| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Glinda of Oz by L. Frank Baum: "We are the three Adepts," admitted Aujah.
"Then," said Glinda, "my task is half accomplished.
But who destroyed the transformation that made you
fishes?"
"We have promised not to tell," answered Aurah; "but
this young Skeezer was largely responsible for our
release; he is brave and clever, and we owe him our
gratitude."
Glinda looked at Ervic, who stood modestly behind the
Adepts, hat in hand. "He shall be properly rewarded,"
she declared, "for in helping you he has helped us all,
Glinda of Oz |
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 Perfect Wagnerite: A Commentary on the Niblung's Ring by George Bernard Shaw: nightmare music and thunder and lightning music, the profusion of
simple melody, the sensuous charm of the orchestration: in short,
the vast extent of common ground between The Ring and the
ordinary music we use for play and pleasure. Hence it is that the
four separate music-plays of which it is built have become
popular throughout Europe as operas. We shall presently see that
one of them, Night Falls On The Gods, actually is an opera.
It is generally understood, however, that there is an inner ring
of superior persons to whom the whole work has a most urgent and
searching philosophic and social significance. I profess to be
such a superior person; and I write this pamphlet for the
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