| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Tapestried Chamber by Walter Scott: abrupt answer, "No, my lord; I am sorry I cannot have the
opportunity of spending another day with your lordship; my post
horses are ordered, and will be here directly."
All who were present showed surprise, and Lord Woodville
immediately replied "Post horses, my good friend! What can you
possibly want with them when you promised to stay with me quietly
for at least a week?"
"I believe," said the General, obviously much embarrassed, "that
I might, in the pleasure of my first meeting with your lordship,
have said something about stopping here a few days; but I have
since found it altogether impossible."
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Beauty and The Beast by Bayard Taylor: to the speaker's voice, as if its sound alone could give her
strength to sit still and listen further.
"Deserted by his friends, unable to stay his feet on the evil
path," he continued, "the young man left his home and went to a
city in another State. But here it was easier to find associates
in evil than tender hearts that might help him back to good. He
was tired of life, and the hope of a speedier death hardened him in
his courses. But, my friends, Death never comes to those who
wickedly seek him. The Lord withholds destruction from the hands
that are madly outstretched to grasp it, and forces His pity and
forgiveness on the unwilling soul. Finding that it was the
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