| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Mansfield Park by Jane Austen: improperly and unfeelingly--I may speak of it now because
it is all over--so improperly by poor Mr. Rushworth,
not seeming to care how he exposed or hurt him,
and paying attentions to my cousin Maria, which--in short,
at the time of the play, I received an impression which
will never be got over."
"My dear Fanny," replied Edmund, scarcely hearing her
to the end, "let us not, any of us, be judged by what we
appeared at that period of general folly. The time of the
play is a time which I hate to recollect. Maria was wrong,
Crawford was wrong, we were all wrong together; but none
Mansfield Park |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Large Catechism by Dr. Martin Luther: neighbor, however the civil government, preachers, father and mother
excepted, on the understanding that this commandment does not allow
evil to go unpunished. Now, as according to the Fifth Commandment no
one is to be injured in body, and yet Master Hannes [the executioner]
is excepted, who by virtue of his office does his neighbor no good, but
only evil and harm, and nevertheless does not sin against God's
commandment, because God has on His own account instituted that office;
for He has reserved punishment for His own good pleasure, as He
threatens in the First Commandment, -- just so also, although no one
has a right in his own person to judge and condemn anybody, yet if they
to whose office it belongs fail to do it, they sin as well as he who
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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 Voice of the City by O. Henry: for one evening with it, and lecture your audience, if
you should have one, on the precariousness of the pro-
fession of heir presumptive."
"People might like you, Old Bryson," said Gillian,
always unruffled, "if you wouldn't moralize. I asked
you to tell me what I could do with a thousand
dollars."
"You?" said Bryson, with a gentle laugh.
"Why, Bobby Gillian, there's only one logical thing
you could do. You can go buy Miss Lotta Lauriere
a diamond pendant with the money, and then take
The Voice of the City |
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 Flower Fables by Louisa May Alcott: shrank away, trembling with fear; while the birds fled to hide
among the leaves as he passed.
This grieved poor Thistle, and he longed to tell them how changed
he had become; but they would not listen. So he tried to show, by
quiet deeds of kindness, that he meant no harm to them; and soon
the kind-hearted birds pitied the lonely Fairy, and when he came near
sang cheering songs, and dropped ripe berries in his path, for he
no longer broke their eggs, or hurt their little ones.
And when the flowers saw this, and found the once cruel Elf now
watering and tending little buds, feeding hungry insects, and
helping the busy ants to bear their heavy loads, they shared the pity
Flower Fables |
