| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from A treatise on Good Works by Dr. Martin Luther: neighbor, just as if He had commanded him to distribute some
gulden to the poor for His sake. So He says, Matthew v: "Your
light shall shine before men, so that they may see your good
works and glorify your Father Who is in heaven." He does not say,
"they shall praise you," but "your works shall only serve them
to edification, that through them they may praise God in you and
in themselves." This is the correct use of God's Name and honor,
when God is thereby praised through the edification of others.
And if men want to praise us and not God in us, we are not to
endure it, but with all our powers forbid it and flee from it as
from the most grievous sin and robbery of divine honor.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Beauty and The Beast by Bayard Taylor: marry, like others, and Ruth is the wife for us,--I mean for
you, Jonathan. Yes, we must learn to say MINE and YOURS,
after all, when we speak of her."
"Even she cannot separate us, it seems," Jonathan answered. "We
must give her some sign, and that will also be a sign for others.
It will seem strange to divide ourselves; we can never learn it
properly; rather let us not think of marriage."
"We cannot help thinking of it; she stands in mother's place now,
as we in father's."
Then both became silent and thoughtful. They felt that something
threatened to disturb what seemed to be the only possible life for
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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 Young Forester by Zane Grey: The huge trunk amply concealed me, but, nevertheless, I crouched down. How
strange that I should run into that Mexican again! Where was he going? Had
he followed me? Was there a trail?
As long as the three men were in sight I watched them. When the last brown
speck had flitted and disappeared far away in the forest I retraced my
steps to my mustang, pondering upon this new turn in my affairs.
"Things are bound to happen to me," I concluded, "and I may as well make up
my mind to that."
While standing beside Hal, undecided as to my next move, I heard a whistle.
It was faint, perhaps miles away, yet unmistakably it was the whistle of an
engine. I wondered if the railroad turned round this side of the peaks.
The Young Forester |
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 Dead Souls by Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol: the canton of Tremalakhan, and, withal, a bachelor of about thirty.
Should my lady readers ask of me what manner of man is Tientietnikov,
and what are his attributes and peculiarities, I should refer them to
his neighbours. Of these, a member of the almost extinct tribe of
intelligent staff officers on the retired list once summed up
Tientietnikov in the phrase, "He is an absolute blockhead;" while a
General who resided ten versts away was heard to remark that "he is a
young man who, though not exactly a fool, has at least too much
crowded into his head. I myself might have been of use to him, for not
only do I maintain certain connections with St. Petersburg, but
also--" And the General left his sentence unfinished. Thirdly, a
Dead Souls |
