| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Reef by Edith Wharton: compassion. But the feeling was so blent with others, less
generous and more obscure, that she found no words to
express it, and the two women faced each other without
speaking.
"I'd better go," Sophy murmured at length with lowered head.
The words roused in Anna a latent impulse of compunction.
The girl looked so young, so exposed and desolate! And what
thoughts must she be hiding in her heart! It was impossible
that they should part in such a spirit.
"I want you to know that no one said anything...It was I
who..."
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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 Voice of the City by O. Henry: she was going to spend the summer at an antediluvian
village on the north shore of Long Island, and that
the stage would see her no more.
Seventeen minutes after Miss Lynnette D'Armande
had expressed her wish to know the whereabouts of
her old chum, there were sharp raps at her door.
Doubt not that it was Rosalie Ray. At the shrill
command to enter she did so, with something of a
tired flutter, and dropped a heavy hand-bag on the
floor. Upon my word, it was Rosalie, in a loose,
travel-stained automobileless coat, closely tied brown
The Voice of the City |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The King of the Golden River by John Ruskin: the sky, and the hills looked lowering and gloomy. And as Schwartz
climbed the steep rock path the thirst came upon him, as it had upon
his brother, until he lifted his flask to his lips to drink. Then
he saw the fair child lying near him on the rocks, and it cried to
him and moaned for water. "Water, indeed," said Schwartz; "I
haven't half enough for myself," and passed on. And as he went he
thought the sunbeams grew more dim, and he saw a low bank of black
cloud rising out of the west; and when he had climbed for another
hour, the thirst overcame him again and he would have drunk. Then
he saw the old man lying before him on the path, and heard him cry
out for water. "Water, indeed," said Schwartz; "I haven't half
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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 A Woman of No Importance by Oscar Wilde: school, and I couldn't pass an examination now to save my life.
LORD ILLINGWORTH. My dear Gerald, examinations are of no value
whatsoever. If a man is a gentleman, he knows quite enough, and if
he is not a gentleman, whatever he knows is bad for him.
GERALD. But I am so ignorant of the world, Lord Illingworth.
LORD ILLINGWORTH. Don't be afraid, Gerald. Remember that you've
got on your side the most wonderful thing in the world - youth!
There is nothing like youth. The middle-aged are mortgaged to
Life. The old are in life's lumber-room. But youth is the Lord of
Life. Youth has a kingdom waiting for it. Every one is born a
king, and most people die in exile, like most kings. To win back
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