| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Pathology of Lying, Etc. by William and Mary Healy: notwithstanding his suggestibility on the Binet test.
On school work he does altogether much better. He writes a good
hand, reads fairly well, and promptly does a sum in long
division. He claims to have reached the 6th grade. One
difficulty in testing him was his prevailing lethargy. We
constantly had to fight this by encouragement. Once he insisted
he must give up the work because he had not had a smoke for an
hour or so. Altogether, including his irregularities, we could
not call him lower than poor in ability, possibly subnormal. He
did not come within the limits of the feebleminded group. Just
where to place him would depend upon what he perhaps could do
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Dead Souls by Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol: mistress in the art of beating up such a couch, and, as the result, he
had no sooner mounted it with the aid of a chair than it sank
well-nigh to the floor, and the feathers, squeezed out of their proper
confines, flew hither and thither into every corner of the apartment.
Nevertheless he extinguished the candle, covered himself over with the
chintz quilt, snuggled down beneath it, and instantly fell asleep.
Next day it was late in the morning before he awoke. Through the
window the sun was shining into his eyes, and the flies which,
overnight, had been roosting quietly on the walls and ceiling now
turned their attention to the visitor. One settled on his lip, another
on his ear, a third hovered as though intending to lodge in his very
Dead Souls |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Black Beauty by Anna Sewell: My carter, whose name was Jakes, often said it was more than I ought to take,
but the other always overruled him. "'Twas no use going twice
when once would do, and he chose to get business forward."
Jakes, like the other carters, always had the check-rein up,
which prevented me from drawing easily, and by the time I had been there
three or four months I found the work telling very much on my strength.
One day I was loaded more than usual, and part of the road
was a steep uphill. I used all my strength, but I could not get on,
and was obliged continually to stop. This did not please my driver,
and he laid his whip on badly. "Get on, you lazy fellow," he said,
"or I'll make you."
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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 Idylls of the King by Alfred Tennyson: Ye come from Arthur's court. Victor his men
Report him! Yea, but ye--think ye this king--
So many those that hate him, and so strong,
So few his knights, however brave they be--
Hath body enow to hold his foemen down?'
`O King,' she cried, `and I will tell thee: few,
Few, but all brave, all of one mind with him;
For I was near him when the savage yells
Of Uther's peerage died, and Arthur sat
Crowned on the das, and his warriors cried,
"Be thou the king, and we will work thy will
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