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complete.
Preferably, it should be so entirely essential that the play could not be presen-
ted without it.
At the very least, it should add something of consequence to the general pro-
gress and to the
final effect. In any event, it should not be a thing which may be replaced by
something else,
or left out altogether without materially affecting the action of the play. Aris-
totle tells us, as
already quoted, that everything which may be put in or left out at will is not
properly a part of
the presentation; and that statement has never been gainsaid by any subse-
quent authority
upon the subject of art. Therefore, we must always endeavor to arrange our
procedure in
accordance with either one or the other of two distinct methods. We must eit-
her produce a
number of isolated and independent effects in succession, each being comple-
te and self-
contained, or we must make the individual items a series of stepping-stones
toward one final
end.
That, of course, is not to say that a series of magical effects may not be loose-
ly strung
together in the form of a sequence of events, or in a slight sketch, wherein the
performers
personate imaginary characters. Presentations of that kind have no relation to
the case in
point. The successive effects have no connection with any definite theme of
dramatic
interest. Each is complete and perfect in itself, and is only related to the o-
thers by a kind of
natural order. There is no dramatic plot to be served by what takes place; and,
for that reason,
there is no question of combined effect to be considered.
When, however, we have to deal not only with magical feats, but also with
dramatic
construction, the "steppingstone" method has to be adopted. And in such cir-
cumstances, the
more we reflect upon the subject the more clearly we see that "the play's the
thing." The
magical items are, as it were, beads held together and supported by the thread
of dramatic
interest. Thus connected, the beads form a chain of harmonious proportions.
If we remove
one of the beads, the general effect is marred. If we try to add an unnecessary
bead, we must
break the connecting thread in order to do so; and, by so doing, we cause the
whole to fall
asunder. The thread will no longer join up, and continuity cannot exist. The
only thing to be
done is to remove the superfluous addition, repair the broken thread and re-
string the proper
number of beads in their proper order. Thus, we arrive at the following rule:
(20) When Magic and Drama are combined in one presentation, the stage
procedure
should primarily be governed by the dramatic requirements of the case, rat-
her than, by the
normal principles of Art in Magic.
By no other means can such presentations be made to accord with the essen-
tial
principle of unity. It is obvious that no possible sequence of magical hap-
penings can,
per se
,
form the thread of human interest requisite in a dramatic plot. At the same ti-
me, of course,
such a sequence of effects may readily provide the means whereby a dramatic
plot is carried
out. But that is a very different thing from providing the plot itself. On the o-
ther hand, a
dramatic plot may undoubtedly form the thread upon which magical occur-
rences depend, and
by means of which they are so connected as to form one consistent and har-
monious whole.
The conditions upon which the very existence of dramatic- effect depends,
require a
connecting-thread of that kind. Without it, there can be no central support u-
pon which the
ultimate issue can turn. Since the principles of magical procedure are inade-
quate to provide
the conditions requisite for dramatic effect, we are bound to fall back on the
principles of
drama for the main outlines of our presentation. Stated briefly, this means
that when, in a
 combination of magic and drama, the respective requirements of those two
arts are in
opposition, magic must take second place.
No doubt, this may seem to impose rather a difficult task upon magicians.
But to
those who are worthy of being described as artists, that apparent difficulty
soon disappears.
Whatever we may do as artists, the first essential is to insure artistic unity.
That being so, we
can feel no pang in doing whatever may be necessary for the purposes of u-
nity. We are
prepared to sacrifice any personal foible or favorite method, in order that uni-
ty may be
obtained. If we cannot sacrifice some amount of magical effect in order to
gain the benefit to
be derived from dramatic construction, we should drop the dramatic part al-
together. We can
only benefit by the aid of drama if we are prepared to fulfil the requirements
of drama. If we
seek to enlist the drama into our service and, at the same time, to retain the
normal effect
associated with each isolated magical production, we are bound to fail in our
endeavors.
There can be no real difficulty in grasping the truth of this matter. A magical
presentation is normally a thing complete and perfect in itself. It has its own
involution, its
own climax, and its own evolution. If we present magical effects in combina-
tion with a
dramatic theme, we superimpose upon them a master-plot having a master-
climax, and a
master-evolution to be fulfilled, in order to produce unity in the final result.
That being so,
our magical items can no longer remain complete in themselves, without pro-
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