| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from In Darkest England and The Way Out by General William Booth: not wonder that Australians and other Colonists should object to their
countries being converted into a sort of dumping ground, on which to
deposit men and women totally unsuited for the new circumstances in
which they find themselves.
Moreover, looking at it from the aspect of the class itself, would such
emigration be of any enduring value? It is not merely more favourable
circumstances that are required by these crowds, but those habits of
industry, truthfulness, and self-restraint, which will enable them to
profit by better conditions if they could only come to possess them.
According to the most reliable information there are already sadly too
many of the same classes we want to help in countries supposed to be
In Darkest England and The Way Out |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Vendetta by Honore de Balzac: easels raised their sharp points like masts in a port. Several young
girls were animating the scene by the variety of their expressions,
their attitudes, and the differences in their toilets. The strong
shadows cast by the green serge curtains, arranged according to the
needs of each easel, produced a multitude of contrasts, and the
piquant effects of light and shade. This group was the prettiest of
all the pictures in the studio.
A fair young girl, very simply dressed, sat at some distance from her
companions, working bravely and seeming to be in dread of some mishap.
No one looked at her, or spoke to her; she was much the prettiest, the
most modest, and, apparently, the least rich among them. Two principal
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