| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis: There was more, a great deal more, in the best urban journalistic style of
Miss Elnora Pearl Bates, the popular society editor of the Advocate-Times. But
Babbitt could not abide it. He grunted. He wrinkled the newspaper. He
protested: "Can you beat it! I'm willing to hand a lot of credit to Charley
McKelvey. When we were in college together, he was just as hard up as any of
us, and he's made a million good bucks out of contracting and hasn't been any
dishonester or bought any more city councils than was necessary. And that's a
good house of his--though it ain't any 'mighty stone walls' and it ain't worth
the ninety thousand it cost him. But when it comes to talking as though
Charley McKelvey and all that booze-hoisting set of his are any blooming bunch
of of, of Vanderbilts, why, it makes me tired!"
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia by Samuel Johnson: hospitality with great exactness to those who put themselves into
his power, and in a few days brought Pekuah, with her maids, by
easy journeys, to the place appointed, where, receiving the
stipulated price, he restored her, with great respect, to liberty
and her friends, and undertook to conduct them back towards Cairo
beyond all danger of robbery or violence.
The Princess and her favourite embraced each other with transport
too violent to be expressed, and went out together to pour the
tears of tenderness in secret, and exchange professions of kindness
and gratitude. After a few hours they returned into the refectory
of the convent, where, in the presence of the prior and his
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Menexenus by Plato: Plato's life. Nor must we forget that in all his numerous citations from
the Platonic writings he never attributes any passage found in the extant
dialogues to any one but Plato. And lastly, we may remark that one or two
great writings, such as the Parmenides and the Politicus, which are wholly
devoid of Aristotelian (1) credentials may be fairly attributed to Plato,
on the ground of (2) length, (3) excellence, and (4) accordance with the
general spirit of his writings. Indeed the greater part of the evidence
for the genuineness of ancient Greek authors may be summed up under two
heads only: (1) excellence; and (2) uniformity of tradition--a kind of
evidence, which though in many cases sufficient, is of inferior value.
Proceeding upon these principles we appear to arrive at the conclusion that
|
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 An Inland Voyage by Robert Louis Stevenson: The struggle had tired me; and perhaps, whether I knew it or not, I
was a little dashed in spirit. The devouring element in the
universe had leaped out against me, in this green valley quickened
by a running stream. The bells were all very pretty in their way,
but I had heard some of the hollow notes of Pan's music. Would the
wicked river drag me down by the heels, indeed? and look so
beautiful all the time? Nature's good-humour was only skin-deep
after all.
There was still a long way to go by the winding course of the
stream, and darkness had fallen, and a late bell was ringing in
Origny Sainte-Benoite, when we arrived.
|
