| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Emma McChesney & Co. by Edna Ferber: month," snapped Hortense, "it'll break up the office."
Pop Henderson removed his eye-shade very deliberately, passed his
thin, cramped old hand over his scant gray locks to his bald
spot, climbed down stiffly from his stool, ambled to the center
of the room, and, head cocked like a knowing old brown sparrow,
regarded the pert Hortense over his spectacles and under his
spectacles and, finally, through his spectacles.
"Young folks now 'days," began Pop Henderson dryly, "are so
darned cute and knowin' that when an old fellow cuts in ahead of
'em for once, he likes to hug the joke to himself a while before
he springs it." There was no acid in his tone. He was beaming
Emma McChesney & Co. |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin: eye perfectly true or parts of a sphere, and of about the diameter of a
cell. It was most interesting to me to observe that wherever several bees
had begun to excavate these basins near together, they had begun their work
at such a distance from each other, that by the time the basins had
acquired the above stated width (i.e. about the width of an ordinary cell),
and were in depth about one sixth of the diameter of the sphere of which
they formed a part, the rims of the basins intersected or broke into each
other. As soon as this occurred, the bees ceased to excavate, and began to
build up flat walls of wax on the lines of intersection between the basins,
so that each hexagonal prism was built upon the festooned edge of a smooth
basin, instead of on the straight edges of a three-sided pyramid as in the
On the Origin of Species |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Wheels of Chance by H. G. Wells: considerations, the intoxicating thought of riding beside Her all
to-day, all to-morrow, perhaps for other days after that. Of
talking to her familiarly, being brother of all her slender
strength and freshness, of having a golden, real, and wonderful
time beyond all his imaginings. His old familiar fancyings gave
place to anticipations as impalpable and fluctuating and
beautiful as the sunset of a summer day.
At Havant he took an opportunity to purchase, at small
hairdresser's in the main street, a toothbrush,pair of nail
scissors, and a little bottle of stuff to darken the moustache,
an article the shopman introduced to his attention, recommended
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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 The Red Inn by Honore de Balzac: their talk, certain strongly accentuated snores, made the more
sonorous by the thin planks of the loft in which she had ensconced
herself, made the guests laugh and also the husband. Towards midnight,
when nothing remained on the table but biscuits, cheese, dried fruit,
and good wine, the guests, chiefly the young Frenchmen, became
communicative. The latter talked of their homes, their studies, and of
the war. The conversation grew lively. Prosper Magnan brought a few
tears to the merchant's eyes, when with the frankness and naivete of a
good and tender nature, he talked of what his mother must be doing at
that hour, while he was sitting drinking on the banks of the Rhine.
"I can see her," he said, "reading her prayers before she goes to bed.
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