| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Madam How and Lady Why by Charles Kingsley: Well, we will talk about that in good time: but now--What is that
coming down the hill?
Oh, only some chalk-carts.
Only some chalk-carts? It seems to me that these chalk-carts are
the very things we want; that if we follow them far enough--I do
not mean with our feet along the public road, but with our
thoughts along a road which, I am sorry to say, the public do not
yet know much about--we shall come to a cave, and understand how a
cave is made. Meanwhile, do not be in a hurry to say, "Only a
chalk-cart," or only a mouse, or only a dead leaf. Chalk-carts,
like mice, and dead leaves, and most other matters in the universe
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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 Rape of Lucrece by William Shakespeare: Myself a weakling, do not then ensnare me;
Thou look'st not like deceit; do not deceive me;
My sighs, like whirlwinds, labour hence to heave thee.
If ever man were mov'd with woman's moans,
Be moved with my tears, my sighs, my groans:
'All which together, like a troubled ocean,
Beat at thy rocky and wreck-threatening heart;
To soften it with their continual motion;
For stones dissolv'd to water do convert.
O, if no harder than a stone thou art,
Melt at my tears, and be compassionate!
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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 Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg by Mark Twain: As long as he doesn't know that you could have saved him, he--he--
well that makes it a great deal better. Why, I might have known he
didn't know, because he is always trying to be friendly with us, as
little encouragement as we give him. More than once people have
twitted me with it. There's the Wilsons, and the Wilcoxes, and the
Harknesses, they take a mean pleasure in saying 'YOUR FRIEND
Burgess,' because they know it pesters me. I wish he wouldn't
persist in liking us so; I can't think why he keeps it up."
"I can explain it. It's another confession. When the thing was new
and hot, and the town made a plan to ride him on a rail, my
conscience hurt me so that I couldn't stand it, and I went privately
The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg |
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 Herland by Charlotte Gilman: Long since we had been given our own two rooms apiece, and
as being of a different sex and race, these were in a separate
house. It seemed to be recognized that we should breathe easier
if able to free our minds in real seclusion.
For food we either went to any convenient eating-house,
ordered a meal brought in, or took it with us to the woods,
always and equally good. All this we had become used to and
enjoyed--in our courting days.
After marriage there arose in us a somewhat unexpected urge
of feeling that called for a separate house; but this feeling found
no response in the hearts of those fair ladies.
Herland |
