| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Tattine by Ruth Ogden [Mrs. Charles W. Ide]: "Oh! I mean does she have a day sometimes when she gets ready for company and
expects to have people come and see her, the way ladies do in town?"
"Well, no, miss; she don't do tbat, for, tin to one, nobody'd come if she did.
We belongs to the workin' classes, Molly and I, and we has no time for the
doing of the loikes of city people."
"I'm sorry she hasn't a day," said Tattine, "because--because--"
"If ye're maning that you'd like to give us a call, miss," said Patrick,
beginning to take in the situation, "shure she could have a day at home as
aisy as the foinest lady, and proud indeed she'd be to have it with your
little self for the guest of honor."
"I would like to bring Rudolph and Mabel, Patrick."
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Laches by Plato: mode, nor yet in the Lydian, but in the true Hellenic mode, which is the
Dorian, and no other. Such an one makes me merry with the sound of his
voice; and when I hear him I am thought to be a lover of discourse; so
eager am I in drinking in his words. But a man whose actions do not agree
with his words is an annoyance to me; and the better he speaks the more I
hate him, and then I seem to be a hater of discourse. As to Socrates, I
have no knowledge of his words, but of old, as would seem, I have had
experience of his deeds; and his deeds show that free and noble sentiments
are natural to him. And if his words accord, then I am of one mind with
him, and shall be delighted to be interrogated by a man such as he is, and
shall not be annoyed at having to learn of him: for I too agree with
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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 Prufrock/Other Observations by T. S. Eliot: Gripped the end of a stick which I held him.
Half-past three,
The lamp sputtered,
The lamp muttered in the dark.
The lamp hummed:
"Regard the moon,
La lune ne garde aucune rancune,
She winks a feeble eye,
She smiles into corners.
She smoothes the hair of the grass.
The moon has lost her memory.
Prufrock/Other Observations |
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 McTeague by Frank Norris: All at once the ball slipped out of McTeague's jaws as
easily as it had gone in. What a relief! He dropped into a
chair, wiping his forehead, gasping for breath.
On the strength of the occasion Marcus Schouler invited the
entire group to drink with him.
By the time the affair was over and the group dispersed it
was after five. Marcus and McTeague decided they would
ride home on the cars. But they soon found this impossible.
The dogs would not follow. Only Alexander, Marcus's new
setter, kept his place at the rear of the car. The other
three lost their senses immediately, running wildly about
McTeague |
