| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Elixir of Life by Honore de Balzac: thin. Large violet patches had already begun to spread over the
face; the embalmers' work had not been finished too soon.
Don Juan, strong as he was in his scepticism, felt a tremor as he
opened the magic crystal flask. When he stood over that face, he
was trembling so violently, that he was actually obliged to wait
for a moment. But Don Juan had acquired an early familiarity with
evil; his morals had been corrupted by a licentious court, a
reflection worthy of the Duke of Urbino crossed his mind, and it
was a keen sense of curiosity that goaded him into boldness. The
devil himself might have whispered the words that were echoing
through his brain, Moisten one of the eyes with the liquid! He
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Anthem by Ayn Rand: shrieked and screamed and spat curses upon
them, theirs was the calmest and the happiest face.
As the chains were wound over their
body at the stake, and a flame set to the
pyre, the Transgressor looked upon the
City. There was a thin thread of blood
running from the corner of their mouth,
but their lips were smiling. And a monstrous
thought came to us then, which has
never left us. We had heard of Saints.
There are the Saints of Labor, and the
Anthem |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Michael Strogoff by Jules Verne: it would begin to bud."
"Come then, gentlemen," said Michael Strogoff, "and
we will bring up the tarantass."
The Frenchman and the Englishman, descending from
their seats, no longer the hinder one, since the front had
taken its departure, followed Michael.
Walking along, Alcide Jolivet chattered away as usual,
with his invariable good-humor. "Faith, Mr. Korpanoff,"
said he, "you have indeed got us out of a bad scrape."
"I have only done, sir," replied Michael, "what anyone
would have done in my place."
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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 In Darkest England and The Way Out by General William Booth: something like the following plan:-
London would be divided into districts, beginning with that portion of
it most likely to furnish the largest supplies of what would be worth
collection. Two men, or a man and a boy, would be told of for this
purpose to this district.
Households would be requested to allow a receptacle to be placed in
some convenient spot in which the servants could deposit the waste
food, and a sack of some description would also be supplied for the
paper, rags, &c.
The whole would be collected, say once or twice a week, or more
frequently, according to the season and circumstances, and transferred
In Darkest England and The Way Out |
