| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Red Seal by Natalie Sumner Lincoln: Kent found the operative from Detective Headquarters sitting on
duty in Rochester's living room when he entered that apartment a
quarter of an hour later.
"Any one called here?" he asked, as the man, whom he had met the
night before, greeted him.
"Not a soul, Mr. Kent." Nelson suppressed a yawn; his relief was
late in coming, and he had had little sleep the night before.
"There's been no disturbance of any kind, not even a ring at the
telephone."
Kent considered a moment, then sat down by the telephone and gave
a number to Central.
The Red Seal |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from A Footnote to History by Robert Louis Stevenson: and six policemen. Always decent, he withdrew at an early hour; by
those that remained, all decency appears to have been forgotten;
high chiefs were seen to dance; and day found the house carpeted
with slumbering grandees, who must be roused, doctored with coffee,
and sent home. As a first chapter in the history of Polynesian
Confederation, it was hardly cheering, and Laupepa remarked to one
of the embassy, with equal dignity and sense: "If you have come
here to teach my people to drink, I wish you had stayed away."
The Germans looked on from the first with natural irritation that a
power of the powerlessness of Hawaii should thus profit by its
undeniable footing in the family of nations, and send embassies,
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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 Essays of Travel by Robert Louis Stevenson: prefers, a man with any youth still left in him will decide rightly
for himself. He would rather be houseless than denied a pass-key;
rather go without food than partake of stalled ox in stiff,
respectable society; rather be shot out of hand than direct his life
according to the dictates of the world.
He knows or thinks nothing of the Maine Laws, the Puritan sourness,
the fierce, sordid appetite for dollars, or the dreary existence of
country towns. A few wild story-books which delighted his childhood
form the imaginative basis of his picture of America. In course of
time, there is added to this a great crowd of stimulating details -
vast cities that grow up as by enchantment; the birds, that have gone
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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 Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen: "It is a very stupid story! Don't you know one about bacon and tallow candles?
Can't you tell any larder stories?"
"No," said the Tree.
"Then good-bye," said the Rats; and they went home.
At last the little Mice stayed away also; and the Tree sighed: "After all, it
was very pleasant when the sleek little Mice sat round me, and listened to
what I told them. Now that too is over. But I will take good care to enjoy
myself when I am brought out again."
But when was that to be? Why, one morning there came a quantity of people and
set to work in the loft. The trunks were moved, the tree was pulled out and
thrown--rather hard, it is true--down on the floor, but a man drew him towards
Fairy Tales |
