| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Trooper Peter Halket of Mashonaland by Olive Schreiner: air; then suddenly he started.
"What is it?" said Peter; "do you hear anything?"
"I hear far off," said the stranger, "the sound of weeping, and the sound
of blows. And I hear the voices of men and women calling to me."
Peter listened intently. "I don't hear anything!" he said. "It must be in
your head. I sometimes get a noise in mine." He listened intently. "No,
there's nothing. It's all so deadly still."
They sat silent for a while.
"Peter Simon Halket," said the stranger suddenly--Peter started; he had not
told him his second name--"if it should come to pass that you should obtain
those lands you have desired, and you should obtain black men to labour on
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Poor and Proud by Oliver Optic: before a knock at the door startled her. Who could wish to see
them in their poverty and want?--who but some evil person, coming
to heap some new grief upon them? She scarcely had the courage to
open the door, but when she did so, she saw the smiling face of
Tommy Howard.
"Good morning, Katy," said he, as he handed her a little basket
he had brought. "Mother sent this over, and wants to know how
Mrs. Redburn does to-day."
"She is about the same. What is in this basket, Tommy?"
"O, you know;" and he turned to run away.
"Stop a minute, Tommy," called Katy. "I want to speak to you."
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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 Trooper Peter Halket of Mashonaland by Olive Schreiner: people, and tell them we hadn't come to take their land but to teach them
and love them. 'It's hard to love a nigger, Captain, but we must try it;
we must try it!'--And every five minutes he'd break out with, 'And I think
this is a man I know, Captain; I'm not sure, but I think he comes from up
Lo Magundis way!'--as if any born devil cared whether a bloody nigger came
from Lo Magundis or anywhere else! I'm sure he said it fifteen times. And
then he broke out, 'I don't mean that I'm better than you or anybody else,
Captain; I'm as bad a man as any in camp, and I know it.' And off he
started, telling us all the sins he'd ever committed; and he kept on, 'I'm
an unlearned, ignorant man, Captain; but I must stand by this nigger; he's
got no one else!' And then he says--'If you let me take him up to Lo
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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 Somebody's Little Girl by Martha Young: ``Yes,'' said Bessie Bell, for she had begun to think very hard,
``Alice has a mama. Robbie has a mama. Lucy has a mama. Everybody
has a mama. Never mind, Bessie Bell will find a mama--''
``Little girl,'' said the lady, ``why do you say, Bessie Bell--?''
When the lady said that it seemed to Bessie Bell that she heard
something sweet--something away off beyond what the band was
playing, so she just clapped her hands and laughed out loud, and
said over and over as if it were a little song:
``Bessie Bell! Bessie, Bessie, Bessie Bell!''
But the lady at her side looked down at the child as if she were
afraid. Bessie Bell knew how sorrowful it was to be afraid, so she
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