| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Thuvia, Maid of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs: Dusar, a noble in the retinue of Astok, Prince of Dusar.
At present I am Dwar of the Road for this district."
Carthoris was very glad that he had not disclosed his
identity, for though he had no idea of anything that
had transpired since he had left Helium, or that Astok
was at the bottom of all his misfortunes, he well knew
that the Dusarian had no love for him, and that he could
hope for no assistance within the dominions of Dusar.
"And who are you?" asked Hal Vas. "By your appearance
I take you for a fighting man, but I see no insignia
upon your harness. Can it be that you are a panthan?"
Thuvia, Maid of Mars |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Flower Fables by Louisa May Alcott: cast away, sunlight stole in, the dark thoughts passed away, and the
earth was a pleasant home to him.
Thus their little hands led him back to peace and happiness,
flowers bloomed beside his door, and their fragrant breath brought
happy thoughts of pleasant valleys and green hills; birds sang to him,
and their sweet voices woke the music in his own soul, that never
failed to calm and comfort. Happy sounds were heard in his once
lonely home, and bright faces gathered round his knee, and listened
tenderly while he strove to tell them all the good that gentleness and
love had done for him.
Still the Elves watched near, and brighter grew the heart as kindly
Flower Fables |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Battle of the Books by Jonathan Swift: Were (as he humbly did conceive)
Against our Sovereign Lady's peace,
Against the statutes in that case,
Against her dignity and crown:
Then prayed an answer and sat down.
The nymphs with scorn beheld their foes:
When the defendant's counsel rose,
And, what no lawyer ever lacked,
With impudence owned all the fact.
But, what the gentlest heart would vex,
Laid all the fault on t'other sex.
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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 Sesame and Lilies by John Ruskin: the facts are frightful enough;--the measure of national fault
involved in them is perhaps not as great as it would at first seem.
We permit, or cause, thousands of deaths daily, but we mean no harm;
we set fire to houses, and ravage peasants' fields, yet we should be
sorry to find we had injured anybody. We are still kind at heart;
still capable of virtue, but only as children are. Chalmers, at the
end of his long life, having had much power with the public, being
plagued in some serious matter by a reference to "public opinion,"
uttered the impatient exclamation, "The public is just a great
baby!" And the reason that I have allowed all these graver subjects
of thought to mix themselves up with an inquiry into methods of
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