| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from My Aunt Margaret's Mirror by Walter Scott: one, and the suspense which some bear with constitutional
indifference or philosophical resignation, and some with a
disposition to believe and hope the best, was intolerable to Lady
Forester, at once solitary and sensitive, low-spirited, and
devoid of strength of mind, whether natural or acquired.
CHAPTER II.
As she received no further news of Sir Philip, whether directly
or indirectly, his unfortunate lady began now to feel a sort of
consolation even in those careless habits which had so often
given her pain. "He is so thoughtless," she repeated a hundred
times a day to her sister, "he never writes when things are going
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift: freely own, and 'twas indeed one principal design in offering it
to the world. I desire the reader will observe, that I calculate
my remedy for this one individual Kingdom of Ireland, and for no
other that ever was, is, or, I think, ever can be upon Earth.
Therefore let no man talk to me of other expedients: Of taxing
our absentees at five shillings a pound: Of using neither
cloaths, nor houshold furniture, except what is of our own growth
and manufacture: Of utterly rejecting the materials and
instruments that promote foreign luxury: Of curing the
expensiveness of pride, vanity, idleness, and gaming in our
women: Of introducing a vein of parsimony, prudence and
A Modest Proposal |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar by Edgar Rice Burroughs: wall of the hut. Examination revealed the fact that the
blotch was an opening cut in the wall. It was large
enough to permit the passage of his body, and assured
as he was that Lady Greystoke had passed out through
the aperture in an attempt to escape the village, he
lost no time in availing himself of the same avenue;
but neither did he lose time in a fruitless search for
Jane Clayton.
His own life depended upon the chance of his eluding,
or outdistancing Achmet Zek, when that worthy should
have discovered that he had escaped. His original plan
Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar |
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 Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia by Samuel Johnson: the next transition of an active mind is to the means by which it
was performed. Here begins the true use of such contemplation. We
enlarge our comprehension by new ideas, and perhaps recover some
art lost to mankind, or learn what is less perfectly known in our
own country. At least we compare our own with former times, and
either rejoice at our improvements, or, what is the first motion
towards good, discover our defects."
"I am willing," said the Prince, "to see all that can deserve my
search."
"And I," said the Princess, "shall rejoice to learn something of
the manners of antiquity."
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