Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-12-03
FAIRIES TO BE FILMED
BY Frederic J. Haskln

New York. Dec 3.--One Of the many
heroic achievements now expected Of
the movies u TO prove the actual cx-
istepce of fairies. While several en-
thusiastic persons in Great Britain.
including Sir Conan Doyle, have pro-
dpced extraordinary still photographs
| of fairies, they have left the public
hstonshcd but unconvinccd. Clearly
more emphatic proof - needed. 30
now, according to latest reports, a
| moving picture expedition has been
sent into Yorkshire to camp on this
| fairies trail and to get close-ups Of
them IL possible
Yet Just how this liz TO be done re-
mains n mystery, because IL Is well
known among the initiated that only |
the very old and wise, the very young
and those with clairvoyant sight can
really see fairies. Can II be possible
that the fairy believers have dscov-
ned n ciairvoyant movie camera man?
The report does not say. Like most at
tempts to br the FAIRIES within the 1
mundane sphere OF ordinary folk. II IL /
all very singular and baffiing and much |
ike fairy story Itself.
The ancient wise men, presumably !
even Socrates, believed In fairies, and
mnny poets and artists throughout
the ages have prOfessed complete
faith in their existence; but the first
great Believe Fairies movement
originated In this dull and unromantic
twentieth century. When Peter Pan
came 20 the edge of the footlights and
begged us 10 believe in FAIRIES. most OF
us rose gallantly to the occasion sim
'ply to oblige Miss Maude Adams. little
J dreaming that in a few more years
J people would begin To take Peter serl-
: ously. Even less did we dream that
the movies would be trying TO get the
4 f. lries under contract.
Fairy films should prove enormous
= ~ popular and make n lot Of money
, for their producers, since merely an
3 exhibit Of their photographs draws
, large and enthusiastic audience in
r. London. AZ such an exhibit. held in
: the hall of the Theosophical Society
? not long ago, the photographs we're
shown with the appropriate assistance
of magic lantern, and explained by
r 70. l.. Gardner. the British leader
! of tho Believe-in- Fairies movement
: who has made a laborious study OF
the little people" as they are present
ed in the folklore Of all nations.
flcfnrcs Atready W8ne.
The first photographs shown were
q some made in 1917. The man who did
"a the photogrnphing. according 20 Mr.
), Gardner man named Carpenter
! did not see the fairies himself but
J.. simply focused his camera wherever
~ his young children--who were evi-
IDENTIFY on familiar terms with the lit
n tie creatures-tOld him TO. He regard
ed the whole thing az a childish
prank until he came to develop th'
" plates when he was so amazed at wha
he beheid on them that he left then
= in the dark room for 1S months.
"a large audience" ." remarks a Lon
=, don writer, was able TO share in hiI
:, astonishment. They saw picture
=. Of n gnome hopping onto the knee d
=, young girl who was sitting on th'
grass in a Yorkshire dell The chile
told Mr.. Gardner that the gnonne wor'
g, black tights and red Jacket: he als'
-, had a scarlet cap and had wings like
- a moths. In his left hand he carried
;, a pair of Pans pipes. All this wa'
49, shown clearly enough on the screen
aa and a photograph of the winged
gnorne many times enlarged from tn
original also was exhibited. Inquiries
~ had wanted to know the source ant
l texture Of fairy clothing. Mr.. Gard
ner said II was Of the substance Q
II themselves.
Ill Later one saw a ring of fairie
| gamboling on a grassy bank wher
/ one of the children knelt TO watc
/ them. One incredulous spectator du
into his memory and recalled such
band dancing on a poster round
N night light. Another fairy photo
graphed alone had excellently bobbe
hair and wore a dark gown Of stylis
II cut.
III In a further picture there wa
shown a band. of little people playin
4 among flowers. This was a photo
II graph taken. last August specially 70
II Mr.. Gardner. One of the fairies wa
half hidden in a cocoon. which tn
lecturer explained was sort c
II health giving bath used by them afte
bad weather. Witnesses in Scotlan
and the New Forest testified to seein
the same sight. Mr.. Gardner declare
that the plates from which the slide
were made had been submitted I
every possible test to detect fraud, an
none had been discovered.
What Fairies Are Made OF.
Ill Mr.. Gardner went on to explain ths
fairies could be photographed only
II partially materialized with clairyoyar
aid. The matter composing a fairy
body. is plastic to thought. Current
Of human thought give fairies ii
form in which they are seen by tn
clairvOyant.
They have a definite task in III
scheme Of nature and are subject
evolution. Their duties are concerne
with the color, growth and shape
flowers. They live on very humb
II level and are about as intelligent as
Newfoundland dog"
This may sound like sheer nonsen!
to practical people, but it is interestir
to note that the same kind of nonseni
was indulged in by ancient gentleme
} whose reputation for wisdom remain
intact even In this sophisticated al
/ rreyerent age. Plato. for instanC
- declares that Socrates expOunded {
. the invisible little people of the ell
ments, saying:
Il What water and the sea are to
I'LL for our necessities the air is to theI
Ill and what air is to US, that ether is,
iii them. But their seasons are of such
iii temperament that they are free fro
iii disease and live for much long
4