| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Across The Plains by Robert Louis Stevenson: grow beyond it, and go forward, fully equipped, to do the business
of real art - to give life to abstractions and significance and
charm to facts. In the meanwhile, let him dwell much among his
fellow-craftsmen. They alone can take a serious interest in the
childish tasks and pitiful successes of these years. They alone
can behold with equanimity this fingering of the dumb keyboard,
this polishing of empty sentences, this dull and literal painting
of dull and insignificant subjects. Outsiders will spur him on.
They will say, "Why do you not write a great book? paint a great
picture?" If his guardian angel fail him, they may even persuade
him to the attempt, and, ten to one, his hand is coarsened and his
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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 Poor and Proud by Oliver Optic: candy. The workmen all hoped she would come again, and she
departed highly elated at her success.
"There, mother, I have sold all the candy. What do you think of
that?" said she, as she entered her mother's room, and threw off
her bonnet and shawl.
"You have done very well, I had no idea that you could sell more
than twenty or thirty sticks in a day."
"It's a great day's work, mother; and if I can sell half as much
in a day, I shall be satisfied. Don't you think I shall be able
to support you?"
"At this rate you can do much more; but, Katy, I tremble for
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