The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from First Inaugural Address by Abraham Lincoln: to compose a new Union, as to produce harmony only,
and prevent renewed secession?
Plainly, the central idea of secession is the essence of anarchy.
A majority held in restraint by constitutional checks and limitations,
and always changing easily with deliberate changes of popular
opinions and sentiments, is the only true sovereign of a free people.
Whoever rejects it does, of necessity, fly to anarchy or to despotism.
Unanimity is impossible; the rule of a minority, as a permanent arrangement,
is wholly inadmissible; so that, rejecting the majority principle,
anarchy or despotism in some form is all that is left.
I do not forget the position, assumed by some, that Constitutional
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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 Enemies of Books by William Blades: as waste paper all the Protestant and Liberal Catholic newspapers,
pamphlets and books, the price of which is offered to the Pope as
`Deniers de St. Pierre.' Of course, this Society is very little known
among Protestants, and many have denied even its existence; but I have been
fortunate enough to obtain a printed circular issued by one of the Bishops
containing statistics of the astounding mass of paper thus collected.
producing in one district alone the sum of L1,200 in three months. I need
not tell you that this work is strongly promoted by the Catholic clergy.
You can have no idea of the difficulty we now have in procuring certain
books published but 30, 40, or 50 years ago of an ephemeral character.
Historical and theological books are very rare; novels and poetry of that
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