| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Economist by Xenophon: beautiful those excellences of man and woman with which God gifted
them at birth.[28] Thus for a woman to bide tranquilly at home rather
than roam aborad is no dishonour; but for a man to remain indoors,
instead of devoting himself to outdoor pursuits, is a thing
discreditable. But if a man does things contrary to the nature given
him by God, the chances are,[29] such insubordination escapes not the
eye of Heaven: he pays the penalty, whether of neglecting his own
works, or of performing those appropriate to woman."[30]
[28] Or, "with approving fingers stamps as noble those diverse
faculties, those superiorities in either sex which God created in
them. Thus for the womean to remain indoors is nobler than to gad
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from When the Sleeper Wakes by H. G. Wells: And another thing dawned upon him. There was
no fireplace in either room. Was the season summer,
and were these merely summer apartments, or was
the whole City uniformly heated or cooled? He became
interested in these questions, began examining
the smooth texture of the walls, the simply constructed
bed, the ingenious arrangements by which the labour
of bedroom service was practically abolished. And
over everything was a curious absence of deliberate
ornament, a bare grace of form and colour, that he
found very pleasing to the eye. There were several
When the Sleeper Wakes |
