| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Mistress Wilding by Rafael Sabatini: His words sounded fervent, his sentiments almost heroic. Ruth looked at
him, and wondered had she misjudged him in the past. She sighed. Then
she thought of Wilding. He was on the other side, but where was he?
Rumour ran that he was dead; that he and Grey had quarrelled at Lyme, and
that Wilding had been killed as a result. Had it not been for Diana,
who strenuously bade her attach no credit to these reports, she would
readily have believed them. As it was she waited, wondering, thinking
of him always as she had seen him on that day at Walford when he had
taken his leave of her, and more than once, when she pondered the words
he had said, the look that had invested his drooping eyes, she found
herself with tears in her own. They welled up now, and she rose hastily
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Jungle by Upton Sinclair: like a goblet of rare red wine. Thus having known himself for the master
of things, a man could go back to his toil and live upon the memory all
his days.
Endlessly the dancers swung round and round--when they were dizzy they
swung the other way. Hour after hour this had continued--the darkness
had fallen and the room was dim from the light of two smoky oil lamps.
The musicians had spent all their fine frenzy by now, and played only
one tune, wearily, ploddingly. There were twenty bars or so of it, and
when they came to the end they began again. Once every ten minutes or
so they would fail to begin again, but instead would sink back exhausted;
a circumstance which invariably brought on a painful and terrifying scene,
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Symposium by Plato: our own country a far better principle prevails, but, as I was saying, the
explanation of it is rather perplexing. For, observe that open loves are
held to be more honourable than secret ones, and that the love of the
noblest and highest, even if their persons are less beautiful than others,
is especially honourable. Consider, too, how great is the encouragement
which all the world gives to the lover; neither is he supposed to be doing
anything dishonourable; but if he succeeds he is praised, and if he fail he
is blamed. And in the pursuit of his love the custom of mankind allows him
to do many strange things, which philosophy would bitterly censure if they
were done from any motive of interest, or wish for office or power. He may
pray, and entreat, and supplicate, and swear, and lie on a mat at the door,
|
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 Economist by Xenophon: estate, by making her intelligent of its affairs, and by giving her a
share in our successes. We instilled in her a sense of justice and
uprightness, by holding the just in higher honour than the unjust, and
by pointing out that the lives of the righteous are richer and less
servile than those of the unrighteous; and this was the position in
which she found herself installed in our household.[14]
[13] Or, "having taken an inventory of the several sets of things."
Cf. "Ages." i. 18; "Cyrop." VII. iv. 12. See Newman, op. cit. i.
171.
[14] Or, "and this was the position in which we presently established
her herself."
|
