| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from 1492 by Mary Johntson: Vega, and from all I hear they turned devils. It looked like
peace itself, didn't it, this great, fair, new land, when first
we stepped upon it, and raised the banner and then the cross?
It's that no longer. They're up, the Indians, Caonabo and
three main caciques, and all the lesser ones under these. In
short, we are at war,'' ended Luis. ``Alonso de Ojeda at
the moment is the Cid. He maneuvers now in the Vega.''
I looked around. We were sitting under palm trees, by
the mud wall of our town. Beyond the forest waved in the
wind, and soft white clouds sailed over it in a sky of essential
sapphire. ``There's an aspect here of peace!''
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Amazing Interlude by Mary Roberts Rinehart: war was a vast thing, they would observe. It could only be touched by
great organizations. Individual effort was negligible.
Once she took her courage in her hands.
"But I should think," she said, "that even great organizations depend on
the - on individual efforts."
The portable hospital woman turned to her patronizingly.
"Certainly, my dear," she said. "But coordinated - coordinated."
It is hard to say just when the lights went down on Sara Lee's quiet
stage and the interlude began. Not on the steamer, for after three days
of discouragement and good weather they struck a storm; and Sara Lee's
fine frenzy died for a time, of nausea. She did not appear again until
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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 Hiero by Xenophon: I repeat then, I little marvel that the multitude should be blinded in
this matter. But that you others also, you who are held to see with
the mind's eye more clearly than with the eye of sense the mass of
circumstances,[4] should share its ignorance, does indeed excite my
wonderment. Now, I know it all too plainly from my own experience,
Simonides, and I assure you, the tyrant is one who has the smallest
share of life's blessings, whilst of its greater miseries he possesses
most.
[4] Lit. "the majority of things"; al. "the thousand details of a
thing."
For instance, if peace is held to be a mighty blessing to mankind,
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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 House of Mirth by Edith Wharton: "Ah, but I don't suppose that: haven't I told you that your
genius lies in converting impulses into intentions?"
"My genius?" she echoed with a sudden note of weariness. "Is
there any final test of genius but success? And I certainly
haven't succeeded."
Selden pushed his hat back and took a side-glance at her.
"Success--what is success? I shall be interested to have your
definition."
"Success?" She hesitated. "Why, to get as much as one can out of
life, I suppose. It's a relative quality, after all. Isn't that
your idea of it?"
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