| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Sophist by Plato: justice to Plato,--because the truth which he attains by a real effort of
thought is to us a familiar and unconscious truism, which no one would any
longer think either of doubting or examining.
IV. The later dialogues of Plato contain many references to contemporary
philosophy. Both in the Theaetetus and in the Sophist he recognizes that
he is in the midst of a fray; a huge irregular battle everywhere surrounds
him (Theaet.). First, there are the two great philosophies going back into
cosmogony and poetry: the philosophy of Heracleitus, supposed to have a
poetical origin in Homer, and that of the Eleatics, which in a similar
spirit he conceives to be even older than Xenophanes (compare Protag.).
Still older were theories of two and three principles, hot and cold, moist
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Captain Stormfield by Mark Twain: "Why? Didn't you know it was going to come off?"
"Well, I judge I did. It was the talk of these realms - not for a
day, like this barkeeper business, but for twenty years before the
man died."
"Why the mischief didn't you go, then?"
"Now how you talk! The like of me go meddling around at the
reception of a prophet? A mudsill like me trying to push in and
help receive an awful grandee like Edward J. Billings? Why, I
should have been laughed at for a billion miles around. I
shouldn't ever heard the last of it."
"Well, who did go, then?"
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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 The Symposium by Xenophon: have attained to purity of soul,[14] rather than by generals and
cavalry commanders[15] and a crowd of place-hunters.[16]
[13] Or, "dining-room." See Becker, "Charicles," 265.
[14] See Grote, "H. G." viii. 619 foll. Cf. Plat. "Rep." 527 D;
"Soph." 230 E.
[15] Lit. Strategoi, Hipparchs.
[16] Or, "petitioners for offices of state." Reading {spoudarkhiais}.
Whereat Socrates: When will you have done with your gibes, Callias?
Why, because you have yourself spent sums of money on Protagoras,[17]
and Gorgias, and Prodicus, and a host of others, to learn wisdom, must
you pour contempt on us poor fellows, who are but self-taught
The Symposium |
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 The Octopus by Frank Norris: trembling furry body, with its wildly beating heart, pressed
against her own.
By noon the number of rabbits discernible by Annixter's field
glasses on ahead was far into the thousands. What seemed to be
ground resolved itself, when seen through the glasses, into a
maze of small, moving bodies, leaping, ducking, doubling, running
back and forth--a wilderness of agitated ears, white tails and
twinkling legs. The outside wings of the curved line of vehicles
began to draw in a little; Osterman's ranch was left behind, the
drive continued on over Quien Sabe.
As the day advanced, the rabbits, singularly enough, became less
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