| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Lily of the Valley by Honore de Balzac: the inmost recesses of her heart, would have despised my infamy. After
five years of delightful intercourse we now had nothing to say to each
other; our words had no connection with our thoughts; we were hiding
from each other our intolerable pain,--we, whose mutual sufferings had
been our first interpreter.
Henriette assumed a cheerful look for me as for herself, but she was
sad. She spoke of herself as my sister, and yet found no ground on
which to converse; and we remained for the greater part of the time in
constrained silence. She increased my inward misery by feigning to
believe that she was the only victim.
"I suffer more than you," I said to her at a moment when my self-
The Lily of the Valley |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Gorgias by Plato: (compare Republic). Like other men of the world who are of a speculative
turn of mind, he generalizes the bad side of human nature, and has easily
brought down his principles to his practice. Philosophy and poetry alike
supply him with distinctions suited to his view of human life. He has a
good will to Socrates, whose talents he evidently admires, while he
censures the puerile use which he makes of them. He expresses a keen
intellectual interest in the argument. Like Anytus, again, he has a
sympathy with other men of the world; the Athenian statesmen of a former
generation, who showed no weakness and made no mistakes, such as Miltiades,
Themistocles, Pericles, are his favourites. His ideal of human character
is a man of great passions and great powers, which he has developed to the
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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 King James Bible: and the outgoings thereof are in the valley of Jiphthahel:
JOS 19:15 And Kattath, and Nahallal, and Shimron, and Idalah, and
Bethlehem: twelve cities with their villages.
JOS 19:16 This is the inheritance of the children of Zebulun according
to their families, these cities with their villages.
JOS 19:17 And the fourth lot came out to Issachar, for the children of
Issachar according to their families.
JOS 19:18 And their border was toward Jezreel, and Chesulloth, and
Shunem,
JOS 19:19 And Haphraim, and Shihon, and Anaharath,
JOS 19:20 And Rabbith, and Kishion, and Abez,
King James Bible |
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 One Basket by Edna Ferber: of three well-meaning sisters.
Babe used to say petulantly, "Jo, why don't you ever bring home
any of your men friends? A girl might as well not have any
brother, all the good you do."
Jo, conscience-stricken, did his best to make amends. But a man
who has been petticoat-ridden for years loses the knack, somehow,
of comradeship with men.
One Sunday in May Jo came home from a late-Sunday-afternoon walk
to find company for supper. Carrie often had in one of her
schoolteacher friends, or Babe one of her frivolous intimates, or
even Eva a staid guest of the old-girl type. There was always a
One Basket |
