| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from In Darkest England and The Way Out by General William Booth: together with the railway fare, and other economic conveniences,
should be within the reach of a family of moderate income.
This proposal lies slightly apart from the scope of this book,
otherwise I should be disposed to elaborate the project at greater
length. I may say, however, that what I here propose has been carefully
thought out, and is of a perfectly practical character.
In the planning of it I have received some valuable assistance from a
friend who has had considerable experience in the building trade,
and he stakes his professional reputation on its feasibility.
The following, however, may be taken as a rough outline: --
The Village should not be more than twelve miles from town; should be
In Darkest England and The Way Out |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Underground City by Jules Verne: of immense lagoon, kept continually full by currents of fresh
and salt waters. They eagerly assimilated to themselves the carbon
which they, little by little, extracted from the atmosphere,
as yet unfit for the function of life, and it may be said
that they were destined to store it, in the form of coal,
in the very bowels of the earth.
It was the earthquake period, caused by internal convulsions,
which suddenly modified the unsettled features of the
terrestrial surface. Here, an intumescence which was to become
a mountain, there, an abyss which was to be filled with an ocean
or a sea. There, whole forests sunk through the earth's crust,
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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 Tin Woodman of Oz by L. Frank Baum: other nice boys, Ojo the Munchkin and Button-Bright."
"Thank your Majesty," replied Woot, and then he
turned to the Tin Woodman and inquired: "What are your
further plans, Mr. Emperor? Will you still seek Nimmie
Amee and marry her, or will you abandon the quest and
return to the Emerald City and your own castle?"
The Tin Woodman, now as highly polished and well-
oiled as ever, reflected a while on this question and
then answered:
"Well, I see no reason why I should not find Nimmie
Amee. We are now in the Munchkin Country, where we are
The Tin Woodman of Oz |
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 Westward Ho! by Charles Kingsley: upon your own quarrel that divine wrath which, as Plato says, is
the very root of all virtues, and which has been given you, like
all else which you have, that you may spend it in the service of
her whom all bad souls fear, and all virtuous souls adore,--our
peerless queen? Who dares, while she rules England, call his sword
or his courage his own, or any one's but hers? Are there no
Spaniards to conquer, no wild Irish to deliver from their
oppressors, that two gentlemen of Devon can find no better place to
flesh their blades than in each other's valiant and honorable
hearts?"
"By heaven!" cried Amyas, "Frank speaks like a book; and for me, I
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