The New York herald., 1921-04-24
Photographing the Fairies.

Photographing the Fairies.
AT the hall Of the Theosophical So
eiety, London, pictures which, 1t was
asserted. had been made from photo
graphs taken Of fairies In Yorkshire
we're shown upon screen and were
explained with considerable detail by
lecturer, e. l.. GARDNER, who ex-
pressed firm belief in the reality of
fairies and the genuineness of the
photographs. That there were fairies
in Yorkshire and that they had been
frequently seen playing in dells
among wild flowers, a traditional
background for fairies of legend and
story, was well known, according to
the London Times, and 1t was not
surprising that the display OF their
portraits should draw an eager and
excited audience.
Just why these littlespeople in their
red jackets, black tights and scarlet
caps fell at this late day into the
trap set for them by grown up hu-
mans and permitted themselves to be
photographed is not definitely told.
Everybody knows that fairies have
played all sorts of tricks on Irish
peasants and have handed them good
fortune or bad from the very begin
ming OF time. ANDERSEN has told us
their strange doings In Scandinavian
countries and the GRIMM brothers
have shown up the pranksvthey played
in the Black Forest of Germany, and
writer's of other European countries
have told how they fell in love with
and married mortals, stole pretty girls
or boys by Turing them into fairy
dance or carried away the baby Of
prince or d noble and substituted
one Of their own.
But this does not include mite
Of what these little rascals have done.
They began their pranks with the
ancient Egyptians and Greeks, they
had a place in the homes Of the an
clent Celts and Teutons, they have
always been meddling with human
affairs in China and Japan, and they
have crossed to the South Sea islands
to plague the poor Polynesians. De-
spite these long years, nobody had
ever before taken photograph Of
them or given us satisfactory pic
ture of them. All children, OF course,
have seen fairies, any number Of
them, but grownups would never ac-
cept as final their stories Of just how
these little. people looked.
One Of the pictures at the Theo-
sophical Society's exhibit showed a
gnome hopping on the knee Of young
girl who was sitting in the grass !;
the child said the little creature wore
black tights and q red jacket, had
wings like q moth and carried Pans
pipes in his left hand. A photograph
Of the gnome many times enlarged
was dlSO SbOnh. IL OhC Dl1LuAC
fairy was half hidden In a cocoon
taking a bath, and In another a ring
OF fairies was shown gambolling on
grassy bank where a child knelt to
watch them.
Mr.. GARDNER said that the plates
had been submitted to every test to
detect fraud but none had been dis
covered. He declared that any one
with clairvoyant sight who could
materlalize the fairies could photo
graph them. In fact 1t Is very simple
matter. Always look for these little
people among plants, he said, for their
especial duty In the scheme OF nature
Is concerned with the growth, color
and shape of flowers. This spring an
attempt will be made TO Aim the fair
les "and so establish for once and
forever the hard fact Of their exist
ence and visibility" Even after he
has taken this trouble 1t will be just
like the critics and matter OF fact
folks to have doubts still.