| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte by Karl Marx: republic, because under this form alone could the two large divisions of
the French bourgeoisie be united; in other words, only under this form
could they place on the order of business the sovereignty of their
class, in lieu of the regime of a privileged faction of the same. If,
this notwithstanding, they are seen as the party of Order to insult the
republic and express their antipathy for it, it happened not out of
royalist traditions only: Instinct taught them that while, indeed, the
republic completes their authority, it at the same time undermined their
social foundation, in that, without intermediary, without the mask of
the crown, without being able to turn aside the national interest by
means of its subordinate struggles among its own conflicting elements
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Dream Life and Real Life by Olive Schreiner: people whom they passed smiled and kissed her; some gave her flowers, and
some gave her food, and the sunlight was everywhere. She dreamed the same
dream over and over, and it grew more and more beautiful; till, suddenly,
it seemed as though she were standing quite alone. She looked up: on one
side of her was the high precipice, on the other was the river, with the
willow trees, drooping their branches into the water; and the moonlight was
over all. Up, against the night sky the pointed leaves of the kippersol
trees were clearly marked, and the rocks and the willow trees cast dark
shadows.
In her sleep she shivered, and half awoke.
"Ah, I am not there, I am here," she said; and she crept closer to the
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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 Lily of the Valley by Honore de Balzac: tender offerings of the loving woman who had said: "The happiness of
others is the consolation of those who cannot themselves be happy."
Such things, related at the "veillees," made the crowd immense. I
walked with Jacques and the two abbes behind the coffin. According to
custom neither the count nor Madeleine were present; they remained
alone at Clochegourde. But Manette insisted in coming with us. "Poor
madame! poor madame! she is happy now," I heard her saying to herself
amid her sobs.
As the procession left the road to the mills I heard a simultaneous
moan and a sound of weeping as though the valley were lamenting for
its soul. The church was filled with people. After the service was
The Lily of the Valley |
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 King Henry VI by William Shakespeare: unless I find him guilty, he shall not die.--Come hither, sirrah,
I must examine thee; what is thy name?
CLERK.
Emmanuel.
DICK.
They use to write it on the top of letters.--'T will go
hard with you.
CADE.
Let me alone.--Dost thou use to write thy name? or hast
thou a mark to thyself, like a honest, plain-dealing man?
CLERK.
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