| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Lysis by Plato: But, oh! will you tell me, I said, whether if evil were to perish, we
should hunger any more, or thirst any more, or have any similar desire? Or
may we suppose that hunger will remain while men and animals remain, but
not so as to be hurtful? And the same of thirst and the other desires,--
that they will remain, but will not be evil because evil has perished? Or
rather shall I say, that to ask what either will be then or will not be is
ridiculous, for who knows? This we do know, that in our present condition
hunger may injure us, and may also benefit us:--Is not that true?
Yes.
And in like manner thirst or any similar desire may sometimes be a good and
sometimes an evil to us, and sometimes neither one nor the other?
Lysis |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Wrecker by Stevenson & Osbourne: gentlemen might bring the album down."
"I should like to see his exchanges too," I cried, rising to the
occasion. "I may have some of mine in my pocket-book and we
might trade."
Half an hour later Mr. Denman arrived himself with a most
unconscionable volume under his arm. "Ah, sir," he cried,
"when I 'eard you was a collector, I dropped all. It's a saying of
mine, Mr. Dodsley, that collecting stamps makes all collectors
kin. It's a bond, sir; it creates a bond."
Upon the truth of this, I cannot say; but there is no doubt that
the attempt to pass yourself off for a collector falsely creates a
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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 Fanny Herself by Edna Ferber: In twelve it was shamelessly naked, its arms and legs
sticking out of its inadequate garments. New red brick
buildings--another--another. Five stories added to this
one, six stories to that, a new fifteen story merchandise
building.
The firm began to talk in tens of millions. Its stock
became gilt-edged, unattainable. Lucky ones who had bought
of it diffidently, discreetly, with modest visions of four
and a half per cent in their unimaginative minds, saw their
dividends doubling, trebling, quadrupling, finally soaring
gymnastically beyond all reason. Listen to the old guide
Fanny Herself |
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 Polly of the Circus by Margaret Mayo: "Yes, I'm well now and able to work again." There was no
enthusiasm in her tone, for Hasty's news had made her realise how
unwelcome the old life would be to her.
"Work! You does work all de time. My stars! de help you is to
Massa John."
"Do you think so? Do I help him?-- Do I?"
"Of course you does. You tells him things to do in Sunday-school
what the chillun like, an' you learns him to laugh and 'joy
himself, an' a lot of things what nobody else could a-learned
'im."
"You mustn't say 'learned him,' " Polly corrected; "you must say
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