| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Happy Prince and Other Tales by Oscar Wilde: I have got all my creepers to nail up, and all my flowers to water,
and all my grass to roll.'
"'Well, really,' said the Miller, 'I think that, considering that I
am going to give you my wheelbarrow, it is rather unfriendly of you
to refuse.'
"'Oh, don't say that,' cried little Hans, 'I wouldn't be unfriendly
for the whole world'; and he ran in for his cap, and trudged off
with the big sack on his shoulders.
"It was a very hot day, and the road was terribly dusty, and before
Hans had reached the sixth milestone he was so tired that he had to
sit down and rest. However, he went on bravely, and as last he
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Life in the Iron-Mills by Rebecca Davis: Kirby laughed.
"Yes. Yonder is Farinata himself in the burning tomb,"--
pointing to some figure in the shimmering shadows.
"Judging from some of the faces of your men," said the other,
"they bid fair to try the reality of Dante's vision, some day."
Young Kirby looked curiously around, as if seeing the faces of
his hands for the first time.
"They're bad enough, that's true. A desperate set, I fancy.
Eh, Clarke?"
The overseer did not hear him. He was talking of net profits
just then,--giving, in fact, a schedule of the annual business
Life in the Iron-Mills |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Old Indian Legends by Zitkala-Sa: "the food was very good!"--he left the badger dwelling. The baby
badgers, peeping through the door-flap after the shaggy bear, saw
him disappear into the woods near by.
Day after day the crackling of twigs in the forest told of
heavy footsteps. Out would come the same black bear. He never
lifted the door-flap, but thrusting it aside entered slowly in.
Always in the same place by the entrance way he sat down with
crossed shins.
His daily visits were so regular that mother badger placed a
fur rug in his place. She did not wish a guest in her dwelling to
sit upon the bare hard ground.
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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 Dawn O'Hara, The Girl Who Laughed by Edna Ferber: second thought: "Herein!"
The knob turned slowly, and the door opened just
enough to admit the top of a head crowned with a tight,
moist German knob of hair. I searched my memory to
recognize the knob, failed utterly and said again, this
time with mingled curiosity and hospitality:
"Won't you come in?"
The apparently bodiless head thrust itself forward a
bit, disclosing an apologetically smiling face, with high
check bones that glistened with friendliness and
scrubbing.
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