| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Virginian by Owen Wister: Presidio, an' Angel Island, an' Alcatraz, an' Benicia. Los
Angeles was beginnin' its boom. The corner-lot sharps wanted
something by way of varnish. An' so they dazzled Eastern
investors with advertisin' Tulare frawgs clear to New Orleans an'
New York. 'Twas only in Sacramento frawgs was dull. I expaict the
California legislature was too or'n'ry for them fine-raised
luxuries. They tell of one of them senators that he raked a
million out of Los Angeles real estate, and started in for a
bang-up meal with champagne. Wanted to scatter his new gold thick
an' quick. But he got astray among all the fancy dishes, an' just
yelled right out before the ladies, 'Damn it! bring me forty
The Virginian |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Augsburg Confession by Philip Melanchthon: affinity with the purifications of the Law, and says, 9: In
vain do they worship Me with the commandments of men. He,
therefore, does not exact an unprofitable service. Shortly
after He adds: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a
man. So also Paul, Rom. 14, 17: The kingdom of God is not meat
and drink. Col. 2, 16: Let no man, therefore, judge you in
meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy-day, or of the
Sabbath-day; also: If ye be dead with Christ from the
rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world,
are ye subject to ordinances: Touch not, taste not, handle
not! And Peter says, Acts 15, 10: Why tempt ye God to put a
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Little Rivers by Henry van Dyke: whatever the weather may be, they make no change in the large, full
dark skirts, almost completely covered with immense silk aprons, by
preference light blue. It is not a remarkably brilliant dress,
compared with that which one may still see in some districts of
Norway or Sweden, but upon the whole it suits the women of the
Ampezzo wonderfully.
For my part, I think that when a woman has found a dress that
becomes her, it is a waste of time to send to Paris for a fashion-
plate.
III.
When the excitement of the Festa had subsided, we were free to
|
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 Deserted Woman by Honore de Balzac: in accordance with the rules laid down for marriageable young ladies,
she scarcely opened her mouth, but her rent-roll of forty thousand
livres spoke quite sufficiently for her. Mme. de Nueil, with a
mother's sincere affection, tried to entangle her son in virtuous
courses. She called his attention to the fact that it was a flattering
distinction to be preferred by Mlle. de la Rodiere, who had refused so
many great matches; it was quite time, she urged, that he should think
of his future, such a good opportunity might not repeat itself, some
day he would have eighty thousand livres of income from land; money
made everything bearable; if Mme. de Beauseant loved him for his own
sake, she ought to be the first to urge him to marry. In short, the
|
