| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Tales and Fantasies by Robert Louis Stevenson: punishment. For no other purpose but to see Alan would he
have entered a billiard-room; but he had desired to palliate
the fact of his disobedience, and now it appeared that he
frequented these disreputable haunts upon his own account.
Once more Mr. Nicholson digested the vile tidings in silence,
and when John stole a glance at his father's countenance, he
was abashed to see the marks of suffering.
'Well,' said the old gentleman, at last, 'I cannot pretend
not to be simply bowed down. I rose this morning what the
world calls a happy man - happy, at least, in a son of whom I
thought I could be reasonably proud - '
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Essays of Francis Bacon by Francis Bacon: tent heads; or where you meddle with the point of
religion, or their customs, or means of life.
For their men of war; it is a dangerous state,
where they live and remain in a body, and are
used to donatives; whereof we see examples in the
janizaries, and pretorian bands of Rome; but train-
ings of men, and arming them in several places,
and under several commanders, and without
donatives, are things of defence, and no danger.
Princes are like to heavenly bodies, which cause
good or evil times; and which have much venera-
Essays of Francis Bacon |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson by Robert Louis Stevenson: again, that I shall love it, because it's James. Do you know, when
I am in this mood, I would rather try to read a bad book? It's not
so disappointing, anyway. And FOUNTAINHALL is prime, two big folio
volumes, and all dreary, and all true, and all as terse as an
obituary; and about one interesting fact on an average in twenty
pages, and ten of them unintelligible for technicalities. There's
literature, if you like! It feeds; it falls about you genuine like
rain. Rain: nobody has done justice to rain in literature yet:
surely a subject for a Scot. But then you can't do rain in that
ledger-book style that I am trying for - or between a ledger-book
and an old ballad. How to get over, how to escape from, the
|
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 Emma McChesney & Co. by Edna Ferber: it."
Jock hugged her again at that, to the edification of the office
windows across the way.
"Gad, you're a wiz, mother! Now listen: I 'phoned Grace when I
got in. She's going to meet me here at one. I'll chase over to
the office now on this grape-juice thing and come back here in
time for lunch. Is T. A. in? I'll look in on him a minute.
We'll all lunch together, and then----"
"Can't do it, son. The show opens at one. Gertrude, my model,
comes on at three. She's going to have the stage to herself for
ten minutes, during which she'll make four changes of costume to
Emma McChesney & Co. |
