| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Emerald City of Oz by L. Frank Baum: very simple and easy when you know how. Alone, we should be helpless
to injure the Ruler of Oz, but with the aid of the evil powers we can
summon we shall easily succeed."
King Roquat was delighted with this idea, for he realized how clever
it was.
"Surely, Guph, you are the greatest General I have ever had!"
he exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with joy. "You must go at once
and make arrangements with the evil powers to assist us, and meantime
I'll begin to dig the tunnel."
"I thought you'd agree with me, Roquat," replied the new General.
"I'll start this very afternoon to visit the Chief of the Whimsies."
The Emerald City of Oz |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Exiles by Honore de Balzac: held a green palm branch, in the other a sword of flame: the palm to
bestow on the pardoned soul, the sword to drive back all the hosts of
Hell with one sweep. As he approached, the perfumes of Heaven fell
upon us as dew. In the region where the archangel paused, the air took
the hues of opal, and moved in eddies of which he was the centre. He
paused, looked at the Shade, and said:
" 'To-morrow.'
"Then he turned heavenwards once more, spread his wings, and clove
through space as a vessel cuts through the waves, hardly showing her
white sails to the exiles left on some deserted shore.
"The Shade uttered appalling cries, to which the damned responded from
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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 Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson: summons, and found a small man crouching against the pillars of
the portico.
"Are you come from Dr. Jekyll?" I asked.
He told me "yes" by a constrained gesture; and when I had
bidden him enter, he did not obey me without a searching backward
glance into the darkness of the square. There was a policeman not
far off, advancing with his bull's eye open; and at the sight, I
thought my visitor started and made greater haste.
These particulars struck me, I confess, disagreeably; and as I
followed him into the bright light of the consulting room, I kept
my hand ready on my weapon. Here, at last, I had a chance of
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde |
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 A Princess of Parms by Edgar Rice Burroughs: private combat with any other than the weapon with which you
are attacked. In fact he could do nothing but make a wild
and futile attempt to dislodge me. With all his immense bulk
he was little if any stronger than I, and it was but the matter
of a moment or two before he sank, bleeding and lifeless,
to the floor.
Dejah Thoris had raised herself upon one elbow and was
watching the battle with wide, staring eyes. When I had
regained my feet I raised her in my arms and bore her to
one of the benches at the side of the room.
Again no Martian interfered with me, and tearing a piece
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