| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Ballads by Robert Louis Stevenson: And the senseless limbs were scattered abroad like spokes of wheels;
And crapulous women sat and stared at the stones anigh
With a bestial droop of the lip and a swinish rheum in the eye.
As about the dome of the bees in the time for the drones to fall,
The dead and the maimed are scattered, and lie, and stagger, and crawl;
So on the grades of the terrace, in the ardent eye of the day,
The half-awake and the sleepers clustered and crawled and lay;
And loud as the dome of the bees, in the time of a swarming horde,
A horror of many insects hung in the air and roared.
Rua looked and wondered; he said to himself in his heart:
"Poor are the pleasures of life, and death is the better part."
Ballads |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson: his words, he was depressingly affected by the bleak disorder of
the sky and the wailing and fluting of the wind; and as he got over
the side of the Good Hope and made once more for the landing-creek
with the best speed of oars, he crossed himself devoutly, and
recommended to Heaven the lives of all who should adventure on the
sea.
At the landing-creek there had already gathered about a dozen of
the outlaws. To these the skiff was left, and they were bidden
embark without delay.
A little further up the beach Dick found Lord Foxham hurrying in
quest of him, his face concealed with a dark hood, and his bright
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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 American by Henry James: a somewhat mysteriously humorous affection of ignorance or a modest aspiration
to knowledge; "you told me you disliked them all."
"Ah, the way you remember what I say is at least very flattering.
But in future," added Mrs. Tristram, "pray forget all
the wicked things and remember only the good ones.
It will be easily done, and it will not fatigue your memory.
But I forewarn you that if you trust my husband to pick out
your rooms, you are in for something hideous."
"Hideous, darling?" cried Tristram.
"To-day I must say nothing wicked; otherwise I should use stronger language."
"What do you think she would say, Newman?" asked Tristram.
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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 Sanitary and Social Lectures by Charles Kingsley: one would have thought, I say, that these public schools and
colleges would have taught their scholars somewhat at least about
such matters, that they might go forth into life with at least
some rough notions of the causes which make people healthy or
unhealthy, rich or poor, comfortable or wretched, useful or
dangerous to the State. But as long as our great educational
institutions, safe, or fancying themselves safe, in some enchanted
castle, shut out by ancient magic from the living world, put a
premium on Latin and Greek verses: a wise father will, during the
holidays, talk now and then, I hope, somewhat after this fashion:
"You must understand, my boy, that all the water in the country
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