Gentola—It also impresses me as being a very beautiful city. Through nearly all of the streets are canals spanned at intervals by handsome bridges, so ornamental, so apparently unsubstantial, that it seems surprising that they sustain the weight of the numerous vehicles and multitudes of people passing over them. The margins of the canals are lined with great palmlike trees, whose leaves are in incessant motion, and as the pretty, passenger laden and other boats glide along under their rustling branches they seem to be whispering to each other. And, dear me, see those lovely, lovely flowers, growing all along the margins of the Waterways, their rich, glossy green leaves and great snowy blooms trailing down the walls and onto the water, where they rest like enthroned Queens of the flower world. Yes, I perceive their aura, and how wonderful it is. Please take me nearer, so that I may see them more clearly. Genessano, you are a flower lover, will not you tell us something concerning these beauties?
RODEL. The National Flower.
Genessano—This is the rodel, the beauteous flower whose delicate perfume is considered far more exquisite than that of any other of the many fragrant blooms of Ento. With fervent prayers to Andûmana̤'s Messengers that, through loving deeds and duties fulfilled, its life may be made as beautiful as is the heart of the rodel, its unfolding buds are placed in the hands of the newly created infant. Bridal and other special ceremonies are graced by its peerless loveliness, and its snowy blooms cover from tear dimmed eyes the pallid faces of the beloved dead. Also it symbolizes Life and Death. In early morning its opening chalices turn their hearts toward Andûmana̤'s rising abode, their sweet fragrance ascending as an Offering to Him Who is the Source of all life. At close of day its white petals fold themselves over its golden heart and it sleeps the sleep of death, for it blooms but a day, ere its sweet life ends. Look into its heart and you will see a golden representation of the shining rays surrounding Andûmana̤'s glorious abode, hence it is regarded as a Divine Symbol, and in a sense it is idolized, or perhaps I should say reverenced as being possessed of Sacred qualities. Where nature has not provided suitable conditions for its growth it is artificially cultivated; besides, the matured buds are shipped all over the Planet, so that no occasion need lack the office of the Sacred flower.
Gentola—Many thanks for your interesting information. To me all flowers are more or less beautiful; these are especially so. What immense leaves and how oddly pretty their frilled edges are, and they stand up in a rim all around the—— Oh, my, Bernard, look at that droll little creature blinking at us from that large leaf. What is it, De L'Ester?
De L'Ester—If you should come across one of its kind on Earth probably you would call it a frog. Genessano may have another name for it. Brillo? That is rather a nice name for the comical looking creature. Ah, there it goes headforemost into the water, and now may be relating to its comrades its narrow escape from the clutches of some strange looking beings. Observe how substantially these canals are walled. The masonry is about six feet thick and impenetrable by water, and at intervals spaces are arranged for the growing of rodels and other plants of an aquatic nature. The Entoans, universally, are flower lovers; so, in your next Re-embodiment, you will find other inducements than grapes to tempt you to become an Entoan. We will ascend a little so that we may command a better view of the city. Yes, the scene is very attractive. The canals are alive with passing boats, and overhead are Transports coming or going.
You have observed the immense basin wherein a number of large river vessels await their turn to load or unload their freight. Those numerous small, heavily laden boats are the carriers to or distributors for the large vessels which, of course, could not navigate the canals. An admirable feature of Entoan cities is the absence of avoidable noises, haste and confusion. Always the people work in harmony, each respecting the rights of their neighbors, and all intent upon doing their duty, thus honoring their calling and themselves. Back of their harmonious relations with each other is the intelligent force of a Spiritually evolved people, expressing itself in elevated thoughts and aims, and in the beautiful in art, architecture, industry and thrift, which ever are the concomitants of properly adjusted social relations and of an intelligent sense of duty. The Entoans consider idleness so utterly at variance with right conduct as to be disgraceful and not at all permissible, save in cases of disability. Although they never have heard that Satan finds mischief for idle hands to do, they have learned that idleness is the begetter of all manner of social corruption, so, sternly it is frowned out of Ento's code of ethics. What is known on our planet as the social evil, which, indeed, is a condition of undevelopment on a level with mere animalism, long, long ago, through their ever increasing Spirituality and consequent refinement, was, by the Entoans, outgrown. Even by persons least observant of social niceties, strictest chastity is practiced. Yes, Ento's religion demands chaste conduct; but, aside from that, the Entoans have evolved beyond mere animalism. Idleness is a vestige of barbarism, and inevitably it begets vicious tendencies and vicious abuses of natural functions; hence it is all important that the law-makers of a people shall not only recognize the importance of this fact, but that also they shall in themselves furnish fine examples of honesty, industry, chastity and temperate living, which, alas, generally they do not. Our acquaintance with the peoples of various Planets affords us wide opportunities for observation of their modes of thought and habits, and wherever we have found degradation of the sacred function of procreation, we have found a corresponding lack of Spirituality, and of all ideals constituting the basis of true civilization, which invariably is the reflection of the degree of Spirituality of peoples who never are truly civilized until they recognize that the human body is a temple for the indwelling of the holy Spirit, the God-man.
Now we must turn our attention elsewhere. It will not, I think, be amiss to devote a short time to an investigation of yonder mercantile establishment, so that you may compare it with those of—well, of your city of St. Louis. You perceive that the structure is seven stories in height, and its frontage is quite two hundred feet, its depth about the same. Enter without hesitation. You are not yet quite accustomed to the fact of your invisibility. Including the interiors the entire structure is of stone and various metals, rendering it fireproof. Those elevators, swiftly carrying patrons to the various floors, also are entirely of metal. Yes, the lightweight metal metszû.
These plant spaces surrounding the fountains are quite attractive, and the fountains themselves are exquisite in design and execution. I imagine that they are intended to serve the double purposes of ornamentation and of cooling the heated atmosphere. Observe this one. In the centre of the basin, on an ornate pedestal, is poised the graceful form of a lovely, smiling girl, holding in her arms and outreaching hands a mass of blown rodels and buds, whose long, slender stems and frilled leaves seem to float on the water. From the hearts of the full blown flowers jets of crystal water are thrown nearly to the lofty ceiling, thence falling in silvery spray over the upturned face of the girl and her armful of rodel blooms. The rim of the marble basin is a composition of rodel blooms and foliage, as perfect of execution as is the marble form of the girl or the lifelike blooms she holds in her arms. Here is another basin in which is a great white marble vase filled with growing aquatic plants and grasses. Around its rim, at intervals, are sculptured water fowls from whose bills fine jets of water are thrown upward, falling downward into the vase and basin like a gentle shower of rain.
There are four fountains, and the basin of the next one is shaped like a shallow fluted shell, in which is a group of semi-human, semi-fishlike creatures of a mythical character. Oh, yes, the Entoans, like all other peoples, have their myths. Genessano may enlighten us as to the meaning of these nondescript creatures, whose present occupation is throwing a bewildering number of tiny streams of water in such a fashion as to partly conceal their lovely faces and fishlike forms.