| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Boys' Life of Abraham Lincoln by Helen Nicolay: course of long years, he paid, with interest, every cent of what
he used to call, in rueful satire upon his own folly, his
"National Debt."
III. LAWYER LINCOLN
Unlucky as Lincoln's attempt at storekeeping had been, it served
one good purpose. Indeed, in a way it may be said to have
determined his whole future career. He had had a hard struggle to
decide between becoming a blacksmith or a lawyer; and when chance
seemed to offer a middle course, and he tried to be a merchant,
the wish to study law had certainly not faded from his mind.
There is a story that while cleaning up the store, he came upon a
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Scarecrow of Oz by L. Frank Baum: up and staring at him, "but I don't believe you've saved
anything except some popcorn that I might have eaten had
you not disturbed me. It was nice and warm in that bank
of popcorn, and there was plenty to eat. What made you
dig me out? And what makes you so bumpy everywhere?"
"As for the bumps," replied the man, looking at himself
with much pride, "I was born with them and I suspect they
were a gift from the fairies. They make me look rugged
and big, like the mountain I serve."
"All right," said Button-Bright and began eating
popcorn again.
The Scarecrow of Oz |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Rescue by Joseph Conrad: expired side by side.
"Them's rockets, sir--ain't they?" said one of the men in a
muffled voice.
"Aye, rockets," grunted Carter. "And now, what's the next move?"
he muttered to himself dismally.
He got his answer in the fierce swishing whirr of a slender ray
of fire that, shooting violently upward from the sombre hull of
the brig, dissolved at once into a dull red shower of falling
sparks. Only one, white and brilliant, remained alone poised high
overhead, and after glowing vividly for a second, exploded with a
feeble report. Almost at the same time he saw the brig's head
The Rescue |
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 Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield: The engines stopped. Slowly she edged to the wharf-side.
"Make way there--make way--make way!" And the wharf hands brought the
heavy gangways along at a sweeping run. Hammond signed to Janey to stay
where she was. The old harbour-master stepped forward; he followed. As to
"ladies first," or any rot like that, it never entered his head.
"After you, Captain!" he cried genially. And, treading on the old man's
heels, he strode up the gangway on to the deck in a bee-line to Janey, and
Janey was clasped in his arms.
"Well, well, well! Yes, yes! Here we are at last!" he stammered. It was
all he could say. And Janey emerged, and her cool little voice--the only
voice in the world for him--said,
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