| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Heroes by Charles Kingsley: and wept a long while for his grandfather. At last he rose,
and called to all the people aloud, and said -
'The Gods are true, and what they have ordained must be. I
am Perseus, the grandson of this dead man, the far-famed
slayer of the Gorgon.'
Then he told them how the prophecy had declared that he
should kill his grandfather, and all the story of his life.
So they made a great mourning for Acrisius, and burnt him on
a right rich pile; and Perseus went to the temple, and was
purified from the guilt of the death, because he had done it
unknowingly.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Lamentable Tragedy of Locrine and Mucedorus by William Shakespeare: cloth.
MUCEDORUS.
Thou describest him well, but if I chance to see any
such, pray you, where shall I find you, or what's your
name?
MOUSE.
My name is called master mouse.
MUCEDORUS.
Oh, master mouse, I pray you what office might you
bear in the court?
MOUSE.
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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 Z. Marcas by Honore de Balzac: The ink in the inkstand was always in the state of lava congealed in
the crater of a volcano. May not any inkstand nowadays become a
Vesuvius? The pens, all twisted, served to clean the stems of our
pipes; and, in opposition to all the laws of credit, paper was even
scarcer than coin.
How can young men be expected to stay at home in such furnished
lodgings? The students studied in the cafes, the theatre, the
Luxembourg gardens, in /grisettes'/ rooms, even in the law schools--
anywhere rather than in their horrible rooms--horrible for purposes of
study, delightful as soon as they were used for gossiping and smoking
in. Put a cloth on the table, and the impromptu dinner sent in from
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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 Scarecrow of Oz by L. Frank Baum: "Who, me?" exclaimed the creature in a shrill, high-
pitched voice. "Why, I'm an Ork."
"Oh!" said the girl. "But what is an Ork?"
"I am," he repeated, a little proudly, as he shook
the water from his funny wings; "and if ever an Ork was
glad to be out of the water and on dry land again, you
can be mighty sure that I'm that especial, individual
Ork!"
"Have you been in the water long?" inquired Cap'n
Bill, thinking it only polite to show an interest in
the strange creature.
The Scarecrow of Oz |
