| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Unseen World and Other Essays by John Fiske: such a symmetrical creature. And for a similar reason, the
Greeks, though perhaps not more humane than the Europeans of the
Middle Ages, rarely allowed the human body to be mutilated or
tortured. The condemned criminal must be marred as little as
possible; and he was, therefore, quietly poisoned, instead of
being hung, beheaded, or broken on the wheel.
Is not the unapproachable excellence of Greek statuary--that art
never since equalled, and most likely, from the absence of the
needful social stimulus, destined never to be equalled--already
sufficiently explained? Consider, says our author, the nature of
the Greek sculptor's preparation. These men have observed the
The Unseen World and Other Essays |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Just Folks by Edgar A. Guest: I hold that he is good enough
Regardless of his politics.
If he is glad his much to share
With them who little here possess,
If he will stand by what is fair
And not desert to claim success,
If he will leave a smile behind
As he proceeds from place to place,
He has the proper frame of mind,
And I won't stop to ask his race.
For when at last life's battle ends
Just Folks |
