| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Soul of Man by Oscar Wilde: philosopher were told that he had a perfect right to speculate in
the highest spheres of thought, provided that he arrived at the
same conclusions as were held by those who had never thought in any
sphere at all - well, nowadays the man of science and the
philosopher would be considerably amused. Yet it is really a very
few years since both philosophy and science were subjected to
brutal popular control, to authority - in fact the authority of
either the general ignorance of the community, or the terror and
greed for power of an ecclesiastical or governmental class. Of
course, we have to a very great extent got rid of any attempt on
the part of the community, or the Church, or the Government, to
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Men of Iron by Howard Pyle: a body behind him and the others followed, one after another.
The bachelors were hardly prepared for such prompt and vigorous
action.
"What is to do?" cried one of them, who stood near the two lads
with the buckets. "Why fetch ye not the water?"
"Falworth says we shall not fetch it," answered one of the lads,
a boy by the name of Gosse.
"What mean ye by that, Falworth?" the young man called to Myles.
Myles's heart was beating thickly and heavily within him, but
nevertheless he spoke up boldly enough. "I mean," said he, "that
from henceforth ye shall fetch and carry for yourselves,"
Men of Iron |
