| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Gambara by Honore de Balzac: musician has here placed himself in a situation of great difficulty,
and has surmounted it in the loveliest number of the whole opera. How
charming is the melody of the /cavatina 'Grace pour toi!'/ All the
women present understood it well; each saw herself seized and snatched
away on the stage. That part alone would suffice to make the fortune
of the opera. Every woman felt herself engaged in a struggle with some
violent lover. Never was music so passionate and so dramatic.
"The whole world now rises in arms against the reprobate. This
/finale/ may be criticised for its resemblance to that of /Don
Giovanni/; but there is this immense difference: in Isabella we have
the expression of the noblest faith, a true love that will save
Gambara |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Miracle Mongers and Their Methods by Harry Houdini: to swallowing the customary swords
and sabers she introduced such novelties as a
specially constructed razor, with a blade five
or six times the usual length, a pair of scissors
of unusual size, a saw which is 2 1/2 inches wide
at the broadest point, with ugly looking teeth,
although somewhat rounded at the points, and
several other items quite unknown to the bill-
of-fare of ordinary mortals. A set of ten thin
blades slip easily down her throat and are
removed one at a time.
Miracle Mongers and Their Methods |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Pathology of Lying, Etc. by William and Mary Healy: proper colonization. The epileptic, in default of cure of his
disease, is ever going to be prone to many peculiar mental states
which may involve pathological lying. The slight mental
confusion of chorea, which may lead to false accusation, as we
have seen in Case 23, is one of the most curable of all abnormal
mental states. With proper attention to diagnosis and treatment,
favorable outcome of cases of hysteria, such as that in Case 24,
is frequently seen. Another type which cannot be handled except
by permanent segregation is the thoroughly aberrational and
socially dangerous class represented by Case 25, however one
designates the type. Much more, undoubtedly, can be done for
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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 Lady Baltimore by Owen Wister: remain quiet in her cabin; and she kept her word.
Quite suddenly, as the launch was speeding me toward Kings Port, I
exclaimed aloud: "The cake!"
And, I thought, the cake was now settled forever.
XXII: Behind the Times
It was my lot to attend but one of the weddings which Hortense
precipitated (or at least determined) by her plunge into the water; and,
truth to say, the honor of my presence at the other was not requested;
therefore I am unable to describe the nuptials of Hortense and Charley.
But the papers were full of them; what the female guests wore, what the
male guests were worth, and what both ate and drank, were set forth in
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