| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from 'Twixt Land & Sea by Joseph Conrad: where no doubt it would fade away in a fog of official papers. . .
. It was heartrending to read all this. That active and zealous
officer, Lieutenant Heemskirk, his air of sullen, darkly-pained
self-importance not lightened by the approval of his action
conveyed to him unofficially, had gone on to take up his station in
the Moluccas. . . .
Then, at the end of the bulky, kindly-meant epistle, dealing with
the island news of half a year at least, my friend wrote: "A
couple of months ago old Nelson turned up here, arriving by the
mail-boat from Java. Came to see Mesman, it seems. A rather
mysterious visit, and extraordinarily short, after coming all that
'Twixt Land & Sea |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Damaged Goods by Upton Sinclair: hands of a quack, and been ruined forever. So he decided that he
would consult only the best authority.
He got the names of the best-known works on the subject from a
bookstore, and found that the author of one of these books was
practicing in Paris as a specialist. Two or three days elapsed
before he was able to get up the courage to call on this doctor.
And oh, the shame and horror of sitting in his waiting-room with
the other people, none of whom dared to look each other in the
eyes! They must all be afflicted, George thought, and he glanced
at them furtively, looking for the various symptoms of which he
had read. Or were there, perhaps, some like himself--merely
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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 Gobseck by Honore de Balzac: transparent fire-screen, was listening to the sounds from the
courtyard in a way that justified certain maternal fears.
"Camille," said the Vicomtesse, "if you continue to behave to young
Comte de Restaud as you have done this evening, you will oblige me to
see no more of him here. Listen, child, and if you have any confidence
in my love, let me guide you in life. At seventeen one cannot judge of
past or future, nor of certain social considerations. I have only one
thing to say to you. M. de Restaud has a mother, a mother who would
waste millions of francs; a woman of no birth, a Mlle. Goriot; people
talked a good deal about her at one time. She behaved so badly to her
own father, that she certainly does not deserve to have so good a son.
Gobseck |
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 Poor and Proud by Oliver Optic: "In Washington Street. It says Sands & Co. on the sign."
"O, you mean the boy that makes the fires, sweeps out, and does
the errands. I remember him now," said the mayor, laughing
heartily at poor Katy's account of Simon. "I never heard his name
before; but he is the oldest boy of his age I ever saw."
"He was very kind to me."
"No doubt he is a very good boy; but I supposed from your account
of him that he was a member of the firm."
"Master Simon says the firm would not be able to get along
without him," replied Katy, who began to have some doubts whether
Simon was so great a man as he had represented himself to be.
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