| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Economist by Xenophon: discover why, when you put to me that question a while back: "Had I,
in brief, the knowledge how to plant?" I answered, "No." Till then it
never would have struck me that I could say at all how planting must
be done. But no sooner do you begin to question me on each particular
point than I can answer you; and what is more, my answers are, you
tell me, accordant with the views of an authority[23] at once so
skilful and so celebrated as yourself. Really, Ischomachus, I am
disposed to ask: "Does teaching consist in putting questions?"[24]
Indeed, the secret of your system has just this instant dawned upon
me. I seem to see the principle in which you put your questions. You
lead me through the field of my own knowledge,[25] and then by
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Confidence by Henry James: of their going, and he declared to himself that one of the party,
at least, had been unkind and ungracious in not giving him a chance
to say good-bye. He took refuge by anticipation, as it were,
in this reflection, whenever, for the next three or four days,
he foresaw himself stopping short, as he had done before,
and asking himself whether he had done an injury to Angela Vivian.
This was an idle and unpractical question, inasmuch as the answer
was not forthcoming; whereas it was quite simple and conclusive
to say, without the note of interrogation, that she was,
in spite of many attractive points, an abrupt and capricious
young woman. During the three or four days in question,
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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 Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey: riders. Venters grew concerned over the possibility that these
horsemen would actually ride down on him before he had a chance
to tell what to expect. When they were within three hundred yards
he deliberately led Wrangle out into the trail.
Then he heard shouts, and the hard scrape of sliding hoofs, and
saw horses rear and plunge back with up-flung heads and flying
manes. Several little white puffs of smoke appeared sharply
against the black background of riders and horses, and shots rang
out. Bullets struck far in front of Venters, and whipped up the
dust and then hummed low into the sage. The range was great for
revolvers, but whether the shots were meant to kill or merely to
Riders of the Purple Sage |
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 Criminal Sociology by Enrico Ferri: prisoners in 1870-74 had been sentenced in these proportions:--
For crimes and offences against the person ... 12.1 per cent.
'' '' '' morality ... 5.7 ''
'' incendiarism... ... ... ... ... ... ... 4.3 ''
'' theft ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 65.5 ''
'' swindling ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 5.4 ''
'' forgery ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 1.9 ''
'' vagrancy ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 4.6 ''
The judicial statistics of France and Italy give these
proportions:--
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