Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-05-22
SEE FAIRIES DANCING
Visitors to Mall Also Hear
Songs of the Elves.
ALL DISAPPEAR AT NOON
Public Led to Think They Were Kin
dergarten Children.
TEACHERS AID THE DECEPTION
Try to Make It Appear That Gambol
Il the Annual Play
Festival.
ALL DISAPPEAR AT NOON
TEACHERS AID THE DECEPTION

Mortal alive who has not seen this day g
marvel-fairies dancing on the greenland
would still deny there are fairies, can
cure skepticism by a visit to the Smith
sonian part OF the Mall. There. trusting
the evidence Of eyesight, can be seen the
fairies ring, where they danced, the
grass greener for their tread, the butter
cups larger and more golden.
Something went wrong with the fairies
timepieces, the four o'clocks. Instead Of
all being covered up in their beds in the
flowers to avoid the heat OF the day and
mortal sight. disappearing with uprising
sun. the fairies were all caught out. 1900
Of them, and unable to get under cover.
They had left their invisible caps hang
ing upon starnens. the posts Of their
fragrant beds, and could not conceal
themselves.
Happy fairies They made the best Of
It. Friends Of all men. they revealed
themselves after all these years Of Sec
recy which has occasioned doubt that
they exist. And they gamboled in open
sight.
Aeriel, Pansy, Puck. Jack-o'-Lantern and
Jack-in-the-fulpit, Two-lips. Moonbeam
and Merry Sunshine. Happiness Cherry
Blossom-All the fairies of song and
story were there-even the good brownies
and the elves and spirits. And they
matamorphosed themselves into birds and
caterpillars and butterflies, and sang the
songs that fairy folk sing. their tiny
voices uniting into q chorus Of wonderful
melody.
All Disappear at Noon.
When the sun. was at noon the fairies
all climbed UP on the vertical beams into
the zenith and disappeared. But no one
believes they stayed in heaven, and they
are all probably fast asleep in the flower
cups of the lilies Of the valley. the roses.
the jonquils. or their faces .peering out
Of the pansies or to be found wherever
fairies fade to when the daylight is out.
Some OF the grown-ups who were
granted the golden privilege to look on
grown folks are SO hard-headed and diff
fcult to convince-said they were kinder
the District OF Columbia, and that this
was their annual play festival on the
Mall near the Smithsonian buildings. But
any one with good sense could have seen
that these little people-who danced and
sang so sweetly and whose influence for
the happiness Of human kind was so
visibly exerted on this occasion-ought
never to grow up to learn the turkey trot
and popular songs They were not that
kind Of little people.
Miss Katherine r. Watkins. who brought
to the scene the forty-six charming
teachers in the Kindergarten schools.
tried to keep up this deception probably
advised SO to do by the fairies. who did
not want every one to know what they
were. And the kindergarten teachers
were allowed to mix In their dances and
sing their songs with them. just as
though they were directing the children
Of the kindergarten.
band was made to look like a section Of
the Marine Band. all the players taking
the shapes of grown-ups. and clad In the
white trousers and blue coats, recognized
as the uniform of the crack human or
ennization Of players on instruments.
And In the intervals when the fairies
were resting from their gamboling the
band played classic music. just as at
Marine Band concert.
Miss Keene Suggests Music.
Then, too, Miss Florence Keene. in
charge Of kindergarten music. was in the
confidence OF the fairies for this innocent
deception Of those unqualified to under
stand. She pretended to tell the band
what to play for the fairies dances and
SONGS, and the fairies pretended to follow
where she led.
Also Capt James F. Oyster, president.
and other members Of the board Of educa.
ton, and the superintendent of public
schools, DR.. William M. Davidson. and A.
T. Stuart, director Of intermediate in
struction. and the police and others whom
the fairies told to keep their secret, In;
sisted 1t was the kindergarten annual
play festival
But the way the fairies danced and the
songs they sang dragged the veil from theii
identity and proved them fairies. Come
and skip''-whoever but fairy, q blond
elf or a brunette brownie would or could
sing and dance to that theme? And
'sFIyine Birds! When the fairies art
transformed right before your eyes into
feathered winged creatures-thrusnes. I'M
nets. bobolinks. robins, blackoiros-"hy'
And when they turn into caterpilara
and crawl on the grass blades-wno can
longer believe he IL subject to opticai oe.
fusion? Then they dance AROUND the
great ring, hand In hand. as only Iair1es
can, or would II they could.
Given kindergarten Names.
The kindergarten people gave kinder
garten names to some of the dances and
songs. but it was evident that this waa
for the purposes Of binding the eyes OF
those who would not see for themselves
what was going on. They called them
Rocking Horse ana Litue Fidymdte
and See Saw" and Soldier Boy" and
things like that. And one OF the dances
which was particularly fairy dance they
called the ''Minuet."
They were American fairies-perhap
their ancestors were immigrants from
England and Ireland and Wales. where
the fairies are supposed to come from
for they sang America" and produced
from fairies know where American hags.
Then the Brownies had a dance all to
themselves.
But finally they all disappeared up the
beams Of the MONDAY sun. Only the
bright green ring. where the buttercups
grow big and many, is left behind to
show that there are fairies-American
fairies.