| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Atheist's Mass by Honore de Balzac: glory of a surgeon is like that of an actor: they live only so
long as they are alive, and their talent leaves no trace when
they are gone. Actors and surgeons, like great singers too, like
the executants who by their performance increase the power of
music tenfold, are all the heroes of a moment.
Desplein is a case in proof of this resemblance in the destinies
of such transient genius. His name, yesterday so famous, to-day
almost forgotten, will survive in his special department without
crossing its limits. For must there not be some extraordinary
circumstances to exalt the name of a professor from the history
of Science to the general history of the human race? Had Desplein
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Tales of the Klondyke by Jack London: question.
"Good-night, Miss Moloof." Mrs. Eppingwell was royal even in
defeat.
Freda reciprocated, though barely downing the impulse to clasp the
other's knees and beg forgiveness,--no, not forgiveness, but
something, she knew not what, but which she none the less greatly
desired.
The man was for her taking his arm; but she had made her kill in
the midst of the pack, and that which led kings to drag their
vanquished at the chariot-tail, led her toward the door alone,
Floyd Vanderlip close at heel and striving to re-establish his
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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 A Voyage to Abyssinia by Father Lobo: his sting in my finger; I at least picked an extraneous substance
about the bigness of a hair out of the wound, which I imagined was
the sting. This slight wound I took little notice of, till my arm
grew inflamed all over; in a short time the poison infected my
blood, and I felt the most terrible convulsions, which were
interpreted as certain signs that my death was near and inevitable.
I received now no benefit from bezoar, the horn of the unicorn, or
any of the usual antidotes, but found myself obliged to make use of
an extraordinary remedy, which I submitted to with extreme
reluctance. This submission and obedience brought the blessing of
Heaven upon me; nevertheless, I continued indisposed a long time,
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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 Soul of a Bishop by H. G. Wells: molto semplice e cantabile. It had a real quality of divinity.
The musician betrayed impatience at the name of Beethoven, and
thought, with his mouth appreciatively full of salted almonds,
that nowadays we had got a little beyond that anyhow.
"We shall be superhuman before we get beyond either Purcell or
Beethoven," said Scrope.
Nor did he attach sufficient importance to Lady Sunderbund's
disposition to invite Positivists, members of the Brotherhood
Church, leaders among the Christian Scientists, old followers of
the Rev. Charles Voysey, Swedenborgians, Moslem converts, Indian
Theosophists, psychic phenomena and so forth, to meet him.
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