| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Madame Firmiani by Honore de Balzac: effect; her feelings are shown simply, because they are true. Frank
herself, she does not wound the vanity of others; she accepts men as
God made them; pitying the vicious, forgiving defects and absurdities,
comprehending all ages, and vexed by nothing, because she has had the
sense and tact to foresee all. Tender and gay, she gratifies before
she consoles. You love her so well that if this angel did wrong you
would be ready to excuse her. If, for your happiness, you have met
with such a woman, you know Madame Firmiani.
After Monsieur de Bourbonne had talked with her for ten minutes,
sitting beside her, his nephew was forgiven. He perceived that
whatever the actual truth might be, the relation between Madame
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Criminal Sociology by Enrico Ferri: neither. Even the economic competition, though not extensive when
we take the totals of free workmen and prisoners, is still very
keen in particular places and for particular industries, whilst
prison labour never indemnifies the State for its expenditure; for
clearly with cellular isolation it is impossible to organise
important and profitable industry. It is the small industries,
such as shoemaking and carpentry, which crush the same free
industries all round the prison, for they cannot stand against the
artificial competition created by the nominal wages of the prison
hands. Though for moral and financial reasons the convicts
must work, it is evident that on these grounds we cannot accept
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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 Tour Through Eastern Counties of England by Daniel Defoe: possess a large part of the field on which the fair is kept to
themselves; they are brought directly from Chelmsford in Essex,
from Canterbury and Maidstone in Kent, and from Farnham in Surrey,
besides what are brought from London, the growth of those and other
places.
Enquiring why this fair should be thus, of all other places in
England, the centre of that trade; and so great a quantity of so
bulky a commodity be carried thither so far; I was answered by one
thoroughly acquainted with that matter thus: the hops, said he, for
this part of England, grow principally in the two counties of
Surrey and Kent, with an exception only to the town of Chelmsford
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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 Essays of Francis Bacon by Francis Bacon: shut the lid, and kept hope in the bottom of the
vessel. Certainly, the politic and artificial nourish-
ing, and entertaining of hopes, and carrying men
from hopes to hopes, is one of the best antidotes
against the poison of discontentments. And it is a
certain sign of a wise government and proceeding,
when it can hold men's hearts by hopes, when it
cannot by satisfaction; and when it can handle
things, in such manner, as no evil shall appear so
peremptory, but that it hath some outlet of hope;
which is the less hard to do, because both particu-
Essays of Francis Bacon |
