| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Ancient Regime by Charles Kingsley: the village is picturesque, for the flower of the young men are at
the wars, and the place is tumbling down; and the two old peasants
in the foreground, with the single goat and the hamper of vine-
twigs, are very picturesque likewise, for they are all in rags.
How sad to see the picturesque element eliminated, and the quiet
artistic beauty of the scene destroyed;--to have steamers puffing up
and down the river, and a railroad hurrying along its banks the
wealth of the Old World, in exchange for the wealth of the New--or
hurrying, it may be, whole regiments of free and educated citizen-
soldiers, who fight, they know for what. How sad to see the alto
schloss desecrated by tourists, and the neue schloss converted into
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians by Martin Luther: Spirit who prays for us.
VERSE 7. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son.
This sentence clinches Paul's argument. He says: "With the Holy Spirit in our
hearts crying, 'Abba, Father,' there can be no doubt that God has adopted us
for His children and that our subjection to the Law has come to an end." We
are now the free children of God. We may now say to the Law: "Mister Law,
you have lost your throne to Christ. I am free now and a son of God. You
cannot curse me any more." Do not permit the Law to lie in your conscience.
Your conscience belongs to Christ. Let Christ be in it and not the Law.
As the children of God we are the heirs of His eternal heaven. What a
wonderful gift heaven is, man's heart cannot conceive, much less describe.
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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 Letters from England by Elizabeth Davis Bancroft: "special constable" (every gentleman in London is sworn into that
office), occasionally some on foot, some on horseback, scouring the
streets. I took a drive early this morning with Mr. Bancroft, and
nothing could be less like the eve of a revolution. This evening,
when the petition is to be presented, may bring some disturbance,
not from the Chartists themselves, but from the disorderly persons
who may avail themselves of the occasion. The Queen left town on
Saturday for the Isle of Wight, as she had so lately been confined
it was feared her health might suffer from any agitation. . . . I
passed a long train of artillery on Saturday evening coming into
town, which was the most earnest looking thing I have seen. . . .
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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 Secret Places of the Heart by H. G. Wells: happy. But instead of my marriage satisfying me, it presently
released a storm of long-controlled desires and imprisoned
cravings. A voice within me became more and more urgent.
'This will not do. This is not love. Where are your
goddesses? This is not love.' . . . And I was unfaithful to
my wife within four years of my marriage. It was a sudden
overpowering impulse. But I suppose the ground had been
preparing for a long time. I forget now all the emotions of
that adventure. I suppose at the time it seemed beautiful and
wonderful. . . . I do not excuse myself. Still less do I
condemn myself. I put the facts before you. So it was."
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