| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Odyssey by Homer: heart, and longing for the manifold excellence of my dear
lord, for that he was foremost of the Achaeans.'
With this word she went down from the shining upper
chamber, not alone, for two handmaidens likewise bare her
company. But when the fair lady had now come to the wooers,
she stood by the pillar of the well-builded roof, holding
her glistening tire before her face, and on either side of
her stood a faithful handmaid. And straightway the knees of
the wooers were loosened, and their hearts were enchanted
with love, and each one uttered a prayer that he might be
her bed-fellow. But she spake to Telemachus, her dear son:
The Odyssey |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte: were in vogue; her dress, also in the mode of the day, was of purple
cloth, relieved by a sort of Spanish trimming of black velvet; a
gold watch (watches were not so common then as now) shone at her
girdle. Let the reader add, to complete the picture, refined
features; a complexion, if pale, clear; and a stately air and
carriage, and he will have, at least, as clearly as words can give
it, a correct idea of the exterior of Miss Temple--Maria Temple, as
I afterwards saw the name written in a prayer-book intrusted to me
to carry to church.
The superintendent of Lowood (for such was this lady) having taken
her seat before a pair of globes placed on one of the tables,
Jane Eyre |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Kenilworth by Walter Scott: messages by the value he places upon ours. We sent but this
morning the physician in ordinary of our chamber, and that at no
usual time, understanding his lordship's illness to be more
dangerous than we had before apprehended. There is at no court
in Europe a man more skilled in this holy and most useful science
than Doctor Masters, and he came from Us to our subject.
Nevertheless, he found the gate of Sayes Court defended by men
with culverins, as if it had been on the borders of Scotland, not
in the vicinity of our court; and when he demanded admittance in
our name, it was stubbornly refused. For this slight of a
kindness, which had but too much of condescension in it, we will
Kenilworth |
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 Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain: out in de woods, I has!"'
Vicksburg is a town of substantial business streets and pleasant residences;
it commands the commerce of the Yazoo and Sunflower Rivers; is pushing
railways in several directions, through rich agricultural regions,
and has a promising future of prosperity and importance.
Apparently, nearly all the river towns, big and little, have made
up their minds that they must look mainly to railroads for wealth
and upbuilding, henceforth. They are acting upon this idea.
The signs are, that the next twenty years will bring about some
noteworthy changes in the Valley, in the direction of increased
population and wealth, and in the intellectual advancement
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