| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Tarzan the Untamed by Edgar Rice Burroughs: to be having a devil of a time in a section of trench on their
left. At one time I could have sworn they were attacked in
the rear -- I reported it to you at the time, sir, you'll recall
--
for the blighters were pepperin' away at the side of that bluff
behind them. I could see the dirt fly. I don't know what it
could have been."
There was a slight rustling among the branches of the tree
above them and simultaneously a lithe, brown body dropped
in their midst. Hands moved quickly to the butts of pistols;
but otherwise there was no movement among the officers.
Tarzan the Untamed |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Adventure by Jack London: There were fifteen of them, undoubtedly the Lunga runaways. In
addition, a dozen old Sniders were in the hands of the original
crowd. The rest were armed with spears, clubs, bows and arrows,
and long-handled tomahawks. Beyond, drawn up on the beach, he
could see the big war-canoes, with high and fantastically carved
bows and sterns, ornamented with scrolls and bands of white cowrie
shells. These were the men who had killed his trader, Oscar, at
Ugi.
"What name you walk about this place?" he demanded.
At the same time he stole a glance seaward to where the Flibberty-
Gibbet reflected herself in the glassy calm of the sea. Not a soul
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Sportsman by Xenophon: [3] Or, "and through lapse of time the twofold characteristics of
their progenitors have become blent." See Timoth. Gaz. ap.
Schneid. ad loc. for an ancient superstition as to breeds.
Both species present a large proportion of defective animals[4] which
fall short of the type, as being under-sized, or crook-nosed,[5] or
gray-eyed,[6] or near-sighted, or ungainly, or stiff-jointed, or
deficient in strength, thin-haired, lanky, disproportioned, devoid of
pluck or of nose, or unsound of foot. To particularise: an under-sized
dog will, ten to one, break off from the chase[7] faint and flagging
in the performance of his duty owing to mere diminutiveness. An
aquiline nose means no mouth, and consequently an inability to hold
|
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 Laches by Plato: of training, and whom have we made better?' But the other mode of carrying
on the enquiry will bring us equally to the same point, and will be more
like proceeding from first principles. For if we knew that the addition of
something would improve some other thing, and were able to make the
addition, then, clearly, we must know how that about which we are advising
may be best and most easily attained. Perhaps you do not understand what I
mean. Then let me make my meaning plainer in this way. Suppose we knew
that the addition of sight makes better the eyes which possess this gift,
and also were able to impart sight to the eyes, then, clearly, we should
know the nature of sight, and should be able to advise how this gift of
sight may be best and most easily attained; but if we knew neither what
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