| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Herland by Charlotte Gilman: Comfort and Love--with God." I had never been so eloquent on
the subject of religion. She could be horrified at Damnation,
and question the justice of Salvation, but Immortality--that was
surely a noble faith.
"Why, Van," she said, holding out her hands to me. "Why
Van--darling! How splendid of you to feel it so keenly. That's
what we all want, of course--Peace and Beauty, and Comfort
and Love--with God! And Progress too, remember; Growth, always
and always. That is what our religion teaches us to want
and to work for, and we do!"
"But that is HERE, I said, "only for this life on earth."
Herland |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Plutarch's Lives by A. H. Clough: violence and avarice of their governors, and suffered as much
oppression as if they had been slaves and captives of war,
Brutus, by his easy government, actually made them amends for
their calamities under former rulers, directing moreover all
their gratitude for his good deeds to Caesar himself; insomuch
that it was a most welcome and pleasant spectacle to Caesar,
when in his return he passed through Italy, to see the cities
that were under Brutus's command and Brutus himself increasing
his honor and joining agreeably in his progress.
Now several praetorships being vacant, it was all men's opinion,
that that of the chiefest dignity, which is called the
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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 Amy Foster by Joseph Conrad: would say in the accents of overwhelming convic-
tion.
"He was called Yanko. He had explained that
this meant little John; but as he would also repeat
very often that he was a mountaineer (some word
sounding in the dialect of his country like Goorall)
he got it for his surname. And this is the only
trace of him that the succeeding ages may find in
the marriage register of the parish. There it
stands--Yanko Goorall--in the rector's handwrit-
ing. The crooked cross made by the castaway, a
Amy Foster |
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 Mountains by Stewart Edward White: of here, you will stick right home where common
sense flourishes, my son!"
Then after a time you do get out, and are thankful.
But in three months you will have proved in
your own experience the following axiom--I should
call it the widest truth the wilderness has to teach:--
"In memory the pleasures of a camping trip
strengthen with time, and the disagreeables weaken."
I don't care how hard an experience you have had,
nor how little of the pleasant has been mingled with
it, in three months your general impression of that
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