| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Master of Ballantrae by Robert Louis Stevenson: conducted. No doubt Mr. Carlyle would talk, as lawyers do, little
by little. We could thus feel we had laid the foundations of a
better feeling in the country, and the man's own misconduct would
certainly complete what we had begun. Indeed, before his
departure, the lawyer showed us there had already gone abroad some
glimmerings of the truth.
"I should perhaps explain to you, my lord," said he, pausing, with
his hat in his hand, "that I have not been altogether surprised
with your lordship's dispositions in the case of Mr. Bally.
Something of this nature oozed out when he was last in Durrisdeer.
There was some talk of a woman at St. Bride's, to whom you had
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Memorabilia by Xenophon: entrusted to the general during a war, with all its incidental peril,
it is only reasonable to anticipate that great blessings or great
misfortunes will result in proportion to the success or bungling of
that officer. I appeal to you, young sir, do you not agree that a
candidate who, while taking pains to be elected neglects to learn the
duties of the office, would richly deserve to be fined?
[5] i.e. "head of the war department, and commander-in-chief," etc.
With arguments like these he persuaded the young man to go and take
lessons. After he had gone through the course he came back, and
Socrates proceeded playfully to banter him.
Soc. Behold our young friend, sirs, as Homer says of Agamemnon, of
The Memorabilia |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Child of Storm by H. Rider Haggard: the widow of the wizard, Masapo, and the daughter of the headman,
Umbezi, whom it has pleased our husband to take into his house to be the
companion of his leisure?"
"Why? Because you know that Saduko loves my little finger more than he
does your whole body, although you are of the King's blood and have
borne him brats," she answered, looking at the infant with no kindly
eye.
"It may be so, daughter of Umbezi, for men have their fancies, and
without doubt you are fair. Yet I would ask you one thing--if Saduko
loves you so much, how comes it he trusts you so little that you must
learn any matter of weight by listening at my door, as I found you doing
Child of Storm |
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 Men of Iron by Howard Pyle: restless and growing multitude he felt his heart beat quickly and
his flesh grow cold with a nervous trepidation --just such as the
lad of to-day feels when he sees the auditorium filling with
friends and strangers who are to listen by-and-by to the reading
of his prize poem.
Suddenly there came a loud blast of trumpets. A great gate at the
farther extremity of the lists was thrown open, and the King
appeared, riding upon a white horse, preceded by the King-at-arms
and the heralds, attended by the Earl and the Comte de Vermoise,
and followed by a crowd of attendants. Just then Gascoyne, who,
with Wilkes, was busied lacing some of the armor plates with new
Men of Iron |
