| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Deputy of Arcis by Honore de Balzac: back to the voters by whom he was elected and of whom he is so
unfaithful a representative. Such is one of the solutions I have
the honor to present to you. [Agitation on the Left.] The
majority, on the contrary, are of opinion that the will of the
electors cannot be too highly respected, and that the faults of a
man honored by their confidence ought not to be discussed until
the utmost limits of forbearance and indulgence have been passed.
Consequently your committee instruct me to suggest that you grant
to Monsieur de Sallenauve a further delay of fifteen days [murmurs
from the Centre; "Very good! very good!" from the Left]; being
satisfied that if after that delay Monsieur de Sallenauve does not
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane: man's laugh rang out. A dozen soldiers turned
their faces quickly toward him and frowned with
vague displeasure.
The noise of firing dogged their footsteps.
Sometimes, it seemed to be driven a little way,
but it always returned again with increased
insolence. The men muttered and cursed,
throwing black looks in its direction.
In a clear space the troops were at last halted.
Regiments and brigades, broken and detached
through their encounters with thickets, grew
The Red Badge of Courage |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Critias by Plato: bridged over the zones of sea, and made a way to and from the royal palace
which they built in the centre island. This ancient palace was ornamented
by successive generations; and they dug a canal which passed through the
zones of land from the island to the sea. The zones of earth were
surrounded by walls made of stone of divers colours, black and white and
red, which they sometimes intermingled for the sake of ornament; and as
they quarried they hollowed out beneath the edges of the zones double docks
having roofs of rock. The outermost of the walls was coated with brass,
the second with tin, and the third, which was the wall of the citadel,
flashed with the red light of orichalcum. In the interior of the citadel
was a holy temple, dedicated to Cleito and Poseidon, and surrounded by an
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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 Les Miserables by Victor Hugo: a centenarian afterwards, who had also been in the war of 1776,
and who had fought at Trenton under Washington, and at Brandywine
under Lafayette.
In the meantime, the municipal cavalry on the left bank had been set
in motion, and came to bar the bridge, on the right bank the dragoons
emerged from the Celestins and deployed along the Quai Morland.
The men who were dragging Lafayette suddenly caught sight of
them at the corner of the quay and shouted: "The dragoons!"
The dragoons advanced at a walk, in silence, with their pistols
in their holsters, their swords in their scabbards, their guns slung
in their leather sockets, with an air of gloomy expectation.
Les Miserables |
