| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Memorabilia by Xenophon: imagined himself too tall to pass under a gateway of the Long Wall
without stooping, or so strong as to try to lift a house, or to
attempt any other obvious impossibility, is a madman according to
them; but in the popular sense he is not mad, if his obliquity is
confined to small matters. In fact, just as strong desire goes by the
name of passion in popular parlance, so mental obliquity on a grand
scale is entitled madness.
[7] See K. Joel, op. cit. p. 346; Grote, "Plato," i. 400.
[8] Or, "they resent the term 'mad' being applied to people who are
all abroad," etc. See Comte, "Pos. Pol." i. 575; ii. 373 (Engl.
trans.)
The Memorabilia |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Young Forester by Zane Grey: and he'll make trouble. Well, he wants to steer clear of Jim and me."
After that we fell silent, and walked slowly back toward Cless's corral.
Dick's lips were closed tight, and he did not look at me. Evidently he did
not intend to actually put me aboard a train, and the time for parting had
come. He watered his horses at the trough, and fussed over his pack and
fumbled with his saddle-girths. It looked to me as though he had not the
courage to say goodby.
"Ken, it didn't look so bad--so mean till now," he said. "I'm all broken
up. . . . To get you way out here! Oh! what's the use? I'm mighty sorry. .
. . Good-bye--maybe-"
He broke off suddenly, and, wringing my hand, he vaulted into the saddle.
The Young Forester |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Russia in 1919 by Arthur Ransome: "But part of that district is not in your hands.
"If we get peace we shall be able to arrange that without difficulty."
Just as I was going he stopped me, and evidently not in the
least realizing that English people generally have come to
think of him and his friends as of some strange sort of
devils, if not with horns and tails, certainly far removed from
human beings, he asked:--
"If we do get peace, don't you think there will be engineers
and skilled labourers in England who will volunteer to come
out to Russia and help us? There is so much to do that I can
promise they will have the best we can give them. We are
|
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 Songs of Travel by Robert Louis Stevenson: We also with an ardent mind,
Time, wealth, and fame forgot,
Our glory in our patience find
And skim, and skim the pot:
Till last, when round the house we hear
The evensong of birds,
One corner of blue heaven appear
In our clear well of words.
Leave, leave it then, muse of my heart!
Sans finish and sans frame,
Leave unadorned by needless art
|
