring much time, but it has begun,
and that is the main thing. If in hungry Moscow in the
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