| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis: But the disaffected Babbitt grumbled, "Four-flusher! Bunch of hot air! And
what's the matter with the immigrants? Gosh, they aren't all ignorant, and I
got a hunch we're all descended from immigrants ourselves."
"Oh, you make me tired!" said Mr. Finkelstein.
Babbitt was aware that Dr. A. I. Dilling was sternly listening from across the
table. Dr. Dilling was one of the most important men in the Boosters'. He was
not a physician but a surgeon, a more romantic and sounding occupation. He was
an intense large man with a boiling of black hair and a thick black mustache.
The newspapers often chronicled his operations; he was professor of surgery in
the State University; he went to dinner at the very best houses on Royal
Ridge; and he was said to be worth several hundred thousand dollars. It was
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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 Soul of the Far East by Percival Lowell: and lacquer alike witness the respective positions assigned to the
serious and the comic in Far Eastern feeling.
The Far Oriental makes fun of man and makes love to Nature; and it
almost seems as if Nature heard his silent prayer, and smiled upon
him in acceptance; as if the love-light lent her face the added
beauty that it lends the maid's. For nowhere in this world,
probably, is she lovelier than in Japan: a climate of long, happy
means and short extremes, months of spring and months of autumn,
with but a few weeks of winter in between; a land of flowers, where
the lotus and the cherry, the plum and wistaria, grow wantonly side
by side; a land where the bamboo embosoms the maple, where the pine
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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 Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell: of bad form for husbands and wives to love each other."
"I once said too God damn many things," he retorted abruptly and
rose to his feet.
"Don't swear."
"You'll have to get used to it and learn to swear too. You'll have
to get used to all my bad habits. That'll be part of the price of
being--fond of me and getting your pretty paws on my money."
"Well, don't fly off the handle so, because I didn't lie and make
you feel conceited. You aren't in love with me, are you? Why
should I be in love with you?"
"No, my dear, I'm not in love with you, no more than you are with
Gone With the Wind |
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 Gorgias by Plato: it.
GORGIAS: I should say, Socrates, that I am quite the man whom you
indicate; but, perhaps, we ought to consider the audience, for, before you
came, I had already given a long exhibition, and if we proceed the argument
may run on to a great length. And therefore I think that we should
consider whether we may not be detaining some part of the company when they
are wanting to do something else.
CHAEREPHON: You hear the audience cheering, Gorgias and Socrates, which
shows their desire to listen to you; and for myself, Heaven forbid that I
should have any business on hand which would take me away from a discussion
so interesting and so ably maintained.
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