| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Trooper Peter Halket of Mashonaland by Olive Schreiner: for-nothing rebels they are, too," said Peter.
"What is a rebel?" asked the stranger.
"My Gawd!" said Peter, "you must have lived out of the world if you don't
know what a rebel is! A rebel is a man who fights against his king and his
country. These bloody niggers here are rebels because they are fighting
against us. They don't want the Chartered Company to have them. But
they'll have to. We'll teach them a lesson," said Peter Halket, the
pugilistic spirit rising, firmly reseating himself on the South African
earth, which two years before he had never heard of, and eighteen months
before he had never seen, as if it had been his mother earth, and the land
in which he first saw light.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Euthydemus by Plato: SOCRATES: Find! my dear sir, no indeed. And we cut a poor figure; we were
like children after larks, always on the point of catching the art, which
was always getting away from us. But why should I repeat the whole story?
At last we came to the kingly art, and enquired whether that gave and
caused happiness, and then we got into a labyrinth, and when we thought we
were at the end, came out again at the beginning, having still to seek as
much as ever.
CRITO: How did that happen, Socrates?
SOCRATES: I will tell you; the kingly art was identified by us with the
political.
CRITO: Well, and what came of that?
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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 Captain Stormfield by Mark Twain: be there, and she likes to be with folks she knows."
"Don't you let her. You see what the Jersey district of heaven is,
for whites; well, the Californian district is a thousand times
worse. It swarms with a mean kind of leather-headed mud-colored
angels - and your nearest white neighbor is likely to be a million
miles away. WHAT A MAN MOSTLY MISSES, IN HEAVEN, IS COMPANY -
company of his own sort and color and language. I have come near
settling in the European part of heaven once or twice on that
account."
"Well, why didn't you, Sandy?"
"Oh, various reasons. For one thing, although you SEE plenty of
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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 Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia by Samuel Johnson: discovery. I am equally weary of confinement with yourself, and
not less desirous of knowing what is done or suffered in the world.
Permit me to fly with you from this tasteless tranquillity, which
will yet grow more loathsome when you have left me. You may deny
me to accompany you, but cannot hinder me from following."
The Prince, who loved Nekayah above his other sisters, had no
inclination to refuse her request, and grieved that he had lost an
opportunity of showing his confidence by a voluntary communication.
It was, therefore, agreed that she should leave the valley with
them; and that in the meantime she should watch, lest any other
straggler should, by chance or curiosity, follow them to the
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