| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Men of Iron by Howard Pyle: flashing upon their polished armor. They drew rein to the right,
and so rode in a little cloud of dust along the Strand Street
towards London town, with the breeze blowing merrily, and the
sunlight shining as sweetly and blithesomely as though they were
riding to a wedding rather than to a grim and dreadful ordeal
that meant either victory or death.
CHAPTER 32
In the days of King Edward III a code of laws relating to trial
by battle had been compiled for one of his sons, Thomas of
Woodstock. In this work each and every detail, to the most
minute, had been arranged and fixed, and from that time judicial
Men of Iron |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from 'Twixt Land & Sea by Joseph Conrad: would meet me in that island would be as luckily exceptional as
this beautiful, dreamlike vision so very few seamen have been
privileged to behold.
But horrid thoughts of business interfered with my enjoyment of an
accomplished passage. I was anxious for success and I wished, too,
to do justice to the flattering latitude of my owners' instructions
contained in one noble phrase: "We leave it to you to do the best
you can with the ship." . . . All the world being thus given me for
a stage, my abilities appeared to me no bigger than a pinhead.
Meantime the wind dropped, and Mr. Burns began to make disagreeable
remarks about my usual bad luck. I believe it was his devotion for
'Twixt Land & Sea |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Emma McChesney & Co. by Edna Ferber: comfort, she would shut down the electric light with a snap,
raise the shade, and, propped up on one elbow, watch the little
towns go by. They had a wonderful fascination for her, those
Middle Western towns, whose very names had a comfortable, home-
like sound--Sandusky, Galesburg, Crawfordsville, Appleton--very
real towns, with very real people in them. Peering wistfully out
through the dusk, she could get little intimate glimpses of the
home life of these people as the night came on. In those modest
frame houses near the station they need not trouble to pull down
the shades as must their cautious city cousins. As the train
slowed down, there could be had a glimpse of a matronly housewife
Emma McChesney & Co. |
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 Dust by Mr. And Mrs. Haldeman-Julius: Well as she knew every detail of his fine, clean cut features,
his broad shoulders and rippling muscles, they gave her a sudden
thrill. It was as if she were seeing him again for the first time
in years. If only he could let a shadow of this new
thoughtfulness and kindliness fall on her, they might even yet
bring some joy into each other's lives. They had stepped off on
the wrong foot. Why, they really hadn't been even acquainted.
They had been led into thinking so because of the length of time
they had both been familiar figures in the same community. Beyond
a doubt, if they were being married today, and she understood him
as she did now, she could make a success of their marriage. But,
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