| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians by Martin Luther: the mere hearing of faith. The hearer likes to reason like this: Forgiveness
of sins, deliverance from death, the gift of the Holy Ghost, everlasting life
are grand things. If you want to obtain these priceless benefits, you must
engage in correspondingly great efforts. And the devil says, "Amen."
We must learn that forgiveness of sins, Christ, and the Holy Ghost, are
freely granted unto us at the preaching of faith, in spite of our sinfulness.
We are not to waste time thinking how unworthy we are of the blessings of
God. We are to know that it pleased God freely to give us His unspeakable
gifts. If He offers His gifts free of charge, why not take them? Why worry
about our lack of worthiness? Why not accept gifts with joy and thanksgiving?
Right away foolish reason is once more offended. It scolds us. "When you say
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Historical Lecturers and Essays by Charles Kingsley: was commanded to repeat the castigation. Having found out that the
friars were not to be touched with impunity, he wrote, he says, a
short and ambiguous poem. But the king, who loved a joke, demanded
something sharp and stinging, and Buchanan obeyed by writing, but
not publishing, "The Franciscans," a long satire, compared to which
the "Somnium" was bland and merciful. The storm rose. Cardinal
Beaten, Buchanan says, wanted to buy him of the king, and then, of
course, burn him, as he had just burnt five poor souls; so, knowing
James's avarice, he fled to England, through freebooters and
pestilence.
There he found, he says, "men of both factions being burned on the
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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 The Time Machine by H. G. Wells: the Time-Dimension, or even turn about and travel the other way?'
`Oh, THIS,' began Filby, `is all--'
`Why not?' said the Time Traveller.
`It's against reason,' said Filby.
`What reason?' said the Time Traveller.
`You can show black is white by argument,' said Filby, `but you
will never convince me.'
`Possibly not,' said the Time Traveller. `But now you begin to
see the object of my investigations into the geometry of Four
Dimensions. Long ago I had a vague inkling of a machine--'
`To travel through Time!' exclaimed the Very Young Man.
The Time Machine |
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 When the World Shook by H. Rider Haggard: idleness and shirking its duty which is to do its work. Also, as
she tells you, Bickley, you are not half so clever as you think
you are in your silly scepticism, and I have no doubt that there
are many things in other worlds which would expose your
ignorance, if only you could see them."
At this moment Oro turned and called his daughter. She went at
once, saying:
"Come, strangers, and you shall learn."
So we followed her.
"Daughter," he said, speaking in Orofenan, I think that we
might understand, "ask these strangers to bring one of those
When the World Shook |
