| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Economist by Xenophon: [11] Or, "critical and crucial."
The proem[12] to the speech is beautiful at any rate (I answered), but
hardly calculated to divert the hearer from the previous question. A
thing so easy to be learnt, you say? then, if so, do you be all the
readier for that reason to explain its details to me. No shame on you
who teach, to teach these easy matters; but for me to lack the
knowledge of them, and most of all if highly useful to the learner,
worse than shame, a scandal.
[12] Or, "the prelude to the piece."
XVI
Isch. First then, Socrates, I wish to demonstrate to you that what is
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte: face; and he said, "Oh, it's all stuff! You've been among the
Methodists, my good woman." But I telled him I'd never been near
the Methodies. And then he said, - "Well," says he, "you must come
to church, where you'll hear the Scriptures properly explained,
instead of sitting poring over your Bible at home."
'But I telled him I always used coming to church when I had my
health; but this very cold winter weather I hardly durst venture so
far - and me so bad wi' th' rheumatic and all.
'But he says, "It'll do your rheumatiz good to hobble to church:
there's nothing like exercise for the rheumatiz. You can walk
about the house well enough; why can't you walk to church? The
Agnes Grey |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy: CHAPTER XVI RICHMOND
A few minutes later she was sitting, wrapped in cozy furs,
near Sir Percy Blakeney on the box-seat of his magnificent coach, and
the four splendid bays had thundered down the quiet street.
The night was warm in spite of the gentle breeze which fanned
Marguerite's burning cheeks. Soon London houses were left behind, and
rattling over old Hammersmith Bridge, Sir Percy was driving his bays
rapidly towards Richmond.
The river wound in and out in its pretty delicate curves,
looking like a silver serpent beneath the glittering rays of the moon.
Long shadows from overhanging trees spread occasional deep palls right
The Scarlet Pimpernel |
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 On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin: subsequent modification and the multiplication of new forms. We can thus
understand the high importance of barriers, whether of land or water, which
separate our several zoological and botanical provinces. We can thus
understand the localisation of sub-genera, genera, and families; and how it
is that under different latitudes, for instance in South America, the
inhabitants of the plains and mountains, of the forests, marshes, and
deserts, are in so mysterious a manner linked together by affinity, and are
likewise linked to the extinct beings which formerly inhabited the same
continent. Bearing in mind that the mutual relations of organism to
organism are of the highest importance, we can see why two areas having
nearly the same physical conditions should often be inhabited by very
On the Origin of Species |
