| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Memoir of Fleeming Jenkin by Robert Louis Stevenson: room, that all was for the best; and they rose on January 23
without fear. About the middle of the day they heard the sound of
musketry, and the next morning they were wakened by the cannonade.
The French who had behaved so 'splendidly,' pausing, at the voice
of Lamartine, just where judicious Liberals could have desired -
the French, who had 'no cupidity in their nature,' were now about
to play a variation on the theme rebellion. The Jenkins took
refuge in the house of Mrs. Turner, the house of the false
prophets, 'Anna going with Mrs. Turner, that she might be prevented
speaking English, Fleeming, Miss H. and I (it is the mother who
writes) walking together. As we reached the Rue de Clichy, the
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from When the World Shook by H. Rider Haggard: I understood her to refer to what we call clairvoyance, when
the person entranced reveals secret or distant things to the
entrancer. This is a more or less established phenomenon and much
less marvelous than the actual transportation of the spiritual
self through space. Only I never knew of an instance in which the
seer, on awaking, remembered the things that he had seen, as in
my case. There, however, the matter rested, or rests, for I could
extract nothing more from Yva, who appeared to me to have her
orders on the point.
Nor did Oro ever talk of what I had seemed to see in his
company, although he continued from time to time to visit me at
When the World Shook |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from King Henry VI by William Shakespeare: Kent, in the Commentaries Caesar writ,
Is term'd the civil'st place of all this isle.
Sweet is the country, because full of riches;
The people liberal, valiant, active, wealthy;
Which makes me hope you are not void of pity.
I sold not Maine, I lost not Normandy,
Yet, to recover them, would lose my life.
Justice with favour have I always done;
Prayers and tears have mov'd me, gifts could never.
When have I aught exacted at your hands
But to maintain the king, the realm, and you?
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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 Emma McChesney & Co. by Edna Ferber: "Will you tell Sophy Kumpf to come here, please?"
Mrs. Orton-Wells beamed. The somber plumes in her correct hat
bobbed and dipped to Emma. The austere Miss Susan H. Croft
unbent in a nutcracker smile. Only Miss Gladys Orton-Wells
remained silent, thoughtful, unenthusiastic. Her eyes were on
Emma's face.
A heavy, comfortable step sounded in the hall outside the office
door. Emma turned with a smile to the stout, motherly,
red-cheeked woman who entered, smoothing her coarse brown hair
with work-roughened fingers.
Emma took one of those calloused hands in hers.
Emma McChesney & Co. |
