| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Main Street by Sinclair Lewis: shininess and curious shapes, but they were sharp, they were
something called sterized, and they distinctly were not for
boys to touch. In fact it was a good dodge to volunteer "I
must not touch," when you looked at the tools on the glass
shelves in Father's office. But Uncle Miles, who was a person
altogether superior to Father, let you handle all his kit except
the saws. There was a hammer with a silver head; there was a
metal thing like a big L; there was a magic instrument, very
precious, made out of costly red wood and gold, with a tube
which contained a drop--no, it wasn't a drop, it was a nothing,
which lived in the water, but the nothing LOOKED like a drop,
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Beauty and The Beast by Bayard Taylor: in which they were clothed. Yet that there was a moderate,
decorously subdued curiosity present in the minds of many of them
on one of the First-days of the Ninth-month, in the year 1815, was
as clearly apparent to a resident of the neighborhood as are the
indications of a fire or a riot to the member of a city mob.
The agitations of the war which had so recently come to an end had
hardly touched this quiet and peaceful community. They had stoutly
"borne their testimony," and faced the question where it could not
be evaded; and although the dashing Philadelphia militia had been
stationed at Camp Bloomfield, within four miles of them, the
previous year, these good people simply ignored the fact. If their
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from End of the Tether by Joseph Conrad: he murmured, "Steady her, Serang--when she is on
the proper bearing."
The silent Malay stepped back, waited a little, and
lifted his arm warningly to the helmsman. The wheel
revolved rapidly to meet the swing of the ship. Again
the made nudged the engineer. But Massy turned upon
him.
"Mr. Sterne," he said violently, "let me tell you--
as a shipowner--that you are no better than a con-
founded fool."
VII
End of the Tether |
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 Amy Foster by Joseph Conrad: in there began to swear, and cleared out with his
half-pint in his hand into the bar. But when sud-
denly he sprang upon a table and continued to
dance among the glasses, the landlord interfered.
He didn't want any 'acrobat tricks in the tap-
room.' They laid their hands on him. Having
had a glass or two, Mr. Swaffer's foreigner tried
to expostulate: was ejected forcibly: got a black
eye.
"I believe he felt the hostility of his human sur-
roundings. But he was tough--tough in spirit,
Amy Foster |
