| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Sanitary and Social Lectures by Charles Kingsley: was that God was judging thereby--foul air, foul water, unclean
backyards, stifling attics, houses hanging over the narrow street
till light and air were alike shut out--that there lay the sin;
and that to amend that was the repentance which God demanded.
Yet we cannot blame them. They showed that the crowded city life
can bring out human nobleness as well as human baseness; that to
be crushed into contact with their fellow-men, forced at least the
loftier and tender souls to know their fellow-men, and therefore
to care for them, to love them, to die for them. Yes--from one
temptation the city life is free, to which the country life is
sadly exposed--that isolation which, self-contented and self-
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin: least, in a country which is already stocked with other races. In this
respect enclosure of the land plays a part. Wandering savages or the
inhabitants of open plains rarely possess more than one breed of the same
species. Pigeons can be mated for life, and this is a great convenience to
the fancier, for thus many races may be kept true, though mingled in the
same aviary; and this circumstance must have largely favoured the
improvement and formation of new breeds. Pigeons, I may add, can be
propagated in great numbers and at a very quick rate, and inferior birds
may be freely rejected, as when killed they serve for food. On the other
hand, cats, from their nocturnal rambling habits, cannot be matched, and,
although so much valued by women and children, we hardly ever see a
On the Origin of Species |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald: perpetually reborn on his cheek. Somewhere in his mind a
conversation began, rather resumed its place in his attention. It
was composed not of two voices, but of one, which acted alike as
questioner and answerer:
Question.Wellwhat's the situation?
Answer.That I have about twenty-four dollars to my name.
Q.You have the Lake Geneva estate.
A.But I intend to keep it.
Q.Can you live?
A.I can't imagine not being able to. People make money in books
and I've found that I can always do the things that people do in
This Side of Paradise |
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 Two Brothers by Honore de Balzac: now intended to amuse themselves by ruining him. It was a matter to
him of over three thousand francs,--very nearly the whole capital he
had scraped together since the peace. Driven by the desire for
vengeance, the man now displayed the cunning and stealthy persistence
of a detective to whom a large reward is offered. Hiding at night in
different parts of Issoudun, he soon acquired proof of the proceedings
of the Knights of Idleness; he saw them all, counted them, watched
their rendezvous, and knew of their suppers at Mere Cognette's; after
that he lay in wait to witness one of their deeds, and thus became
well informed as to their nocturnal habits.
In spite of Max's journeys and pre-occupations, he had no intention of
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