| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Weir of Hermiston by Robert Louis Stevenson: and take her walk (which was my lord's orders), sometimes by herself,
sometimes with Archie, the only child of that scarce natural union. The
child was her next bond to life. Her frosted sentiment bloomed again,
she breathed deep of life, she let loose her heart, in that society.
The miracle of her motherhood was ever new to her. The sight of the
little man at her skirt intoxicated her with the sense of power, and
froze her with the consciousness of her responsibility. She looked
forward, and, seeing him in fancy grow up and play his diverse part on
the world's theatre, caught in her breath and lifted up her courage with
a lively effort. It was only with the child that she forgot herself and
was at moments natural; yet it was only with the child that she had
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Caesar's Commentaries in Latin by Julius Caesar: obtestatus deos, ut ea res legioni feliciter eveniret, ' desilite',
inquit, ' milites, nisi vultis aquilam hostibus prodere; ego certe meum
rei publicae atque imperatori officium praestitero.' Hoc cum voce magna
dixisset, se ex navi proiecit atque in hostes aquilam ferre coepit. Tum
nostri cohortati inter se, ne tantum dedecus admitteretur, universi ex
navi desiluerunt. Hos item ex proximis primi navibus cum conspexissent,
subsecuti hostibus adpropinquaverunt.
Pugnatum est ab utrisque acriter. Nostri tamen, quod neque ordines
servare neque firmiter insistere neque signa subsequi poterant atque alius
alia ex navi quibuscumque signis occurrerat se adgregabat, magnopere
perturbabantur; hostes vero, notis omnibus vadii, ubi ex litore aliquos
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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 Danny's Own Story by Don Marquis: to the individual and reserve it for the community.
If our communal sense says you should die, the
thing is neither better nor worse than if a sheriff
hanged you."
"I am not to be hanged by a sheriff," says the
doctor, very cool and steady, "because I have com-
mitted no crime. I am not to be killed by you
because you dare not, in spite of all you say, outrage
the law to that extent."
And they looked each other in the eyes so long
and hard that every one else in the schoolhouse
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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 Dawn O'Hara, The Girl Who Laughed by Edna Ferber: my husband. And see! Who is more of Amerika than I?
Who?"
She laughed a high little laugh and came over to me,
taking my hands in her own.
"Dear girl, you must run quickly and dress. For this
evening we go to the theater. Oh, but you must. There
shall be no unpleasantness, that I promise. My husband
accompanies us--with joy. Is it not so, Konrad? With
joy? So!"
Wildly I longed to decline, but I dared not. So I
only nodded, for fear of the great lump in my throat, and
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