| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Father Damien by Robert Louis Stevenson: it in your letter, was not new to me. I had heard it once before;
and I must tell you how. There came to Samoa a man from Honolulu;
he, in a public-house on the beach, volunteered the statement that
Damien had "contracted the disease from having connection with the
female lepers"; and I find a joy in telling you how the report was
welcomed in a public-house. A man sprang to his feet; I am not at
liberty to give his name, but from what I heard I doubt if you
would care to have him to dinner in Beretania Street. "You
miserable little -------" (here is a word I dare not print, it
would so shock your ears). "You miserable little ------," he
cried, "if the story were a thousand times true, can't you see you
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from To-morrow by Joseph Conrad: It's all to-morrow, then, without any sort of to-day,
as far as I can see."
She remained still and mute.
"And you have been encouraging this funny
notion," he said.
"I never contradicted him."
"Why didn't you?"
"What for should I?" she defended herself.
"It would only have made him miserable. He
would have gone out of his mind."
"His mind!" he muttered, and heard a short
To-morrow |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from In the Cage by Henry James: She was finally able to turn back. "Oh quite. There's nothing
going on. No one comes but the Americans at Thrupp's, and they
don't do much. They don't seem to have a secret in the world."
"Then the extraordinary reason you've been giving me for holding on
there has ceased to work?"
She thought a moment. "Yes, that one. I've seen the thing
through--I've got them all in my pocket."
"So you're ready to come?"
For a little again she made no answer. "No, not yet, all the same.
I've still got a reason--a different one."
He looked her all over as if it might have been something she kept
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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 Intentions by Oscar Wilde: pass beyond the threshold of the Academe, so those who do not love
Beauty more than Truth never know the inmost shrine of Art. The
solid stolid British intellect lies in the desert sands like the
Sphinx in Flaubert's marvellous tale, and fantasy, LA CHIMERE,
dances round it, and calls to it with her false, flute-toned voice.
It may not hear her now, but surely some day, when we are all bored
to death with the commonplace character of modern fiction, it will
hearken to her and try to borrow her wings.
'And when that day dawns, or sunset reddens, how joyous we shall
all be! Facts will be regarded as discreditable, Truth will be
found mourning over her fetters, and Romance, with her temper of
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