| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Underground City by Jules Verne: which fire cannot consume."
"Do you mean to say, Mr. Starr, that mankind would have ended
by burning their own globe?"
"Yes! The whole of it, my lad," answered the engineer.
"The earth would have passed to the last bit into the furnaces
of engines, machines, steamers, gas factories; certainly, that would
have been the end of our world one fine day!"
"There is no fear of that now, Mr. Starr. But yet, the mines will
be exhausted, no doubt, and more rapidly than the statistics make out!"
"That will happen, Harry; and in my opinion England is very
wrong in exchanging her fuel for the gold of other nations!
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from A Straight Deal by Owen Wister: The omission on the part of our Secretary of the Navy was later quietly
rectified by an official publication of the British Government, wherein
it appeared that some sixty per cent of our troops were transported in
British ships. Our Secretary's regrettable slight to our British allies
was immediately set right by Admiral Sims, who forthwith, both in public
and in private, paid full and appreciative tribute to what had been done.
It is, nevertheless, very likely that some Americans will learn here for
the first time that more than half of our troops were not transported by
ourselves, and could not have been transported at all but for British
assistance. There are many persons who still believe what our politicians
and newspapers tell them. No incident that I shall relate further on
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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 The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle: on parchment, forsooth, with a great red seal for to make it lawful.
Could I but meet this same Robin Hood I would serve it upon his
dainty body, and if he minded it not I would beat him till every
one of his ribs would cry Amen. But thou livest hereabouts,
mayhap thou knowest Robin Hood thyself, good fellow."
"Ay, marry, that I do somewhat," quoth Robin, "and I have seen him this
very morn. But, Tinker, men say that he is but a sad, sly thief.
Thou hadst better watch thy warrant, man, or else he may steal it
out of thy very pouch."
"Let him but try!" cried the Tinker. "Sly may he be,
but sly am I, too. I would I had him here now, man to man!"
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood |
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 Pupil by Henry James: first make out. Ulick, the firstborn, was in visible training for
the same profession - under the disadvantage as yet, however, of a
buttonhole but feebly floral and a moustache with no pretensions to
type. The girls had hair and figures and manners and small fat
feet, but had never been out alone. As for Mrs. Moreen Pemberton
saw on a nearer view that her elegance was intermittent and her
parts didn't always match. Her husband, as she had promised, met
with enthusiasm Pemberton's ideas in regard to a salary. The young
man had endeavoured to keep these stammerings modest, and Mr.
Moreen made it no secret that HE found them wanting in "style." He
further mentioned that he aspired to be intimate with his children,
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