| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe: sail for the river of Kilam, and the city of Nankin; but Providence
seemed now more visibly, as I thought, than ever to concern itself
in our affairs; and I was encouraged, from this very time, to think
I should, one way or other, get out of this entangled circumstance,
and be brought home to my own country again, though I had not the
least view of the manner. Providence, I say, began here to clear
up our way a little; and the first thing that offered was, that our
old Portuguese pilot brought a Japan merchant to us, who inquired
what goods we had: and, in the first place, he bought all our
opium, and gave us a very good price for it, paying us in gold by
weight, some in small pieces of their own coin, and some in small
Robinson Crusoe |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Moon-Face and Other Stories by Jack London: "'Of course, Spargo,' I answered. 'Who else?'
"'Gimme yer card,' says he.
"'My what?'
"'Yer card--Say! Wot's yer business, anyway?'
"And the anaemic Cerberus sized me up with so insolent an eye that I reached
over and took him out of his chair. I knocked on his meagre chest with my fore
knuckle, and fetched forth a weak, gaspy cough; but he looked at me
unflinchingly, much like a defiant sparrow held in the hand.
"'I am the census-taker Time,' I boomed in sepulchral tones. 'Beware lest I
knock too loud.'
"'Oh, I don't know,' he sneered.
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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 Resurrection by Leo Tolstoy: "I am on the point of leaving. Business is keeping me in town,
and it is on business I have come here."
"Won't you come to see mamma? She would like to see you," she
said, and knowing that she was saying what was not true, and that
he knew it also, she blushed still more.
"I fear I shall scarcely have time," Nekhludoff said gloomily,
trying to appear as if he had not noticed her blush. Missy
frowned angrily, shrugged her shoulders, and turned towards an
elegant officer, who grasped the empty cup she was holding, and
knocking his sword against the chairs, manfully carried the cup
across to another table.
Resurrection |
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 Pivot of Civilization by Margaret Sanger: alive the danger of disaster from fire or panic. Only the eternal
vigilance of exceptional supervision has served to lessen the fear of
such a catastrophe. Artificial light is necessary, even on the
brightest days, in many of the class-rooms. In most of the
classrooms, it is always necessary when the sky is slightly
overcast.'' There is no ventilating system.
In the crowded East Side section conditions are reported to be no
better. The Public Education Association's report on Public School
No. 130 points out that the site at the corner of Hester and Baxter
Streets was purchased by the city years ago as a school site, but that
there has been so much ``tweedledeeing and tweedleduming'' that the
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