dine or _water_-sprite, which inhabited rivers and
streams, of Sylphs which were said to dwell in the mists above moat and
moor, as air spirits, but not much was said of the Salamanders, as they
are, fire spirits, and therefore not so easily detected, or so readily
accessible to the majority of people.

The old folk stories are now regarded as superstitions, but as a matter of
fact, one endowed with etheric vision may yet perceive the little gnomes
building green chlorophyll into the leaves of plants and giving to flowers
the multiplicity of delicate tints which delight our eyes.

Scientists have attempted time and again to offer an adequate explanation
of the phenomenon of wind and storm but have failed signally, nor can they
succeed while they seek a mechanical solution to what is really a
manifestation of life. Could they see the hosts of sylphs winging their
way hither and thither, they would _know_ who and what is responsible for
the fickleness of the wind; could they watch a storm at sea from the
etheric view-point they would perceive that the saying "the war of the
elements" is not an empty phrase, for the heaving sea is truly then a
battlefield of sylphs and undines and the howling tempest is the war cry
of spirits in the air.

Also the salamanders are found everywhere and no fire is lighted without
their help, but they are mostly active underground. They are responsible
for explosions and volcanic eruptions.

The classes of beings which we have mentioned are still sub-human, but
will all at some time reach a stage in evolution corresponding to the
human, though under different circumstances from those under which we
evolve. But at present the wonderful intelligences we speak of as the laws
of nature, marshall the armies of less evolved entities mentioned.

To arrive at a better understanding of what these various beings are, and
their relation to us, we may take an illustration: Let us suppose that a
mechanic is making an engine, and meanwhile a dog is watching him. It
_sees_ the man at his labor, and how he uses various tools to shape his
materials, also how, from the crude iron, steel, brass and other metals
the engine slowly takes shape. The dog is a being from a lower evolution
and does not comprehend the purpose of the mechanic but it _sees_ both the
workman, his labor and the result thereof, which manifests as an engine.

Let us now suppose that the dog were able to see the materials which
slowly cha