| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Alcibiades II by Platonic Imitator: present evils might be averted, but called down new ones. And was not his
prayer accomplished, and did not many and terrible evils thence arise, upon
which I need not dilate?
ALCIBIADES: Yes, Socrates, but you are speaking of a madman: surely you
do not think that any one in his senses would venture to make such a
prayer?
SOCRATES: Madness, then, you consider to be the opposite of discretion?
ALCIBIADES: Of course.
SOCRATES: And some men seem to you to be discreet, and others the
contrary?
ALCIBIADES: They do.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Odyssey by Homer: I will tell thee all clearly, though great need there is of
haste. I have slain the wooers in our halls and avenged
their bitter scorn and evil deeds.'
Then Laertes answered him and spake, saying: 'If thou art
indeed Odysseus, mine own child, that art come hither, show
me now a manifest token, that I may be assured.'
Then Odysseus of many counsels answered him saying: 'Look
first on this scar and consider it, that the boar dealt me
with his white tusk on Parnassus, whither I had gone, and
thou didst send me forth, thou and my lady mother, to
Autolycus my mother's father, to get the gifts which when
The Odyssey |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Massimilla Doni by Honore de Balzac: inexhaustible theme--truly Dantesque. Do you think that it is nothing
to have such a dream of vengeance, even for a moment? Handel,
Sebastian Bach, all you old German masters, nay, even you, great
Beethoven, on your knees! Here is the queen of arts, Italy
triumphant!"
The Duchess had spoken while the curtain was being raised. And now the
physician heard the sublime symphony with which the composer
introduces the great Biblical drama. It is to express the sufferings
of a whole nation. Suffering is uniform in its expression, especially
physical suffering. Thus, having instinctively felt, like all men of
genius, that here there must be no variety of idea, the musician,
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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 Faraday as a Discoverer by John Tyndall: it should have other uses than simply the conveyance of radiations.'
When he speaks of the magnet in certain cases, 'revolving amongst
its own forces,' he appears to have some conception of this kind in
view.
A great part of the investigation completed in October, 1851, was
taken up with the motions of wires round the poles of a magnet and
the converse. He carried an insulated wire along the axis of a bar
magnet from its pole to its equator, where it issued from the magnet,
and was bent up so as to connect its two ends. A complete circuit,
no part of which was in contact with the magnet, was thus obtained.
He found that when the magnet and the external wire were rotated
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