| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Democracy In America, Volume 1 by Alexis de Toqueville: between the commercial capacity of the inhabitants of the South
and those of the North. At the present day it is only the
Northern States which are in possession of shipping,
manufactures, railroads, and canals. This difference is
perceptible not only in comparing the North with the South, but
in comparing the several Southern States. Almost all the
individuals who carry on commercial operations, or who endeavor
to turn slave labor to account in the most Southern districts of
the Union, have emigrated from the North. The natives of the
Northern States are constantly spreading over that portion of the
American territory where they have less to fear from competition;
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Lin McLean by Owen Wister: young Lin precipitated himself out of the post-trader's store and away on
his horse up the stream among the Shoshone tepees to an unexpected
entertainment--a wolf-dance. He had meant to go and see what the new
waiter-girl at the hotel looked like, but put this off promptly to attend
the dance. This hospitality the Shoshone Indians were extending to some
visiting Ute friends, and the neighborhood was assembled to watch the
ring of painted naked savages.
The post-trader looked after the galloping Lin. "What's he quitting his
job for?" he asked the foreman.
"Same as most of 'em quit."
"Nothing?"
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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 The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu by Sax Rohmer: of the horror that it was written we should encounter.
The clock across the common struck two.
Having removed all traces of the scent of the orchid from our hands with
a solution of ammonia Smith and I had followed the programme laid down.
It was an easy matter to reach the rear of the house, by simply climbing
a fence, and we did not doubt that seeing the light go out in the front,
our unseen watcher would proceed to the back.
The room was a large one, and we had made up my camp-bed at one end,
stuffing odds and ends under the clothes to lend the appearance of a sleeper,
which device we also had adopted in the case of the larger bed.
The perfumed envelope lay upon a little coffee table in the center
The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu |
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 Polity of Athenians and Lacedaemonians by Xenophon: 224); Plut. "Lycurg." 7, 29; Herod. i. 65; Muller, "Dorians," iii.
7, 5 (vol. ii. p. 125, Eng. tr.)
Accordingly the ephors are competent to punish whomsoever they choose;
they have power to exact fines on the spur of the moment; they have
power to depose magistrates in mid career[6]--nay, actually to
imprison them and bring them to trial on the capital charge. Entrusted
with these vast powers, they do not, as do the rest of states, allow
the magistrates elected to exercise authority as they like, right
through the year of office; but, in the style rather of despotic
monarchs, or presidents of the games, at the first symptom of an
offence against the law they inflict chastisement without warning and
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