| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Polity of Athenians and Lacedaemonians by Xenophon: which it was first established; whereas other constitutions will be
found either to have been already modified or else to be still
undergoing modifications at this moment.
[1] Or, "magistracy"; the word {arkhe} at once signifies rule and
governmental office.
Lycurgus laid it down as law that the king shall offer in behalf of
the state all public sacrifices, as being himself of divine
descent,[2] and whithersoever the state shall despatch her armies the
king shall take the lead. He granted him to receive honorary gifts of
the things offered in sacrifice, and he appointed him choice land in
many of the provincial cities, enough to satisfy moderate needs
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Lost Princess of Oz by L. Frank Baum: three girls, who made their beds on the floor with the blankets they
had brought in the Red Wagon. The Wizard and Button-Bright also slept
out of doors, and so did the Cowardly Lion and Hank the Mule. But
Scraps and the Sawhorse did not sleep at all, and the Woozy could stay
awake for a month at a time if he wished to, so these three sat in a
little group by themselves and talked together all through the night.
In the darkness, the Cowardly Lion felt a shaggy little form nestling
beside his own, and he said sleepily, "Where did you come from, Toto?"
"From home," said the dog. "If you roll over, roll the other way so
you won't smash me."
"Does Dorothy know you are here?" asked the Lion.
The Lost Princess of Oz |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson by Robert Louis Stevenson: for you have seemingly not yet sent me one. Still, I live on
promises: waiting for Penn, for H. James's HAWTHORNE, for my
BURNS, etc.; and now, to make matters worse, pending your
CENTURIES, etc., I do earnestly desire the best book about
mythology (if it be German, so much the worse; send a bunctionary
along with it, and pray for me). This is why. If I recover, I
feel called on to write a volume of gods and demi-gods in exile:
Pan, Jove, Cybele, Venus, Charon, etc.; and though I should like to
take them very free, I should like to know a little about 'em to
begin with. For two days, till last night, I had no night sweats,
and my cough is almost gone, and I digest well; so all looks
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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 The White Moll by Frank L. Packard: And so, if she were weary, what did it matter? It was only until
morning. Danglar was at the Silver Sphinx now with the man he meant
that she should help him murder, only - only that plan would fail,
because there would be no "Bertha" to lure the man to his death, and
she, Rhoda Gray, had only to keep track of Danglar until somewhere,
where he lived perhaps, she should have that final scene, that final
reckoning with him alone.
It was a long way to the Silver Sphinx, which she knew, as every one
in the underworld, and every one in New York who was addicted to
slumming knew, was a combination dance-hall and restaurant in the
Chatham Square district. She tried to find a taxi, but with out
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