| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Hermione's Little Group of Serious Thinkers by Don Marquis: she wrote -- that's what attracted me to her at the
first.
"Have you never asked yourself," it began
"'Why was I born?'"
Fancy knowing that about one! If there is one
question I have asked myself thousands and thou-
sands of times it is, "Why was I born?"
And then the letter went on to talk about horo-
scopes and the Inevitable.
"We may not overcome the inevitable," it said,
"but it is ours to see that the Inevitable does not
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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 Treatise on Parents and Children by George Bernard Shaw: In short, we all grow up stupid and mad to just the extent to which we
have not been artistically educated; and the fact that this taint of
stupidity and madness has to be tolerated because it is general, and
is even boasted of as characteristically English, makes the situation
all the worse. It is becoming exceedingly grave at present, because
the last ray of art is being cut off from our schools by the
discontinuance of religious education.
The Impossibility of Secular Education
Now children must be taught some sort of religion. Secular education
is an impossibility. Secular education comes to this: that the only
reason for ceasing to do evil and learning to do well is that if you
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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 Augsburg Confession by Philip Melanchthon: heathen. For devils and the ungodly are not able to believe
this Article: the forgiveness of sins. Hence, they hate God as
an enemy, call not upon Him, and expect no good from Him.
Augustine also admonishes his readers concerning the word
"faith," and teaches that the term "faith" is accepted in the
Scriptures not for knowledge such as is in the ungodly but for
confidence which consoles and encourages the terrified mind.
Furthermore, it is taught on our part that it is necessary to
do good works, not that we should trust to merit grace by
them, but because it is the will of God. It is only by faith
that forgiveness of sins is apprehended, and that, for
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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 Talisman by Walter Scott: said the baron, "there is something in these words, vert and
venison, that turns the very brains of our Norman princes."
"We have heard of late," said the Scot, "by minstrels and
pilgrims, that your outlawed yeomen have formed great bands in
the shires of York and Nottingham, having at their head a most
stout archer, called Robin Hood, with his lieutenant, Little
John. Methinks it were better that Richard relaxed his forest-
code in England, than endeavour to enforce it in the Holy Land."
"Wild work, Sir Kenneth," replied De Vaux, shrugging his
shoulders, as one who would avoid a perilous or unpleasing topic
--"a mad world, sir. I must now bid you adieu, having presently
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