| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from War and the Future by H. G. Wells: and I did not find among them anything like the same vigour of
examination, the same resolve to understand the Anglo-French
reaction, that I found among the French. In intellectual
processes I will confess that my sympathies are undisguisedly
with the French; the English will never think nor talk clearly
until the get clerical "Greek" and sham "humanities" out of their
public schools and sincere study and genuine humanities in; our
disingenuous Anglican compromise is like a cold in the English
head, and the higher education in England is a training in
evasion. This is an always lamentable state of affairs, but just
now it is particularly lamentable because quite tremendous
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Finished by H. Rider Haggard: frighten him, and by some devil's chance shot him dead. That's
what he calls being a murderer."
"I have another tale," said Rodd, "with which I will not trouble
this company just now. Look here, Heda, either you fulfil your
promise and marry me, or your father swings."
She gasped and sank together on the seat as though she had been
shot. Then I took up my parable.
"Are you the man," I asked, "to accuse others of crime? Let us
see. You have spent several months in an English prison (I gave
the name) for a crime I won't mention."
"How do you know--" he began.
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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 Rezanov by Gertrude Atherton: from the lace of his stock, he doubted no longer--
nor hesitated. Fastened by a blue ribbon to the
fourth button of his closely fitting coat was a golden
key, the outward symbol of his rank at court. He
detached it, then made a sudden gesture that caught
her attention. For a moment their eyes met. He
tossed her the bauble, and mechanically she lifted
her hand and caught it. Then she laughed con-
fusedly, shrugged her shoulders, bowed graciously
to her audience, and signalled to the musicians to
stop. Rezanov was at her side in a moment.
Rezanov |
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 Tales of the Klondyke by Jack London: Yankee-man, big-boned and big-muscled. Also his talk was big.
He, too, was a mighty traveler, he said, born to the snowshoe and
bred up on buffalo milk. He would go with me, in case I fell by
the trail, that he might carry the word on to the Mission. I was
young, and I knew not Yankee-men. How was I to know that big talk
betokened the streak of fat, or that Yankee-men who did great
things kept their teeth together? So we took the pick of the dogs
and the best of the grub, and struck the trail, we three,--Passuk,
Long Jeff, and I.
"Well, ye have broken virgin snow, labored at the gee-pole, and
are not unused to the packed river-jams; so I will talk little of
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