| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Cousin Pons by Honore de Balzac: of the mysterious complaints which the mind brings upon the body.
A single symptom will throw light upon this case of nostalgia (as it
were) produced by breaking away from an old habit; in itself it is
trifling, one of the myriad nothings which are as rings in a coat of
chain-mail enveloping the soul in a network of iron. One of the
keenest pleasures of Pons' old life, one of the joys of the dinner-
table parasite at all times, was the "surprise," the thrill produced
by the extra dainty dish added triumphantly to the bill of fare by the
mistress of a bourgeois house, to give a festal air to the dinner.
Pons' stomach hankered after that gastronomical satisfaction. Mme.
Cibot, in the pride of her heart, enumerated every dish beforehand; a
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from On Horsemanship by Xenophon: with solitude, whilst associating food and drink and escape from
sources of irritation with the presence of man. As the result of this
treatment, necessarily the young horse will acquire--not fondness
merely, but an absolute craving for human beings. A good deal can be
done by touching, stroking, patting those parts of the body which the
creature likes to have so handled. These are the hairiest parts, or
where, if there is anything annoying him, the horse can least of all
apply relief himself.
[1] Or, "The training of the colt is a topic which, as it seems to us,
may fairly be omitted, since those appointed for cavalry service
in these states are persons who," etc. For reading see Courier,
On Horsemanship |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Fisherman's Luck by Henry van Dyke: because we have happened to see it tremble, we call our experience a
crisis.
The meditative angler is not exempt from these sensational periods.
There are times when all the uncertainty of his chosen pursuit seems
to condense itself into one big chance, and stand out before him
like a salmon on the top wave of a rapid. He sees that his luck
hangs by a single strand, and he cannot tell whether it will hold or
break. This is his thrilling moment, and he never forgets it.
Mine came to me in the autumn of 1894, on the banks of the
Unpronounceable River, in the Province of Quebec. It was the last
day, of the open season for ouananiche, and we had set our hearts on
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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 Pivot of Civilization by Margaret Sanger: lies the unbalance, the great biological menace to the future of
civilization. Are we heading to biological destruction, toward the
gradual but certain attack upon the stocks of intelligence and racial
health by the sinister forces of the hordes of irresponsibility and
imbecility? This is not such a remote danger as the optimistic
Eugenist might suppose. The mating of the moron with a person of
sound stock may, as Dr. Tredgold points out, gradually disseminate
this trait far and wide until it undermines the vigor and efficiency
of an entire nation and an entire race. This is no idle fancy. We
must take it into account if we wish to escape the fate that has
befallen so many civilizations in the past.
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