| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Master of Ballantrae by Robert Louis Stevenson: come by any copy; but some of them which were the most appropriate
to our departure linger in my memory. One verse began -
Home was home then, my dear, full of kindly faces,
Home was home then, my dear, happy for the child.
And ended somewhat thus -
Now, when day dawns on the brow of the moorland,
Lone stands the house, and the chimney-stone is cold.
Lone let it stand, now the folks are all departed,
The kind hearts, the true hearts, that loved the place of old.
I could never be a judge of the merit of these verses; they were so
hallowed by the melancholy of the air, and were sung (or rather
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Moral Emblems by Robert Louis Stevenson: Some like drink
In a pint pot,
Some like to think;
Some not.
Strong Dutch cheese,
Old Kentucky rye,
Some like these;
Not I.
Some like Poe,
And others like Scott,
Some like Mrs. Stowe;
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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 An Unsocial Socialist by George Bernard Shaw: "I shall not trouble you now. Come, girls."
The three went out; and Miss Wylie, left behind in disgrace, made
a surpassing grimace at Miss Lindsay, who glanced back at her.
When she was alone, her vivacity subsided. She went slowly to the
window, and gazed disparagingly at the landscape. Once, when a
sound of voices above reached her, her eyes brightened, and her
ready lip moved; but the next silent moment she relapsed into
moody indifference, which was not relieved until her two
companions, looking very serious, re-entered.
"Well," she said gaily, "has moral force been applied? Are you
going to the Recording Angel?"
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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 Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle: Quoth Robin Hood, "That is the sweetest shot that hath been sped
this day; but, nevertheless, friend Tepus, thy cake is burned, methinks.
Little John, it is thy turn next."
So Little John took his place as bidden, and shot his three arrows quickly.
He never lowered his bow arm in all the shooting, but fitted each shaft
with his longbow raised; yet all three of his arrows smote the center
within easy distance of the black. At this no sound of shouting was heard,
for, although it was the best shooting that had been done that day,
the folk of London Town did not like to see the stout Tepus overcome
by a fellow from the countryside, even were he as famous as Little John.
And now stout Gilbert of the White Hand took his place and shot
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood |
