| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Woman and Labour by Olive Schreiner: noblest picture of the labouring woman to be found in any literature is
contained in the Jewish writings, indited possibly at the very time when
the labouring woman was for the first time tending among a section of the
Jews to become a thing of the past; when already Solomon, with his seven
hundred parasitic wives and three hundred parasitic concubines, loomed
large on the horizon of the national life, to take the place of flock-
tending Rachel and gleaning Ruth, and to produce amid their palaces of
cedar and gold, among them all, no Joseph or David, but in the way of
descendant only a Rehoboam, under whose hand the kingdom was to totter to
its fall. (The picture of the labouring as opposed to the parasitic ideal
of womanhood appears under the heading, "The words of King Lemuel; the
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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 Wrong Box by Stevenson & Osbourne: more! I have so few friends,' he added.
'I thought it was considered such a bad account of a young man to
have no friends,' observed Julia.
'O, but I have crowds of FRIENDS!' cried Gideon. 'That's not what
I mean. I feel the moment is ill chosen; but O, Julia, if you
could only see yourself!'
'Mr Forsyth--'
'Don't call me by that beastly name!' cried the youth. 'Call me
Gideon!'
'O, never that,' from Julia. 'Besides, we have known each other
such a short time.'
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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 The Hated Son by Honore de Balzac: at that moment than ever before. She answered that every hour made him
dearer to her. She found in the training of his soul, and in the
culture of his mind, pleasures akin to those she had tasted in feeding
him with her milk. She put all her pride and self-love into making him
superior to herself, and not in ruling him. Hearts without tenderness
covet dominion, but a true love treasures abnegation, that virtue of
strength. When Etienne could not at first comprehend a demonstration,
a theme, a theory, the poor mother, who was present at the lessons,
seemed to long to infuse knowledge, as formerly she had given
nourishment at the child's least cry. And then, what joy suffused her
eyes when Etienne's mind seized the true sense of things and
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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 Emma by Jane Austen: to another?--How could he tell what mischief he might be doing?--
How could he tell that he might not be making me in love with him?--
very wrong, very wrong indeed."
"From something that he said, my dear Emma, I rather imagine--"
"And how could she bear such behaviour! Composure with a witness!
to look on, while repeated attentions were offering to another woman,
before her face, and not resent it.--That is a degree of placidity,
which I can neither comprehend nor respect."
"There were misunderstandings between them, Emma; he said
so expressly. He had not time to enter into much explanation.
He was here only a quarter of an hour, and in a state of agitation
Emma |
