| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe: "You seem to be sick, or in trouble, or somethin'," said Tom.
"I an't sick," said the woman, shortly.
"I wish," said Tom, looking at her earnestly,--"I wish I
could persuade you to leave off drinking. Don't you know it will
be the ruin of ye, body and soul?"
"I knows I'm gwine to torment," said the woman, sullenly.
"Ye don't need to tell me that ar. I 's ugly, I 's wicked,--
I 's gwine straight to torment. O, Lord! I wish I 's thar!"
Tom shuddered at these frightful words, spoken with a
sullen, impassioned earnestness.
"O, Lord have mercy on ye! poor crittur. Han't ye never
Uncle Tom's Cabin |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Koran: Say, 'Flight shall avail you naught; if ye fly from death or
slaughter, even then ye shall be granted enjoyment only for a little!'
Say, 'Who is it that can save you from God, if He wish you evil,
or wish you mercy?' but they will not find beside God a patron or a
helper.
Say, 'God knows the hinderers amongst you, and those who say to
their brethren, "Come along unto us," and show but little
valour;-covetous towards you.' When fear comes thou wilt see them
looking towards thee, their eyes rolling like one fainting with death;
but when the fear has passed away they will assail you with sharp
tongues, covetous of the best. These have never believed, and God will
The Koran |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Hiero by Xenophon: share of life's blessings, whilst of its greater miseries he possesses
most.
[4] Lit. "the majority of things"; al. "the thousand details of a
thing."
For instance, if peace is held to be a mighty blessing to mankind,
then of peace despotic monarchs are scant sharers. Or is war a curse?
If so, of this particular pest your monarch shares the largest moiety.
For, look you, the private citizen, unless his city-state should
chance to be engaged in some common war,[5] is free to travel
wheresoe'er he chooses without fear of being done to death, whereas
the tyrant cannot stir without setting his foot on hostile territory.
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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 Sesame and Lilies by John Ruskin: sulkily, and caring nothing about the matter all the while; only
always ready to cackle if any credit comes of it. Consider, I beg
of you, arithmetically, what this fact means. Your annual
expenditure for public purposes, (a third of it for military
apparatus,) is at least 50 millions. Now 700L. is to 50,000,000L.
roughly, as seven pence to two thousand pounds. Suppose, then, a
gentleman of unknown income, but whose wealth was to be conjectured
from the fact that he spent two thousand a year on his park-walls
and footmen only, professes himself fond of science; and that one of
his servants comes eagerly to tell him that an unique collection of
fossils, giving clue to a new era of creation, is to be had for the
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