| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Street of Seven Stars by Mary Roberts Rinehart: that seems to be a matter of that unfashionable essence, the
soul, as against the clay; of the thing contained, by an inverse
metonymy, for the container.
Boyer, a nerve man from Texas, met him on the street, and they
walked to Stewart's apartment together. The frosty air and the
rapid exercise combined to drive away Byrne's irritation; that,
and the recollection that it was Saturday night and that
to-morrow there would be no clinics, no lectures, no operations;
that the great shambles would be closed down and that priests
would read mass to convalescents in the chapels. He was whistling
as he walked along.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from A Collection of Beatrix Potter by Beatrix Potter: Early in the morning, between
dark and daylight, Pigling tied up
his little bundle and woke up Pig-
wig. She was excited and half-
frightened. But it's dark! How
can we find our way?"
"The cock has crowed; we must
start before the hens come out; they
might shout to Mr. Piperson."
Pig-wig sat down again, and
commenced to cry.
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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 Plutarch's Lives by A. H. Clough: chamber, opened the door and entered the room, and told him,
that Nero being yet alive but not appearing, first the army, and
then the people and senate, declared Galba emperor; not long
after, it was reported that Nero was dead; "but I," said he,
"not giving credit to common fame, went myself to the body and
saw him lying dead, and only then set out to bring you word."
This news at once made Galba great again, and a crowd of people
came hastening to the door, all very confident of the truth of
his tidings, though the speed of the man was almost incredible.
Two days after came Titus Vinius with sundry others from the
camp, who gave an account in detail of the orders of the senate,
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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 Lay Morals by Robert Louis Stevenson: story to be true. I will suppose - and God forgive me for
supposing it - that Damien faltered and stumbled in his
narrow path of duty; I will suppose that, in the horror of
his isolation, perhaps in the fever of incipient disease, he,
who was doing so much more than he had sworn, failed in the
letter of his priestly oath - he, who was so much a better
man than either you or me, who did what we have never dreamed
of daring - he too tasted of our common frailty. 'O, Iago,
the pity of it!' The least tender should be moved to tears;
the most incredulous to prayer. And all that you could do
was to pen your letter to the Reverend H. B. Gage!
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