| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Letters from England by Elizabeth Davis Bancroft: London who have sons at Eton come down to witness their happiness,
and the river bank is full of gayety. The evening finished with the
most beautiful fireworks I ever saw, which lighted up the Castle
behind and were reflected in the Thames below, while the glancing
oars of the young boatmen, and the music of their band with a merry
chime of bells from St. George's Chapel, above, all combined to give
gayety and interest to the scene. The next morning (Sunday), after
an agreeable breakfast in the long, low-walled breakfast-room, which
opens upon the flower garden, we went to Windsor to worship in St.
George's Chapel. The Queen's stall is rather larger than the
others, and one is left vacant for the Prince of Wales.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Tales of the Klondyke by Jack London: moon was thrusting a dim horn above the white line of close-packed
snow-capped pines which ringed the camp and segregated it from all
the world. Overhead, so clear it was and cold, the stars danced
with quick, pulsating movements. To the southeast an evanescent
greenish glow heralded the opening revels of the aurora borealis.
Two men, in the immediate foreground, lay upon the bearskin which
was their bed. Between the skin and naked snow was a six-inch
layer of pine boughs. The blankets were rolled back. For
shelter, there was a fly at their backs,--a sheet of canvas
stretched between two trees and angling at forty-five degrees.
This caught the radiating heat from the fire and flung it down
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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 Oscar Wilde Miscellaneous by Oscar Wilde: SIMONE. What! The son
Of that great Lord of Florence whose dim towers
Like shadows silvered by the wandering moon
I see from out my casement every night!
Sir Guido Bardi, you are welcome here,
Twice welcome. For I trust my honest wife,
Most honest if uncomely to the eye,
Hath not with foolish chatterings wearied you,
As is the wont of women.
GUIDO. Your gracious lady,
Whose beauty is a lamp that pales the stars
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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 The Patchwork Girl of Oz by L. Frank Baum: "I don't know," she said, shaking her head
thoughtfully. "Ozma will see him 'bout it, of
course, and then she'll punish him. But how,
I don't know, 'cause no one ever has been
punished in Oz since I knew anything about
the place. Too bad, Shaggy Man, isn't it?"
While they were talking Scraps had been
roaming around the room and looking at all
the pretty things it contained. She had carried
Ojo's basket in her hand, until now, when she
decided to see what was inside it. She found
The Patchwork Girl of Oz |
