| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Dream Life and Real Life by Olive Schreiner: acacia, that recalls that sultry summer afternoon; but the rose is in the
box still.
It is many years ago now; I was a girl of fifteen, and I went to visit in a
small up-country town. It was young in those days, and two days' journey
from the nearest village; the population consisted mainly of men. A few
were married, and had their wives and children, but most were single.
There was only one young girl there when I came. She was about seventeen,
fair, and rather fully-fleshed; she had large dreamy blue eyes, and wavy
light hair; full, rather heavy lips, until she smiled; then her face broke
into dimples, and all her white teeth shone. The hotel-keeper may have had
a daughter, and the farmer in the outskirts had two, but we never saw them.
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Betty Zane by Zane Grey: suppose you don't know that Col. Crawford massacred a lot of Indians a few
days ago. It'll go hard with any white man that gits captured. I'm afraid I
can't do nothin' for you."
A few words concerning Simon Girty, the White Savage. He had two brothers,
James and George, who had been desperadoes before they were adopted by the
Delawares, and who eventually became fierce and relentless savages. Simon had
been captured at the same time as his brothers, but he did not at once fall
under the influence of the unsettled, free-and-easy life of the Indians. It is
probable that while in captivity he acquired the power of commanding the
Indians' interest and learned the secret of ruling them--two capabilities few
white men ever possessed. It is certain that he, like the noted
Betty Zane |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Scarecrow of Oz by L. Frank Baum: to enchant your friend, Cap'n Bill."
"Could she do that?" asked Trot, horrified by the
suggestion.
"I suppose so, for old Blinkie can do a lot of wicked
magical things."
"What sort of an enchantment could she put on Cap'n
Bill?"
"I don't know. But he has disappeared, so I'm pretty
certain she has done something dreadful to him. But don't
worry. If it has happened, it can't be helped, and if it
hasn't happened we may be able to find him in the
The Scarecrow of Oz |
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 Silas Marner by George Eliot: of life:--he invited no comer to step across his door-sill, and he
never strolled into the village to drink a pint at the Rainbow, or
to gossip at the wheelwright's: he sought no man or woman, save for
the purposes of his calling, or in order to supply himself with
necessaries; and it was soon clear to the Raveloe lasses that he
would never urge one of them to accept him against her will--quite
as if he had heard them declare that they would never marry a dead
man come to life again. This view of Marner's personality was not
without another ground than his pale face and unexampled eyes; for
Jem Rodney, the mole-catcher, averred that one evening as he was
returning homeward, he saw Silas Marner leaning against a stile with
Silas Marner |
