| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from On the Duty of Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau: at the present crisis?
"A drab of stat,
a cloth-o'-silver slut,
To have her train borne up,
and her soul trail in the dirt."
Practically speaking, the opponents to a reform in
Massachusetts are not a hundred thousand politicians at the
South, but a hundred thousand merchants and farmers here,
who are more interested in commerce and agriculture than
they are in humanity, and are not prepared to do justice to
the slave and to Mexico, cost what it may. I quarrel not
On the Duty of Civil Disobedience |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Chinese Boy and Girl by Isaac Taylor Headland: to take charge of his troops, and her brothers too young, she
dressed herself in boy's clothing, enrolled herself in the army,
mounted her father's trusty steed, and led his soldiers to
battle, thus bringing honor to herself and renown upon her
family.
We have already seen how diligent some of the ancient worthies
were in their study. This, however, is not universal, for we are
told the mother of Liu Kung-cho, in order to stimulate her son to
study took pills made of bear's gall and bitter herbs, to show
her sympathy with her boy and lead him to feel that she was
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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 Flower Fables by Louisa May Alcott: some laying cushions of violet leaves in the boat, others folding the
Queen's veil and mantle more closely round her, lest the falling dews
should chill her.
The cool waves' gentle plashing against the boat, and the sweet chime
of the lily-bells, lulled little Eva to sleep, and when she woke
it was in Fairy-Land. A faint, rosy light, as of the setting sun,
shone on the white pillars of the Queen's palace as they passed in,
and the sleeping flowers leaned gracefully on their stems, dreaming
beneath their soft green curtains. All was cool and still, and the
Elves glided silently about, lest they should break their slumbers.
They led Eva to a bed of pure white leaves, above which drooped
Flower Fables |
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 Pellucidar by Edgar Rice Burroughs: and I made the old fellow, who had had the good sense
to surrender, king of Luana, for both the old chief and
his only son had died in the battle.
When I sailed away from Luana she was included
among the kingdoms of the empire, whose boundaries
were thus pushed eastward several hundred miles.
We now returned to Anoroc and thence to the main-
land, where I again took up the campaign against the
Mahars, marching from one great buried city to another
until we had passed far north of Amoz into a country
where I had never been. At each city we were vic-
Pellucidar |
