| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Tattine by Ruth Ogden [Mrs. Charles W. Ide]: "Practicing your GRANDMOTHER," which as you have observed was a pet expression
with Rudolph, whenever he wished to intimate that he considered your remarks
to be simply absurd.
"Yes, that's exactly it," Tattine answered good-naturedly. "I am practicing my
Grandmother. Grandma Luty, that's Mamma's mother, has come to make us a visit,
and Mamma has discovered that I'm not very polite to old people. Children used
to be taught, you know, to say, 'Yes'm,' and 'Yes, sir,' but now that is not
considered nice at all, and you must always say the name of the person you are
speaking to, especially if they are older people, to whom you ought to be
respectful," and Tattine sounded quite like a little grandmother herself as
she talked.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Eryxias by Platonic Imitator: such things, does not the same reasoning apply to the case of any two
persons, of whom one has many and great wants and desires, and the other
few and moderate? For instance, some men are gamblers, some drunkards, and
some gluttons: and gambling and the love of drink and greediness are all
desires?
CRITIAS: Certainly.
SOCRATES: But desires are only the lack of something: and those who have
the greatest desires are in a worse condition than those who have none or
very slight ones?
CRITIAS: Certainly I consider that those who have such wants are bad, and
that the greater their wants the worse they are.
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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 Tom Sawyer Abroad by Mark Twain: salve on the other eye the other man bids them good-
bye and goes off with their railroads. Here's the
treasure-hill now. Lower away!"
We landed, but it warn't as interesting as I thought
it was going to be, because we couldn't find the place
where they went in to git the treasure. Still, it was
plenty interesting enough, just to see the mere hill
itself where such a wonderful thing happened. Jim
said he wou'dn't 'a' missed it for three dollars, and I
felt the same way.
And to me and Jim, as wonderful a thing as any was
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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 Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum: common-places of her own native land.
Slowly she passed through several rooms until she came upon Tiktok,
standing motionless. It really seemed, then, that she had found a
friend in this mysterious palace, so she hastened to wind up the
machine man's action and speech and thoughts.
"Thank you, Dor-oth-y," were his first words. "I have now one more
guess to make."
"Oh, be very careful, Tiktok; won't you?" cried the girl.
"Yes. But the Nome King has us in his power, and he has set a trap
for us. I fear we are all lost." he answered.
"I fear so, too," said Dorothy, sadly.
Ozma of Oz |
