| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Edition of The Ambassadors by Henry James: But don't let it trouble you, for everything but the very deuce--
at our age--is a bore and a delusion, and even he himself, after all,
but half a joy." With which, on a single sweep of her wing, she
resumed. "You assist her to expiate--which is rather hard when
you've yourself not sinned."
"It's she who hasn't sinned," Strether replied. "I've sinned the
most."
"Ah," Miss Gostrey cynically laughed, "what a picture of HER!
Have you robbed the widow and the orphan?"
"I've sinned enough," said Strether.
"Enough for whom? Enough for what?"
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Essays of Travel by Robert Louis Stevenson: capacities, and about as wise in deduction, as the bankers and
barristers of what is called society. One and all were too much
interested in disconnected facts, and loved information for its own
sake with too rash a devotion; but people in all classes display the
same appetite as they gorge themselves daily with the miscellaneous
gossip of the newspaper. Newspaper-reading, as far as I can make
out, is often rather a sort of brown study than an act of culture. I
have myself palmed off yesterday's issue on a friend, and seen him
re-peruse it for a continuance of minutes with an air at once
refreshed and solemn. Workmen, perhaps, pay more attention; but
though they may be eager listeners, they have rarely seemed to me
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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 The Redheaded Outfield by Zane Grey: a strike. And on the next he appeared to step
and swing in one action. There was a ringing
rap, and the ball shot toward right, curving down,
a vicious, headed hit. Mallory, at first base,
snatched at it and found only the air. Babcock
had only time to take a few sharp steps, and then
he plunged down, blocked the hit and fought the
twisting ball. Reddie turned first base, flitted on
toward second, went headlong in the dust, and
shot to the base before White got the throw-in
from Babcock. Then, as White wheeled and lined
The Redheaded Outfield |
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 On Horsemanship by Xenophon: off to best advantage, you have got what you are aiming at--a horse
that delights in being ridden, a splendid and showy animal, the joy of
all beholders.
[1] Al. "the animals are so scared that, the chances are, they are
thrown into disorder."
[2] {gorgoumenos}, with pride and spirit, but with a suggestion of
"fierceness and rage," as of Job's war-horse.
[3] "Mollia crura reponit," Virg. "Georg." iii. 76; Hom. "Hymn. ad
Merc."
How these desirable results are, in our opinion, to be produced, we
will now endeavour to explain. In the first place, then, you ought to
On Horsemanship |
