| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum: "I'll transform you all into scorpions!" cried the King, angrily, and
began waving his arms and muttering magic words.
But none of the people became scorpions, so the King stopped and
looked at them in surprise.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Why, you are not wearing your magic belt," replied the Chief Steward,
after looking the King over carefully. "Where is it? What have you
done with it?"
The Nome King clapped his hand to his waist, and his rock colored face
turned white as chalk.
"It's gone," he cried, helplessly. "It's gone, and I am ruined!"
Ozma of Oz |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The New Machiavelli by H. G. Wells: indicating the table generally, "champagne. Champagne. Keep it
going."
"M'lord," and Thompson marshalled his assistants.
Some man I didn't know began to remember things about Mandalay.
"It's queer," he said, "how people break out at times;" and told his
story of an army doctor, brave, public-spirited, and, as it
happened, deeply religious, who was caught one evening by the
excitement of plundering--and stole and hid, twisted the wrist of a
boy until it broke, and was afterwards overcome by wild remorse.
I watched Evesham listening intently. "Strange," he said, "very
strange. We are such stuff as thieves are made of. And in China,
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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 My Antonia by Willa Cather: smooth and stuck his pin through it. He turned back his shirt
at the neck and rolled up his sleeves.'
`I don't see how he could do it!' grandmother kept saying.
Otto misunderstood her. `Why, ma'am, it was simple enough;
he pulled the trigger with his big toe. He layed over
on his side and put the end of the barrel in his mouth,
then he drew up one foot and felt for the trigger.
He found it all right!'
`Maybe he did,' said Jake grimly. `There's something mighty
queer about it.'
`Now what do you mean, Jake?' grandmother asked sharply.
My Antonia |
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 Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum: There they thrust him within a deep cavern and rolled many huge rocks
against the entrance to prevent his escape.
Deprived thus of light and food, and with little air to breathe, our
Claus was, indeed, in a pitiful plight. But he spoke the mystic words
of the Fairies, which always command their friendly aid, and they came
to his rescue and transported him to the Laughing Valley in the
twinkling of an eye.
Thus the Awgwas discovered they might not destroy one who had earned
the friendship of the immortals; so the evil band sought other means
of keeping Claus from bringing happiness to children and so making
them obedient.
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus |
