| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Lady Baltimore by Owen Wister: deliberate as always.
"Mr. Bohm knew it would be," said Kitty. "He said it wouldn't take five
minutes' talk from Charley to get a contract worth double what they were
going to accept."
After this, nothing came to me for several minutes, save the odor of the
cigarettes.
Of course there was now but one proper course for me, namely, to utter a
discreet cough, and thus warn them that some one was within earshot. But
I didn't! I couldn't! Strength failed, curiosity won, my baser nature
triumphed here, and I deliberately remained lying quiet and hidden. It
was the act of no gentleman, you will say. Well, it was; and I must
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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 Koran: therein have ye good; so mention the name of God over them as they
stand in a row, and when they fall down (dead) eat of them, and feed
the easily contented and him who begs.
Thus have we subjected them to you; haply, ye may give thanks!
Their meat will never reach to God, nor yet their blood, but the
piety from you will reach to Him.
Thus hath He subjected them to you that ye may magnify God for
guiding you: and give thou glad tidings to those who do good.
Verily, God will defend those who believe; verily, God loves not any
misbelieving traitor.
Permission is given to those who fight because they have been
The Koran |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Perfect Wagnerite: A Commentary on the Niblung's Ring by George Bernard Shaw: vengeance. Brynhild, it appears, has enchanted Siegfried in such
a fashion that no weapon can hurt him. She has, however, omitted
to protect his back, since it is impossible that he should ever
turn that to a foe. They agree accordingly that on the morrow a
great hunt shall take place, at which Hagen shall thrust his
spear into the hero's vulnerable back. The blame is to be laid on
the tusk of a wild boar. Gunther, being a fool, is remorseful
about his oath of blood-brotherhood and about his sister's
bereavement, without having the strength of mind to prevent the
murder. The three burst into a herculean trio, similar in
conception to that of the three conspirators in Un Ballo in
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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 Varieties of Religious Experience by William James: them more useful to others. But she knows that in despising the
dignity of their rank for the pure love of God they would do more
good in a single day than they would effect in ten years by
preserving it. . . . She laughs at herself that there should
ever have been a time in her life when she made any case of
money, when she ever desired it. . . . Oh! if human beings might
only agree together to regard it as so much useless mud, what
harmony would then reign in the world! With what friendship we
would all treat each other if our interest in honor and in money
could but disappear from earth! For my own part, I feel as if it
would be a remedy for all our ills."[262]
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