| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Pivot of Civilization by Margaret Sanger: order, are themselves the most unanswerable indictment. Organized
charity itself is the symptom of a malignant social disease.
Those vast, complex, interrelated organizations aiming to control and
to diminish the spread of misery and destitution and all the menacing
evils that spring out of this sinisterly fertile soil, are the surest
sign that our civilization has bred, is breeding and is perpetuating
constantly increasing numbers of defectives, delinquents and
dependents. My criticism, therefore, is not directed at the
``failure'' of philanthropy, but rather at its success.
These dangers inherent in the very idea of humanitarianism and
altruism, dangers which have to-day produced their full harvest of
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from St. Ives by Robert Louis Stevenson: the shed my distrust of Clausel was perfect. I believed the man to
be capable of any infamy, and events have since shown that I was
right.
CHAPTER VII - SWANSTON COTTAGE
I HAD two views. The first was, naturally, to get clear of
Edinburgh Castle and the town, to say nothing of my fellow-
prisoners; the second to work to the southward so long as it was
night, and be near Swanston Cottage by morning. What I should do
there and then, I had no guess, and did not greatly care, being a
devotee of a couple of divinities called Chance and Circumstance.
Prepare, if possible; where it is impossible, work straight
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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 Breaking Point by Mary Roberts Rinehart: him, but if any man looked at me the way Wallie looks at you - I
don't know, though," she added, thoughtfully. "It may be that that
is why he is so keen. It may be good tactics. Most girls fall for
him with a crash."
But when she glanced at Elizabeth she saw that she had not heard.
Her eyes were fixed on something on the street beyond the window.
Nina looked out. With a considerable rattle of loose joints and
four extraordinarily worn tires the Livingstone car was going by.
IV
David did not sleep well that night. He had not had his golf after
all, for the Homer baby had sent out his advance notice early in the
The Breaking Point |
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 An International Episode by Henry James: girl in the world is a Boston superstructure upon a New York fonds;
or perhaps a New York superstructure upon a Boston fonds. At any rate,
it's the mixture," said Mrs. Westgate, who continued to give Percy
Beaumont a great deal of information.
Lord Lambeth got into a little basket phaeton with Bessie Alden,
and she drove him down the long avenue, whose extent he had
measured on foot a couple of hours before, into the ancient town,
as it was called in that part of the world, of Newport. The ancient
town was a curious affair--a collection of fresh-looking little
wooden houses, painted white, scattered over a hillside and clustered
about a long straight street paved with enormous cobblestones.
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