| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Secret Places of the Heart by H. G. Wells: "I don't confide . . . . Do I even confide in myself? I
imagine I do . . . . Is there anything in myself that I
haven't looked squarely in the face? . . . How much are we
going into? Even as regards facts?
"Does it really help a man--to see himself?. . ."
Such thoughts engaged him until he found himself in his
study. His desk and his writing table were piled high with a
heavy burthen of work. Still a little preoccupied with Dr.
Martineau's exposition, he began to handle this
confusion. . . .
At half past nine he found himself with three hours of good
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Master and Man by Leo Tolstoy: 'And look where you've got to! You should have gone through
Molchanovka.'
'Should have, but didn't manage it,' said Vasili Andreevich,
holding in the horse.
'That's a good horse,' said Isay, with a shrewd glance at
Mukhorty, and with a practised hand he tightened the loosened
knot high in the horse's bushy tail.
'Are you going to stay the night?'
'No, friend. I must get on.'
'Your business must be pressing. And who is this? Ah, Nikita
Stepanych!'
Master and Man |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Master of the World by Jules Verne: Naturally the excitement became more intense as one approached the
finishing line near Milwaukee. There were assembled the most curious,
the most interested; and there the passions of the moment were
unchained. By ten o'clock it was evident, that the first prize,
twenty thousand dollars, lay between five machines, two American, two
French, and one English. Imagine, therefore, the fury with which bets
were being made under the influence of national pride. The regular
book makers could scarcely meet the demands of those who wished to
wager. Offers and amounts were hurled from lip to lip with feverish
rapidity. "One to three on the Harvard-Watson!"
"One to two on the Dion-Bouton!"
|
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 Philosophy 4 by Owen Wister: Billy as catechist would put at Bertie. "Eternal flux," Bertie would
correctly snap back at Billy. Or, if he got it mixed up, and replied,
"Everything is water," which was the doctrine of another Greek, then
Billy would credit himself with twenty-five cents on a piece of paper.
Each ran a memorandum of this kind; and you can readily see how spirited
a character metaphysics would assume under such conditions.
"I'm going in," said Bertie, suddenly, as Billy was crediting himself
with a fifty-cent gain. "What's your score?"
"Two seventy-five, counting your break on Parmenides. It'II be cold."
"No, it won't. Well, I'm only a quarter behind you." And Bertie puffed
off his shoes. Soon he splashed into the stream where the bend made a
|
