| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Economist by Xenophon: practise on: which is just my case with regard to economy,[11] seeing
I never myself possessed the instrument of the science which is
wealth, so as to go through the pupil stage, nor hitherto has any one
proposed to hand me over his to manage. You, in fact, are the first
person to make so generous an offer. You will bear in mind, I hope,
that a learner of the harp is apt to break and spoil the instrument;
it is therefore probable, if I take in hand to learn the art of
economy on your estate, I shall ruin it outright.
[10] Lit. "The very thing, God help me! which would hinder . . ."
[11] Lit. "the art of administering an estate."
Critobulus retorted: I see, Socrates, you are doing your very best to
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum: proceed. And by and by the yellow hen came from the bushes saying:
"Kut-kut, kut, ka-daw-kutt! Kut, kut, kut--ka-daw-kut!"
"What is she doing--singing her lay?" asked the Scarecrow.
"For-ward--march!" shouted the Tin Woodman, waving his axe, and the
procession started just as Dorothy had once more grabbed Billina in
her arms.
"Isn't anyone going to get my egg?" cried the hen, in great excitement.
"I'll get it," said the Scarecrow; and at his command the Sawhorse
pranced into the bushes. The straw man soon found the egg, which he
placed in his jacket pocket. The cavalcade, having moved rapidly on,
was even then far in advance; but it did not take the Sawhorse long to
Ozma of Oz |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Coxon Fund by Henry James: Clockborough--the bottling, in a word, of the air of those lungs
for convenient public uncorking in corn-exchanges--was an
experiment for which no one had the leisure. The only thing would
have been to carry him massively about, paid, caged, clipped; to
turn him on for a particular occasion in a particular channel.
Frank Saltram's channel, however, was essentially not calculable,
and there was no knowing what disastrous floods might have ensued.
For what there would have been to do THE EMPIRE, the great
newspaper, was there to look to; but it was no new misfortune that
there were delicate situations in which THE EMPIRE broke down. In
fine there was an instinctive apprehension that a clever young
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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 Under the Red Robe by Stanley Weyman: treason as ever I heard whispered! I congratulate you, sir, on
your boldness. As for you,' he continued, turning with an ugly
sneer to the landlord, 'I shall know now the company you keep! I
was not aware that my wine wet whistles to such a tune!'
But if he was startled, the innkeeper was furious, seeing his
character thus taken away; and, being at no time a man of many
words, he vented his rage exactly in the way I wished, raising in
a twinkling such an uproar as can scarcely be conceived. With a
roar like a bull's, he ran headlong at the table, and overturned
it on the top of me. Fortunately the woman saved the lamp, and
fled with it into a corner, whence she and the man from the
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