| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin: know, as have good and true species. Practically, when a naturalist can
unite two forms together by others having intermediate characters, he
treats the one as a variety of the other, ranking the most common, but
sometimes the one first described, as the species, and the other as the
variety. But cases of great difficulty, which I will not here enumerate,
sometimes occur in deciding whether or not to rank one form as a variety of
another, even when they are closely connected by intermediate links; nor
will the commonly-assumed hybrid nature of the intermediate links always
remove the difficulty. In very many cases, however, one form is ranked as
a variety of another, not because the intermediate links have actually been
found, but because analogy leads the observer to suppose either that they
On the Origin of Species |
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: trouble you with their strength."
I looked at him with surprise. "St. John," I said, "I think you are
almost wicked to talk so. I am disposed to be as content as a
queen, and you try to stir me up to restlessness! To what end?"
"To the end of turning to profit the talents which God has committed
to your keeping; and of which He will surely one day demand a strict
account. Jane, I shall watch you closely and anxiously--I warn you
of that. And try to restrain the disproportionate fervour with
which you throw yourself into commonplace home pleasures. Don't
cling so tenaciously to ties of the flesh; save your constancy and
ardour for an adequate cause; forbear to waste them on trite
Jane Eyre |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Pellucidar by Edgar Rice Burroughs: Gr-gr-gr's son seemed much impressed by my sug-
gestion. He said that when he was through in the
fields he would speak to his father about the matter.
Some time after this Gr-gr-gr came through the fields
where we were, and his son spoke to him upon the sub-
ject, but the old gentleman was evidently in anything
but a good humor, for he cuffed the youngster and,
turning upon me, informed me that he was convinced
that I had lied to him, and that I was one of Hooja's peo-
ple.
"Wherefore," he concluded, "we shall slay you as soon
Pellucidar |
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 Lost Princess of Oz by L. Frank Baum: mule--the most beautiful of all beasts--and have always remained one."
The Woozy sat upon his square haunches to examine Hank with care.
"Beauty," he said, "must be a matter of taste. I don't say your
judgment is bad, friend Hank, or that you are so vulgar as to be
conceited. But if you admire big, waggy ears and a tail like a
paintbrush and hoofs big enough for an elephant and a long neck and a
body so skinny that one can count the ribs with one eye shut--if
that's your idea of beauty, Hank, then either you or I must be much
mistaken."
"You're full of edges," sneered the Mule. "If I were square as you
are, I suppose you'd think me lovely."
The Lost Princess of Oz |
