| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Rewards and Fairies by Rudyard Kipling: Brewster's Mill in Eighteen hundred Seventy-two. I reckoned I
was millwright enough for the job 'thout bringin' a man from
Lunnon. An' besides, dividin' work eats up profits, no bounds.'
Hal laughed his beautiful deep laugh, and Mr Springett joined
in till Dan laughed too.
'You handle your tools, I can see,' said Mr Springett. 'I reckon,
if you're any way like me, you've found yourself hindered by
those - Guilds, did you call 'em? - Unions, we say.'
'You may say so!' Hal pointed to a white scar on his cheekbone.
'This is a remembrance from the Master watching-Foreman of Masons
on Magdalen Tower, because, please you, I dared to carve stone without
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Moran of the Lady Letty by Frank Norris: eyes, and was dressed, as if for heavy weather, in oilskins.
"Well, sonny, you've had a fine mess aboard here," said Kitchell.
The boy--he might have been two and twenty--stared and frowned.
"Clean loco from the gas. Get him into the dory, son. I'll try
this bloody cabin again."
Kitchell turned back and descended from the poop, and Wilbur, his
arm around the boy, followed. Kitchell was already out of
hearing, and Wilbur was bracing himself upon the rolling deck,
steadying the young fellow at his side, when the latter heaved a
deep breath. His throat and breast swelled. Wilbur stared
sharply, with a muttered exclamation:
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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 Little Rivers by Henry van Dyke: Ampezzo road, which was constructed in 1830, along the valleys of
the Piave, the Boite, and the Rienz--the ancient line of travel and
commerce between Venice and Innsbruck. The road is superbly built,
smooth and level. Our carriage rolled along so easily that we
forgot and forgave its venerable appearance and its lack of
accommodation for trunks. We had been persuaded to take four
horses, as our luggage seemed too formidable for a single pair.
But in effect our concession to apparent necessity turned out to be
a mere display of superfluous luxury, for the two white leaders did
little more than show their feeble paces, leaving the gray wheelers
to do the work. We had the elevating sense of traveling four-in-
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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 The Emerald City of Oz by L. Frank Baum: Princess Dorothy to each couple in a very graceful manner. Then the
company seated themselves in chairs and on sofas and looked
expectantly at their monarch.
"It is our royal duty, as well as our royal pleasure," he said, "to
provide fitting entertainment for our distinguished guest. We will
now present the Royal Band of Whiskered Friskers."
As he spoke the musicians, who had arranged themselves in a corner,
struck up a dance melody while into the room pranced the Whiskered
Friskers. They were eight pretty rabbits dressed only in gauzy purple
skirts fastened around their waists with diamond bands. Their whiskers
were colored a rich purple, but otherwise they were pure white.
The Emerald City of Oz |
