| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom by William and Ellen Craft: one a little before that. She was very unlike him;
she was as good and as faithful a nigger as any one
need wish to have. But, poor thing! she became
so ill, that she was unable to do much work; so I
thought it would be best to sell her, to go to New
Orleans, where the climate is nice and warm."
"I suppose she was very glad to go South for the
restoration of her health?" said the gentleman.
"No; she was not," replied the lady, "for
niggers never know what is best for them. She
took on a great deal about leaving Ned and the
Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Aeroplanes and Dirigibles of War by Frederick A. Talbot: are confined to the work of chasing and bringing down the enemy,
for which work its high manoeuvring capacity is excellently
adapted. Its aggressive armament comprises a mitrailleuse.
Unfortunately, however, the factory responsible for the
production of this machine is at present handicapped by the
limitations of its manufacturing plant, which when pushed to the
utmost extent cannot turn out more than about ten machines per
week. No doubt this deficiency will be remedied as the war
proceeds by extension of the works or by allotting orders to
other establishments, but at the time of the decree the
manufacturing capacity was scarcely sufficient to make good the
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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 Polly of the Circus by Margaret Mayo: dolefully, then sat up with renewed interest.
"You see, mine is careful balancin' an' all that, an' you got ter
know your horse an' your ground for that. Now you get wise ter
what I'm a-tellin' yer, and don't you NEVER go into ANYTHIN' what
depends on ANYTHIN' else."
"Thank you, Polly, I won't." Douglas somehow felt that he was
very much indebted to her.
"I seen a church show once," Polly said suddenly.
"You did?" Douglas asked, with new interest.
"Yes," she answered, closing her lips and venturing no further
comment.
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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 Sophist by Plato: there is still plurality, viz. being, and a whole which is apart from
being. And being, if not all things, lacks something of the nature of
being, and becomes not-being. Nor can being ever have come into existence,
for nothing comes into existence except as a whole; nor can being have
number, for that which has number is a whole or sum of number. These are a
few of the difficulties which are accumulating one upon another in the
consideration of being.
We may proceed now to the less exact sort of philosophers. Some of them
drag down everything to earth, and carry on a war like that of the giants,
grasping rocks and oaks in their hands. Their adversaries defend
themselves warily from an invisible world, and reduce the substances of
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