| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Mrs. Warren's Profession by George Bernard Shaw: love should be as effectively ignored as cholera is at present,
there is not the slightest chance of that way out of the
difficulty being taken by the Mr Redford. If he attempted it
there would be a revolt in which he would be swept away in spite
of my singlehanded efforts to defend him. A complete tapu is
politically impossible. A complete toleration is equally
impossible to Mr Redford, because his occupation would be gone if
there were no tapu to enforce. He is therefore compelled to
maintain the present compromise of a partial tapu, applied, to
the best of his judgement, with a careful respect to persons and
to public opinion. And a very sensible English solution of the
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Polity of Athenians and Lacedaemonians by Xenophon: viii. 3.
[3] Or, "sandals."
But when we turn to Lycurgus, instead of leaving it to each member of
the state privately to appoint a slave to be his son's tutor, he set
over the young Spartans a public guardian, the Paidonomos[4] or
"pastor," to give them his proper title,[5] with complete authority
over them. This guardian was selected from those who filled the
highest magistracies. He had authority to hold musters of the boys,[6]
and as their overseer, in case of any misbehaviour, to chastise
severely. The legislator further provided his pastor with a body of
youths in the prime of life, and bearing whips,[7] to inflict
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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 Altar of the Dead by Henry James: little chamber of remembrance and homage, to see her convey with
such exquisite mildness that as from Acton Hague any injury was
credible. The clock ticked in the stillness - Hague had probably
given it to her - and while he let her hold his hand with a
tenderness that was almost an assumption of responsibility for his
old pain as well as his new, Stransom after a minute broke out:
"Good God, how he must have used YOU!"
She dropped his hand at this, got up and, moving across the room,
made straight a small picture to which, on examining it, he had
given a slight push. Then turning round on him with her pale
gaiety recovered, "I've forgiven him!" she declared.
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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 The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin: of the perch, we had ten carriages, with two horses each, to bring
the palisades from the woods to the spot. When they were set up,
our carpenters built a stage of boards all round within, about six
feet high, for the men to stand on when to fire thro' the loopholes.
We had one swivel gun, which we mounted on one of the angles,
and fir'd it as soon as fix'd, to let the Indians know, if any
were within hearing, that we had such pieces; and thus our fort,
if such a magnificent name may be given to so miserable a stockade,
was finish'd in a week, though it rain'd so hard every other day
that the men could not work.
This gave me occasion to observe, that, when men are employ'd, they
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin |
