| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Spirit of the Border by Zane Grey: of Peace.
"I believe you, Wetzel, but I can not go," said Heckewelder, with white face.
"I will stay," said George, steadily.
"And I," said Dave.
Wetzel nodded, and turned to depart when George grasped his arm. The young
missionary's face was drawn and haggard; he fixed an intense gaze upon the
hunter.
"Wetzel, listen;" his voice was low and shaken with deep feeling. "I am a
teacher of God's word, and I am as earnest in that purpose as you are in your
life-work. I shall die here; I shall fill an unmarked grave; but I shall have
done the best I could. This is the life destiny has marked out for me, and I
The Spirit of the Border |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Hiero by Xenophon: rude, and making true beauty yet more splendid.
[16] Or, "The mere prestige of highest worship helps to adorn." See
Aristot. "N. E." xi. 17. As to {auto to tetimesthai m. s.} I think
it is the {arkhon} who is honoured by the rest of men, which
{time} helps to adorn him. Others seem to think it is the
{paidika} who is honoured by the {arkhon}. If so, transl.: "The
mere distinction, the privilege alone of being highly honoured,
lends embellishment," etc.
Since then, by aid of equal ministrations, you are privileged to win
not equal but far deeper gratitude: it would seem to follow,
considering the vastly wider sphere of helpfulness which lies before
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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 Elixir of Life by Honore de Balzac: trembling.
"Leave me alone here," he said, and his voice was changed, "and
do not return until I leave the room."
When the footsteps of the old servitor, who was the last to go,
echoed but faintly along the paved gallery, Don Juan hastily
locked the door, and sure that he was quite alone, "Let us try,"
he said to himself.
Bartolommeo's body was stretched on a long table. The embalmers
had laid a sheet over it, to hide from all eyes the dreadful
spectacle of a corpse so wasted and shrunken that it seemed like
a skeleton, and only the face was uncovered. This mummy-like
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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 Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens: 'Don't take it ill, Johnny; I didn't mean any harm,' pleaded the
little man.
'Very good, sir,' said John, more than usually obstinate after his
late success. 'Never mind, sir. I can stand pretty firm of
myself, sir, I believe, without being shored up by you.' And
having given utterance to this retort, Mr Willet fixed his eyes
upon the boiler, and fell into a kind of tobacco-trance.
The spirits of the company being somewhat damped by this
embarrassing line of conduct on the part of their host, nothing
more was said for a long time; but at length Mr Cobb took upon
himself to remark, as he rose to knock the ashes out of his pipe,
Barnaby Rudge |
