| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Complete Angler by Izaak Walton: proud; and must, because she was rich, and for no other virtue, sit in the
highest pew in the church; which being denied her, she engaged her
husband into a contention for it, and at last into a law-suit with a
dogged neighbour who was as rich as he, and had a wife as peevish and
purse-proud as the other: and this law-suit begot higher oppositions, and
actionable words, and more vexations and lawsuits; for you must
remember that both were rich, and must therefore have their wills.
Well! this wilful, purse-proud law-suit lasted during the life of the first
husband; after which his wife vext and chid, and chid and vext, till she
also chid and vext herself into her grave: and so the wealth of these
poor rich people was curst into a punishment, because they wanted
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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 Tin Woodman of Oz by L. Frank Baum: her, so now Nimmie Amee must live all alone. I haven't
seen her, of course, since the Witch was crushed, for
at that time I was standing rusted in the forest and
had been there a long time, but the poor girl must have
felt very happy to be free from her cruel mistress."
"Well," said the Scarecrow, "let's travel on and find
Nimmie Amee. Lead on, your Majesty, since you know the
way, and we will follow."
So the Tin Woodman took a path that led through the
thickest part of the forest, and they followed it for
some time. The light was dim here, because vines and
The Tin Woodman of Oz |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Odyssey by Homer: were taken by winds and seas to Egypt, where Menelaus gathered
much gold and substance among people of an alien speech.
Meanwhile Aegisthus here at home plotted his evil deed. For
seven years after he had killed Agamemnon he ruled in Mycene,
and the people were obedient under him, but in the eighth year
Orestes came back from Athens to be his bane, and killed the
murderer of his father. Then he celebrated the funeral rites of
his mother and of false Aegisthus by a banquet to the people of
Argos, and on that very day Menelaus came home, {31} with as
much treasure as his ships could carry.
"Take my advice then, and do not go travelling about for long so
The Odyssey |
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 Sesame and Lilies by John Ruskin: no, nor yet "Variable as the shade, by the light quivering aspen
made"; but variable as the LIGHT, manifold in fair and serene
division, that it may take the colour of all that it falls upon, and
exalt it.
(II.) I have been trying, thus far, to show you what should be the
place, and what the power of woman. Now, secondly, we ask, What
kind of education is to fit her for these?
And if you indeed think this a true conception of her office and
dignity, it will not be difficult to trace the course of education
which would fit her for the one, and raise her to the other.
The first of our duties to her--no thoughtful persons now doubt
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