| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Betty Zane by Zane Grey: to his shoulder and was in the act of pressing the trigger when he thought he
heard a faint halloo. Looking closer, he found he was not covering the smooth
polished head adorned with the small tuft of hair, peculiar to a redskin on
the warpath, but a head from which streamed long black hair.
Alfred lowered his rifle and studied intently the log with its human burden.
Drifting with the current it gradually approached the bank, and as it came
nearer he saw that it bore a white man, who was holding to the log with one
hand and with the other was making feeble strokes. He concluded the man was
either wounded or nearly drowned, for his movements were becoming slower and
weaker every moment. His white face lay against the log and barely above
water. Alfred shouted encouraging words to him.
Betty Zane |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Poems by Bronte Sisters: These tiny portraits, set in rings--
Once, doubtless, deemed such precious things;
Keepsakes bestowed by Love on Faith,
And worn till the receiver's death,
Now stored with cameos, china, shells,
In this old closet's dusty cells.
I scarcely think, for ten long years,
A hand has touched these relics old;
And, coating each, slow-formed, appears
The growth of green and antique mould.
All in this house is mossing over;
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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 Euthydemus by Plato: and if we say further that it makes us wise, in what does it make us wise?
Not in special arts, such as cobbling or carpentering, but only in itself:
or say again that it makes us good, there is no answer to the question,
'good in what?' At length in despair Cleinias and Socrates turn to the
'Dioscuri' and request their aid.
Euthydemus argues that Socrates knows something; and as he cannot know and
not know, he cannot know some things and not know others, and therefore he
knows all things: he and Dionysodorus and all other men know all things.
'Do they know shoemaking, etc?' 'Yes.' The sceptical Ctesippus would like
to have some evidence of this extraordinary statement: he will believe if
Euthydemus will tell him how many teeth Dionysodorus has, and if
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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 A Legend of Montrose by Walter Scott: "For shame, gentlemen!" again repeated Montrose; "I have other
business for you both,--business of deeper importance than any
private quarrel, which you may easily find a more fitting time to
settle. For you, Major Dalgetty, kneel down."
"Kneel!" said Dalgetty; "I have not learned to obey that word of
command, saving when it is given from the pulpit. In the Swedish
discipline, the front rank do indeed kneel, but only when the
regiment is drawn up six file deep."
"Nevertheless," repeated Montrose,--"kneel down, in the name of
King Charles and of his representative."
When Dalgetty reluctantly obeyed, Montrose struck him lightly on
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