| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln: upon this continent a new nation: conceived in liberty, and
dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war. . .testing whether
that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated. . .
can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war.
We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting place
for those who here gave their lives that this nation might live.
It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate. . .we cannot consecrate. . .
we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead,
who struggled here have consecrated it, far above our poor power
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Aeroplanes and Dirigibles of War by Frederick A. Talbot: reconnaissance, speed is imperative, because such work in the air
coincides with that of the torpedo-boat or scout upon the seas.
It is designed to acquire information respecting the movements of
the enemy, so as to assist the heavier arms in the plan of
campaign. On the other hand, the fighting corsair of the skies
might be likened to the cruiser or battleship. It need not
possess such a high turn of speed, but must be equipped with
hard-hitting powers and be protected against attacking fire.
One attempt to secure the adequate protection against gun-fire
from the ground assumed the installation of bullet-proof steel
plating, about one fifth of an inch thick, below the tank and the
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