| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu by Sax Rohmer: I dared not think what was about to happen, nor what its effects
might be upon Lord Southery in his exhausted condition.
Through the Memphian dark of the tomb cut a spear of light,
touching the last stone of the stairway.
A guttural voice spoke some words rapidly, and I knew that Dr. Fu-Manchu
stood at the head of the stairs. Although I could not see my friend,
I became aware that Nayland Smith had his revolver in his hand,
and I reached into my pocket for mine.
At last the cunning Chinaman was about to fall into a trap.
It would require all his genius, I thought, to save him to-night.
Unless his suspicions were aroused by the unlocked door,
The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Faraday as a Discoverer by John Tyndall: into physics; and in 1826 we find him engaged in investigating the
limits of vaporization, and showing, by exceedingly strong and
apparently conclusive arguments, that even in the case of mercury
such a limit exists; much more he conceived it to be certain that
our atmosphere does not contain the vapour of the fixed constituents
of the earth's crust. This question, I may say, is likely to remain
an open one. Dr. Rankine, for example, has lately drawn attention
to the odour of certain metals; whence comes this odour, if it be
not from the vapour of the metal?
In 1825 Faraday became a member of a committee, to which Sir John
Herschel and Mr. Dollond also belonged, appointed by the Royal Society
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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 The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie: whether or not to speak. With his tenderness for "a woman's
happiness," I felt glad that the decision had been taken out of
his hands.
"Even now," I said, "I can hardly believe it. You see, up to the
very last minute, I thought it was Lawrence!"
Poirot grinned.
"I know you did."
"But John! My old friend John!"
"Every murderer is probably somebody's old friend," observed
Poirot philosophically. "You cannot mix up sentiment and
reason."
The Mysterious Affair at Styles |
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 Essays & Lectures by Oscar Wilde: field of death to the home of the goddess of Wisdom, not merely he
who first reached the goal but he also who first started with the
torch aflame received a prize. In the Lampadephoria of
civilisation and free thought let us not forget to render due meed
of honour to those who first lit that sacred flame, the increasing
splendour of which lights our footsteps to the far-off divine event
of the attainment of perfect truth.
THE ENGLISH RENAISSANCE OF ART
AMONG the many debts which we owe to the supreme aesthetic faculty
of Goethe is that he was the first to teach us to define beauty in
terms the most concrete possible, to realise it, I mean, always in
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