| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Agesilaus by Xenophon: the language would be appropriate enough.
Very gentle to his friends, to his enemies he was most terrible.
Whilst he could hold out against toil and trouble with the best,
nothing pleased him better than yielding to his comrades. But passion
was kindled in him by beauty of deed rather than of person.[9]
[9] Or, "beauteous deeds rather than bodily splendour."
Skilled in the exercise of self-command in the midst of external
welfare, he could be stout of heart enough in stress of danger.
Urbanity he practised, not with jest and witticisim, but by the
courtesy of his demeanour.
In spite of a certain haughtiness, he was never overbearing, but rich
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Walden by Henry David Thoreau: for his early share and numerous succeeding investments in them.
Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our
attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an
unimproved end, an end which it was already but too easy to arrive
at; as railroads lead to Boston or New York. We are in great haste
to construct a magnetic telegraph from Maine to Texas; but Maine and
Texas, it may be, have nothing important to communicate. Either is
in such a predicament as the man who was earnest to be introduced to
a distinguished deaf woman, but when he was presented, and one end
of her ear trumpet was put into his hand, had nothing to say. As if
the main object were to talk fast and not to talk sensibly. We are
Walden |
