| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Sanitary and Social Lectures by Charles Kingsley: fight against facts--as if facts were not made to be fought
against and conquered, and put out of the way, whensoever they
interfere in the least with the welfare of any human being. The
drowning man is not to strike out for his life lest by keeping his
head above water he interfere with the laws of gravitation. Not
that the political economist, or any man, can be true to his own
fallacy. He must needs try his hand at the synthetic method
though he forbids it to the rest of the world: but the only
deductive hint which he has as yet given to mankind is, quaintly
enough, the most unnatural "eidolon specus" which ever entered the
head of a dehumanised pedant--namely, that once famous "Preventive
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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 Cousin Pons by Honore de Balzac: bread all my days, and now I wish I had some little Remonencqs. Do
leave that Cibot of yours."
"Why, here comes your Jew," said the portress; "we can arrange the
whole business."
Elie Magus came every third day very early in the morning to know when
he could buy his pictures. "Well, my dear lady," said he, "how are we
getting on?"
"Has nobody been to speak to you about M. Pons and his gimcracks?"
asked La Cibot.
"I received a letter from a lawyer," said Elie Magus, "a rascal that
seems to me to be trying to work for himself; I don't like people of
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