| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Egmont by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe: (Clara casts down her eyes, takes his hand, and
leans upon him.)
Egmont. I understand thee, dearest! Thou mayst raise thine eyes. (He
kisses her eyes.)
Clara. Let me be silent! Let me embrace thee! Let me look into thine eyes,
and find there everything--hope and comfort, joy and sorrow! (She
embraces and gazes on him.) Tell me! Oh, tell me! It seems so strange--art
thou indeed Egmont! Count Egmont! The great Egmont, who makes so
much noise in the world, who figures in the newspapers, who is the
support and stay of the provinces?
Egmont. No, Clara, I am not he.
Egmont |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Emerald City of Oz by L. Frank Baum: exclaimed: "Goodness gracious, child! Where have you been?"
"You've played hookey the whole day," added the Shaggy Man, reproachfully.
"Well, you see, I've been lost," explained the little girl, "and I've
tried awful hard to find the way back to you, but just couldn't do it."
"Did you wander in the forest all day?" asked Uncle Henry.
"You must be a'most starved!" said Aunt Em.
"No," said Dorothy, "I'm not hungry. I had a wheelbarrow and a piano
for breakfast, and lunched with a King."
"Ah!" exclaimed the Wizard, nodding with a bright smile. "So you've
been having adventures again."
"She's stark crazy!" cried Aunt Em. "Whoever heard of eating
The Emerald City of Oz |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Rewards and Fairies by Rudyard Kipling: moved off quietly, Puck at his bridle, the children on either side
between the close-trimmed beech stuff.
'What did you do to them?' said Dan, as they repassed Ridley's
terrible tree.
'That!' Sir Richard jerked his head toward the dangling owls.
'Not he!' said Puck. 'There was never enough brute Norman in
you to hang a man for taking a buck.'
'I - I cannot abide to hear their widows screech. But why am I
on horseback while you are afoot?' He dismounted lightly,
tapped Swallow on the chest, so that the wise thing backed
instead of turning in the narrow ride, and put himself at the head
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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 Astoria by Washington Irving: bargained away by M'Dougal, he expressed his indignation in the
strongest terms, and determined to make an effort to get back the
furs. As soon as his wishes were known in this respect, M'Dougal
came to sound him on behalf of the Northwest Company, intimating
that he had no doubt the peltries might be repurchased at an
advance of fifty per cent. This overture was not calculated to
soothe the angry feelings of Mr. Hunt, and his indignation was
complete, when he discovered that M'Dougal had become a partner
of the Northwest Company, and had actually been so since the 23d
of December. He had kept his partnership a secret, however; had
retained the papers of the Pacific Fur Company in his possession;
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