| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from In a German Pension by Katherine Mansfield: been taken four years ago. He held it close to him, bent forward and
kissed it. Then rubbed the glass with the back of his hand. At that
moment, fainter than he had heard in the passage, more terrifying, Andreas
heard again that wailing cry. The wind caught it up in mocking echo, blew
it over the house-tops, down the street, far away from him. He flung out
his arms, "I'm so damnably helpless," he said, and then, to the picture,
"Perhaps it's not as bad as it sounds; perhaps it is just my
sensitiveness." In the half light of the drawing-room the smile seemed to
deepen in Anna's portrait, and to become secret, even cruel. "No," he
reflected, "that smile is not at all her happiest expression--it was a
mistake to let her have it taken smiling like that. She doesn't look like
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians by Martin Luther: our daily experience. Our opponents tell us that everything was at peace
before the Gospel was revived by us. Since then the whole world has been
upset. People blame us and the Gospel for everything, for the disobedience
of subjects to their rulers, for wars, plagues, and famines, for revolutions,
and every other evil that can be imagined. No wonder our opponents
think they are doing God a favor by hating and persecuting us. Ishmael will
persecute Isaac.
We invite our opponents to tell us what good things attended the
preaching of the Gospel by the apostles. Did not the destruction of
Jerusalem follow on the heels of the Gospel? And how about the
overthrow of the Roman Empire? Did not the whole world seethe with
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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 Selected Writings of Guy De Maupassant by Guy De Maupassant: Empress Augusta, he drank: "To our ladies!" Then a series of
toasts began, toasts worthy of the lowest soldiers and of
drunkards, mingled with filthy jokes, which were made still more
brutal by their ignorance of the language. They got up, one after
the other, trying to say something witty, forcing themselves to
be funny, and the women, who were so drunk that they almost fell
off their chairs, with vacant looks and clammy tongues, applauded
madly each time.
The captain, who no doubt wished to impart an appearance of
gallantry to the orgy, raised his glass again, and said: "To our
victories over hearts!" Thereupon Lieutenant Otto, who was a
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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 Whirligigs by O. Henry: knee and deliberately level his shotgun. He pulled his
hat down and awaited the harmless rattle of the tiny
pellets.
The shotgun blazed with a heavy report. Mexico
Sam sighed, turned limp all over, and slowly fell from
his horse -- a dead rattlesnake.
At ten o'clock the next morning court opened, and the
case of the United States versus Rafael Ortiz was called.
The district attorney, with his arm in a sling, rose and
addressed the court.
"May it please your honour," he said, "I desire to
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