| 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: a hard voice. "Good-by," he said.
The tattered man looked at him in gaping
amazement. "Why--why, pardner, where yeh
goin'?" he asked unsteadily. The youth looking
at him, could see that he, too, like that other one,
was beginning to act dumb and animal-like. His
thoughts seemed to be floundering about in his
head. "Now--now--look--a--here, you Tom
Jamison--now--I won't have this--this here
won't do. Where--where yeh goin'?"
The youth pointed vaguely. "Over there,"
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 The Smalcald Articles by Dr. Martin Luther: must be preached in My name among all nations.
But whenever the Law alone, without the Gospel being added
exercises this its office there is [nothing else than] death
and hell, and man must despair, like Saul and Judas; as St.
Paul, Rom. 7, 10, says: Through sin the Law killeth. On the
other hand, the Gospel brings consolation and remission not
only in one way, but through the word and Sacraments, and the
like, as we shall hear afterward in order that [thus] there is
with the Lord plenteous redemption, as Ps. 130, 7 says against
the dreadful captivity of sin.
However, we must now contrast the false repentance of the
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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 Travels with a Donkey in the Cevenne by Robert Louis Stevenson: they would be twice engaged with Satan; but the Camisards had only
bright and supporting visions. They dealt much more in blood, both
given and taken; yet I find no obsession of the Evil One in their
records. With a light conscience, they pursued their life in these
rough times and circumstances. The soul of Seguier, let us not
forget, was like a garden. They knew they were on God's side, with
a knowledge that has no parallel among the Scots; for the Scots,
although they might be certain of the cause, could never rest
confident of the person.
'We flew,' says one old Camisard, 'when we heard the sound of
psalm-singing, we flew as if with wings. We felt within us an
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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 Gobseck by Honore de Balzac: background. He pointed to a chair set for me, but not a word did he
say.
" 'What thoughts can this being have in his mind?' said I to myself.
'Does he know that a God exists; does he know there are such things as
feeling, woman, happiness?' I pitied him as I might have pitied a
diseased creature. But, at the same time, I knew quite well that while
he had millions of francs at his command, he possessed the world no
less in idea--that world which he had explored, ransacked, weighed,
appraised, and exploited.
" 'Good day, Daddy Gobseck,' I began.
"He turned his face towards me with a slight contraction of his bushy,
Gobseck |
