| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Salome by Oscar Wilde: voudrez. Tout ce que vous voudrez je vous le donnerai, fut-ce la
moitie de mon royaume. J'ai jure, n'est-ce pas?
SALOME. Vous avez jure, tetrarque.
HERODE. Et je n'ai jamais manque e ma parole. Je ne suis pas de
ceux qui manquent e leur parole. Je ne sais pas mentir. Je suis
l'esclave de ma parole, et ma parole c'est la parole d'un roi. Le
roi de Cappadoce ment toujours, mais ce n'est pas un vrai roi.
C'est un lache. Aussi il me doit de l'argent qu'il ne veut pas
payer. Il a meme insulte mes ambassadeurs. Il a dit des choses
tres blessantes. Mais Cesar le crucifiera quand il viendra e Rome.
Je suis sur que Cesar le crucifiera. Sinon il mourra mange des
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from A Tramp Abroad by Mark Twain: signs--airy, easy-going references to grand distances
and foreign places. 'Well GOOD-by, old fellow--
if I don't run across you in Italy, you hunt me up in
London before you sail.'"
The next item which I find in my note-book is this one:
"The fact that a band of 6,000 Indians are now murdering
our frontiersmen at their impudent leisure, and that we
are only able to send 1,200 soldiers against them,
is utilized here to discourage emigration to America.
The common people think the Indians are in New Jersey."
This is a new and peculiar argument against keeping our army
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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 La Grenadiere by Honore de Balzac: surround the property, and all sorts of fruit-trees are planted among
the vines; in short, not an inch of this precious soil is wasted. If
by chance man overlooks some dry cranny in the rocks, Nature puts in a
fig-tree, or sows wildflowers or strawberries in sheltered nooks among
the stones.
Nowhere else in all the world will you find a human dwelling so humble
and yet so imposing, so rich in fruit, and fragrant scents, and wide
views of country. Here is a miniature Touraine in the heart of
Touraine--all its flowers and fruits and all the characteristic beauty
of the land are fully represented. Here are grapes of every district,
figs and peaches and pears of every kind; melons are grown out of
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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 The Hidden Masterpiece by Honore de Balzac: moving from right to left, standing directly before it, bending,
swaying, rising by turns.
"Yes, yes; it is really a canvas," cried Frenhofer, mistaking the
purpose of their examination. "See, here is the frame, the easel;
these are my colors, my brushes." And he caught up a brush which he
held out to them with a naive motion.
"The old rogue is making game of us," said Poussin, coming close to
the pretended picture. "I can see nothing here but a mass of confused
color, crossed by a multitude of eccentric lines, making a sort of
painted wall."
"We are mistaken. See!" returned Porbus.
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