GURDJIEFF, G.I. – Life is real only then, when I am - Integral Book

other "a flea on a chain," I considered it a necessary preliminary then,in order that at least something might be prepared here in New York forthe arrival of such great numbers of people, to send there, on the lastboat sailing just before ours, someone from among my trusted andexperienced people.In consequence of the fact that, just a short time before this, most ofmy "pupils of the first rank," as they called themselves, who weresuitable for this purpose, had been sent by me for aims in the commoninterest to various European and Asiatic countries on special missions,my choice, from among those who were near me, of the most suitableperson for this preliminary departure fell upon one of the olderfollowers of my ideas, who was then the chief physician of theInstitute, Dr. Stjernvall, but as, at that time, he was not at all acquaintedwith the English language, I decided to send together with him, asassistant and translator, one of the newly entered English pupils.Examining in my mind and considering the usefulness of each oneseparately for such a journey, I decided to send just this English pupil,from the number of those newly entered in the Institute, who, accordingto the so-called "individual record" usually made in the Institute foreach pupil, was previously an English journalist and, I thought, as ajournalist ought surely to know English very well.This former English journalist—predetermined by me at first to be atranslator and assistant of the first person sent by me to America as soto say "messenger of my new ideas," Dr. Stjernvall, and who a littlelater became the collaborator of my personal translator, M. Ferapontov,a pupil of the Institute and a participant in the demonstrations of"rhythmic movements," who toward the end of my stay here becameone of the three as they were then called "managers," that is to say,organizers of demonstrations, lectures and business inter-