| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne: three friends returned to their slumbers. Could they have found
a calmer or more peaceful spot to sleep in? On the earth,
houses, towns, cottages, and country feel every shock given to
the exterior of the globe. On sea, the vessels rocked by the
waves are still in motion; in the air, the balloon oscillates
incessantly on the fluid strata of divers densities.
This projectile alone, floating in perfect space, in the midst
of perfect silence, offered perfect repose.
Thus the sleep of our adventurous travelers might have been
indefinitely prolonged, if an unexpected noise had not awakened
them at about seven o'clock in the morning of the 2nd of
From the Earth to the Moon |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Lord Arthur Savile's Crime, etc. by Oscar Wilde: to the world his marvellous interpretation of the Sonnets - the
only interpretation that thoroughly explained the problem. I have
not any copy of my letter, I regret to say, nor have I been able to
lay my hand upon the original; but I remember that I went over the
whole ground, and covered sheets of paper with passionate
reiteration of the arguments and proofs that my study had suggested
to me. It seemed to me that I was not merely restoring Cyril
Graham to his proper place in literary history, but rescuing the
honour of Shakespeare himself from the tedious memory of a
commonplace intrigue. I put into the letter all my enthusiasm. I
put into the letter all my faith.
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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 Hellenica by Xenophon: former exiles, having got wind of this journey of his, and of the
whole intrigue, set off themselves to Thebes in front of him.[3] When,
however, they saw the terms of intimacy on which he associated with
the Theban authorities, in terror of his succeeding in his mission
some of them staked their lives on the attempt and stabbed Euphron in
the Cadmeia, where the magistrates and senate were seated. The
magistrates, indeed, could not but indict the perpetrators of the deed
before the senate, and spoke as follows:
[3] Or, "on an opposition journey."
"Fellow-citizens, it is our duty to arraign these murderers of
Euphron, the men before you, on the capital charge. Mankind may be
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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 Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett: selfish sense of objection; but after all, I was still vacation-
tenant of the schoolhouse, where I could always be alone, and it
was impossible not to sympathize with Mrs. Todd, who, in spite of
some preliminary grumbling, was really delighted with the prospect
of entertaining an old friend.
For nearly a month we received occasional news of Mrs.
Fosdick, who seemed to be making a royal progress from house to
house in the inland neighborhood, after the fashion of Queen
Elizabeth. One Sunday after another came and went, disappointing
Mrs. Todd in the hope of seeing her guest at church and fixing the
day for the great visit to begin; but Mrs. Fosdick was not ready to
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