| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Chita: A Memory of Last Island by Lafcadio Hearn: mispronunciation--without saying crasse for grace,--and yellow
Michel, who taught him to swim and to fish and to paddle a
pirogue;--and the bayou, with its wonder-world of turtles and
birds and creeping things;--and his German tutor, who could not
pronounce the j;--and the songs of the cane-fields,--strangely
pleasing, full of quaverings and long plaintive notes, like the
call of the cranes ... Tou', tou' pays blanc! ... Afterward
Camaniere had leased the place;--everything must have been
changed; even the songs could not be the same. Tou', tou' pays
blare!--Danie qui commande ...
And then Paris; and the university, with its wild
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Inaugural Address by John F. Kennedy: that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans. . .
born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace,
proud of our ancient heritage. . .and unwilling to witness or permit the slow
undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed,
and to which we are committed today. . .at home and around the world.
Let every nation know. . .whether it wishes us well or ill. . .
that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship,
support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and
the success of liberty. This much we pledge. . .and more.
To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share:
we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. United. . .there is
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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 Enemies of Books by William Blades: Boys injuring books, 139.
--in library, story of, 140.
Brighton, black letter fragments, 59.
British Museum, Boccaccio's -Fall of Princes, 61.
British Museum free from the "worm," 83.
-burnt book exhibited at, I I.
Brown spots in books, 24.
Bruchium, 3.
Burckhardt's Arabic MSS., 77.
"Bug" Bible, 95.
Burgundy (Duchess of), 130.
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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 Long Odds by H. Rider Haggard: wait for the lions, standing well out in the open, as we stood at the
copse to-day where you shot the woodcock. It was a rather risky thing
to do, but I used to be so sure of my shooting in those days that I did
not so much mind the risk. Scarcely had I got round when I heard the
reeds parting before the onward rush of some animal. 'Now for it,' said
I. On it came. I could see that it was yellow, and prepared for
action, when instead of a lion out bounded a beautiful reit bok which
had been lying in the shelter of the pan. It must, by the way, have
been a reit bok of a peculiarly confiding nature to lay itself down with
the lion, like the lamb of prophesy, but I suppose the reeds were thick,
and that it kept a long way off.
Long Odds |
