| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Marie by H. Rider Haggard: he loves, you must remember that he hates us English bitterly. I
believe that he would almost as soon see his girl marry a half-caste as
an Englishman, and especially a poor Englishman, as you are, and unless
you can make money, must remain. I have little to leave you, Allan."
"I might make money, father, out of ivory, for instance. You know I am
a good shot."
"Allan, I do not think you will ever make much money, it is not in your
blood; or, if you do, you will not keep it. We are an old race, and I
know our record, up to the time of Henry VIII. at any rate. Not one of
us was ever commercially successful. Let us suppose, however, that you
should prove yourself the exception to the rule, it can't be done at
Marie |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Malbone: An Oldport Romance by Thomas Wentworth Higginson: before the storm struck her, it had been hauled down. They
must have taken in water enough, as it was. He had himself
been obliged to bail out three times, running in from the reef.
"Was there any landing which they could reach?" Harry asked.
There was none,--but the light-ship lay right in their track,
and if they had good luck, they might get aboard of her.
"The boatman?" said Philip, anxiously,--"Mr. Lambert's boatman;
is he a good sailor?"
"Don't know," was the reply. "Stranger here. Dutchman,
Frenchman, Portegee, or some kind of a foreigner."
"Seems to understand himself in a boat," said another.
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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 What is Man? by Mark Twain: altered. But it wasn't the HAT you wanted, but only what it
stood for--a something to please and content your SPIRIT. When
it failed of that, the whole of its value was gone. There are no
MATERIAL values; there are only spiritual ones. You will hunt in
vain for a material value that is ACTUAL, REAL--there is no such
thing. The only value it possesses, for even a moment, is the
spiritual value back of it: remove that end and it is at once
worthless--like the hat.
Y.M. Can you extend that to money?
O.M. Yes. It is merely a symbol, it has no MATERIAL value;
you think you desire it for its own sake, but it is not so. You
What is Man? |
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 Polly of the Circus by Margaret Mayo: "That was when she was hurt. She's well now, and able to go back
where she came from. Do you expect us to have our young folks
associatin' with a circus ridin' girl?"
"So, that's it!" cried the pastor, with a pitying look. "You
think this child is unfit for your homes because she was once in
a circus. For some reason, circus to you spells crime. You call
yourself a Christian, Deacon Strong, and yet you insist that I
send a good, innocent girl back to a life which you say is
sinful. I'm ashamed of you, Strong--I'm ashamed of you!"
"That talk don't do no good with me," roared Strong. He was
desperate at being accused of an unchristian attitude.
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