| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Men of Iron by Howard Pyle: Clarence, the Bishop of Winchester, and some of the noblemen of
the Earl of Mackworth's party, who had been buzzing about the
Prince for the past month or so. But his glance swept over all
these, rather perceiving than seeing them, and then rested upon a
square box-like compartment not unlike a prisoner's dock in the
courtroom of our day, for in the box sat his father, with the
Earl of Mackworth upon one side and Sir James Lee upon the other.
The blind man's face was very pale, but still wore its usual
expression of calm serenity--the calm serenity of a blind face.
The Earl was also very pale, and he kept his eyes fixed
steadfastly upon Myles with a keen and searching look, as though
Men of Iron |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from A treatise on Good Works by Dr. Martin Luther: But if it should happen, as it often does, that the temporal
power and authorities, as they are called, should urge a subject
to do contrary to the Commandments of God, or hinder him from
doing them, there obedience ends, and that duty is annulled. Here
a man must say as St. Peter says to the rulers of the Jews: "We
ought to obey God rather than men." He did not say: "We must not
obey men"; for that would be wrong; but he said: "God rather than
men." Thus, if a prince desired to go to war, and his cause was
manifestly unrighteous, we should not follow nor help him at all;
since God has commanded that we shall not kill our neighbor, nor
do him injustice. Likewise, if he bade us bear false witness,
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom by William and Ellen Craft: and provided, and against the peace and dignity of
the Commonwealth of Virginia.
"VICTOR VAGABOND, Prosecuting Attorney."
"On this indictment Mrs. Douglass was arraigned
as a necessary matter of form, tried, found guilty
of course; and Judge Scalaway, before whom she
was tried, having consulted with Dr. Adams, or-
dered the sheriff to place Mrs. Douglass in the
prisoner's box, when he addressed her as follows:
'Margaret Douglass, stand up. You are guilty of
one of the vilest crimes that ever disgraced society;
Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom |
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 Copy-Cat & Other Stories by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman: "But what will your wife do?"
"She can have the money I've saved, all except
enough to buy me a few provisions. I sha'n't need
much. I want a little corn meal, and I will have a
few chickens, and there is a barrel of winter apples
left over that she can't use, and a few potatoes.
There is a spring right near the shack, and there are
trout-pools, and by and by there will be berries,
and there's plenty of fire-wood, and there's an old
bed and a stove and a few things in the shack.
Now, I'm going to the store and buy what I want,
|
