| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Herland by Charlotte Gilman: have you NO animals?"
"We have cats," she said. "The father is not very useful."
"Have you no cattle--sheep--horses?" I drew some rough
outlines of these beasts and showed them to her.
"We had, in the very old days, these," said Somel, and
sketched with swift sure touches a sort of sheep or llama," and
these"--dogs, of two or three kinds, "that that"--pointing to my
absurd but recognizable horse.
"What became of them?" asked Jeff.
"We do not want them anymore. They took up too much room--we need
all our land to feed our people. It is such a little country, you know."
Herland |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Confidence by Henry James: "Ah, yes, I have no doubt you waited for that!" cried Gordon.
"It may interest you to know that my marriage is a miserable failure."
"I am sorry to hear it--but I can't help it."
"You have seen it with your own eyes. You know all about it,
and I need n't tell you."
"My dear Mr. Wright," said Angela, pleadingly, turning round,
"in Heaven's name, don't say that!"
"Why should n't I say it? I came here on purpose to say it.
I came here with an intention--with a plan. You know what Blanche is--
you need n't pretend, for kindness to me, that you don't. You
know what a precious, what an inestimable wife she must make me--
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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: those who had been punished with disfranchisement, being refused
admittance, but all alike, both men and women, being allowed to
come into the court, and even upon the place of speaking. So
having read the king's letters, in which he declared he was
satisfied himself that these men were traitors, however, they
being a free city, he willingly accorded them the grace of trying
and judging them according to their own laws, Clitus brought in
his prisoners. Every respectable citizen, at the sight of
Phocion, covered up his face, and stooped down to conceal his
tears. And one of them had the courage to say, that since the
king had committed so important a cause to the judgment of the
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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 Collected Articles by Frederick Douglass: like an "old salt." I was well on the way to Havre de Grace before
the conductor came into the negro car to collect tickets and examine
the papers of his black passengers. This was a critical moment in the drama.
My whole future depended upon the decision of this conductor.
Agitated though I was while this ceremony was proceeding, still,
externally, at least, I was apparently calm and self-possessed.
He went on with his duty--examining several colored passengers
before reaching me. He was somewhat harsh in tome and peremptory
in manner until he reached me, when, strange enough, and to my surprise
and relief, his whole manner changed. Seeing that I did not readily
produce my free papers, as the other colored persons in the car had done,
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