| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Historical Lecturers and Essays by Charles Kingsley: Carlos has fallen downstairs and broken his head. He comes, by his
Portuguese mother's side, of a house deeply tainted with insanity;
and such an injury may have serious consequences. However, for nine
days the wound goes on well, and Don Carlos, having had a wholesome
fright, is, according to Doctor Olivarez, the medico de camara, a
very good lad, and lives on chicken broth and dried plums. But on
the tenth day comes on numbness of the left side, acute pains in the
head, and then gradually shivering, high fever, erysipelas. His
head and neck swell to an enormous size; then comes raging delirium,
then stupefaction, and Don Carlos lies as one dead.
A modern surgeon would, probably, thanks to that training of which
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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 Jungle Tales of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs: distance he had seen two hills before the storm broke;
but now he could see nothing. It amused him to look out
into the beating rain, searching for the two hills and
imagining that the torrents from above had washed them away,
yet he knew that presently the rain would cease, the sun
come out again and all be as it was before, except where
a few branches had fallen and here and there some old
and rotted patriarch had crashed back to enrich the soil
upon which he had fatted for, maybe, centuries. All about
him branches and leaves filled the air or fell to earth,
torn away by the strength of the tornado and the weight
The Jungle Tales of Tarzan |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from A Second Home by Honore de Balzac: had robbed to a considerable extent, appealed to you.--He says he is
your son."
"His name?" asked the Count hoarsely.
"Charles Crochard."
"That will do," said the father, with an imperious wave of the hand.
Granville paced the room in solemn silence, and his son took care not
to break it.
"My son," he began, and the words were pronounced in a voice so mild
and fatherly, that the young lawyer started, "Charles Crochard spoke
the truth.--I am glad you came to me to-night, my good Eugene," he
added. "Here is a considerable sum of money"--and he gave him a bundle
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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 The Patchwork Girl of Oz by L. Frank Baum: plains.
Twilight had fallen by the time they came to the
trees, beneath which were the black, circular
objects they had marked from a distance. Dozens of
them were scattered around and Dorothy bent near
to one, which was about as tall as she was, to
examine it more closely. As she did so the top
flew open and out popped a dusky creature, rising
its length into the air and then plumping down
upon the ground just beside the little girl.
Another and another popped out of the circular,
The Patchwork Girl of Oz |
