| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane: tree branches at the sky. He had seen a good
deal of flurry and haste in her movement as she
changed her attitude. He often thought of it.
On the way to Washington his spirit had
soared. The regiment was fed and caressed at
station after station until the youth had believed
that he must be a hero. There was a lavish ex-
penditure of bread and cold meats, coffee, and
pickles and cheese. As he basked in the smiles
of the girls and was patted and complimented by
the old men, he had felt growing within him the
The Red Badge of Courage |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Gorgias by Plato: SOCRATES: The degrees of good and evil vary with the degrees of pleasure
and of pain?
CALLICLES: Yes.
SOCRATES: Have the wise man and the fool, the brave and the coward, joy
and pain in nearly equal degrees? or would you say that the coward has
more?
CALLICLES: I should say that he has.
SOCRATES: Help me then to draw out the conclusion which follows from our
admissions; for it is good to repeat and review what is good twice and
thrice over, as they say. Both the wise man and the brave man we allow to
be good?
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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 Lair of the White Worm by Bram Stoker: will not try force, though she has so much of it to spare. Whatever
she may attempt to-day, of harm to any of us, will be in the way of
secret plot. Some other time she may try force, but--if I am able
to judge such a thing--not to-day. The messengers who may ask for
any of us will not be witnesses only, they may help to stave off
danger." Seeing query in her face, he went on: "Of what kind the
danger may be, I know not, and cannot guess. It will doubtless be
some ordinary circumstance; but none the less dangerous on that
account. Here we are at the gate. Now, be careful in all matters,
however small. To keep your head is half the battle."
There were a number of men in livery in the hall when they arrived.
Lair of the White Worm |
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 Economist by Xenophon: materials of every kind; the sower, too, about to sow must cleanse the
soil, and what he takes as refuse from it needs only to be thrown into
water and time itself will do the rest, shaping all to gladden
earth.[9] For matter in every shape, nay earth itself,[10] in stagnant
water turns to fine manure.
[9] Lit. "Time itself will make that wherein Earth rejoices."
[10] i.e. "each fallen leaf, each sprig or spray of undergrowth, the
very weeds, each clod." Lit. "what kind of material, what kind of
soil does not become manure when thrown into stagnant water?"
So, again, as touching the various ways in which the earth itself
needs treatment, either as being too moist for sowing, or too salt[11]
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