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of all creatures） admit that reason and that necessity。
For instance； if the Ugly Sisters are older than Cinderella；
it is （in an iron and awful sense） NECESSARY that Cinderella is
younger than the Ugly Sisters。 There is no getting out of it。
Haeckel may talk as much fatalism about that fact as he pleases：
it really must be。 If Jack is the son of a miller； a miller is
the father of Jack。 Cold reason decrees it from her awful throne：
and we in fairyland submit。 If the three brothers all ride horses；
there are six animals and eighteen legs involved： that is true
rationalism； and fairyland is full of it。 But as I put my head over
the hedge of the elves and began to take notice of the natural world；
I observed an extraordinary thing。 I observed that learned men
in spectacles were talking of the actual things that happened
dawn and death and so onas if THEY were rational and inevitable。
They talked as if the fact that trees bear fruit were just as NECESSARY
as the fact that two and one trees make three。 But it is not。
There is an enormous difference by the test of fairyland； which is
the test of the imagination。 You cannot IMAGINE two and one not
making three。 But you can easily imagine trees not growing fruit；
you can imagine them growing golden candlesticks or tigers hanging
on by the tail。 These men in spectacles spoke much of a man
named Newton； who was hit by an apple； and who discovered a law。
But they could not be got to see the distinction between a true law；
a law of reason； and the mere fact of apples falling。 If the apple hit
Newton's nose； Newton's nose hit the apple。 That is a true necessity：
because we cannot conceive the one occurring without the other。
But we can quite well conceive the apple not falling on his nose；
we can fancy it flying ardently through the air to hit some other nose；
of which it had a more definite dislike。 We have always in our fairy
tales kept this sharp distinction between the science of mental relations；
in which there really are laws； and the science of physical facts；
in which there are no laws； but only weird repetitions。 We believe
in bodily miracles； but not in mental impossibilities。 We believe
that a Bean…stalk climbed up to Heaven； but that does not at all
confuse our convictions on the philosophical question of how many beans
make five。
Here is the peculiar perfection of tone and truth in the
nursery tales。 The man of science says； 〃Cut the stalk； and the apple
will fall〃； but he says it calmly； as if the one idea really led up
to the other。 The witch in the fairy tale says； 〃Blow the horn；
and the ogre's castle will fall〃； but she does not say it as if it
were something in which the effect obviously arose out of the cause。
Doubtless she has given the advice to many champions； and has seen many
castles fall； but she does not lose either her wonder or her reason。
She does not muddle her head until it imagines a necessary mental
connection between a horn and a falling tower。 But the scientific
men do muddle their heads； until they imagine a necessary mental
connection between an apple leaving the tree and an apple reaching
the ground。 They do really talk as if they had found not only
a set of marvellous facts； but a truth connecting those facts。
They do talk as if the connection of two strange things physically
connected them philosophically。 They feel that because one
incomprehensible thing constantly follows another incomprehensible
thing the two together somehow make up a comprehensible thing。
Two black riddles make a white answer。
In fairyland we avoid the word 〃law〃； but in the land of science
they are singularly fond of it。 Thus they will call some interesting
conjecture about how forgotten folks pronounced the alphabet；
Grimm's Law。 But Grimm's Law is far less intellectual than
Grimm's Fairy Tales。 The tales are； at any rate； certainly tales；
while the law is not a law。 A law implies that we know the nature
of the generalisation and enactment； not merely that we have noticed
some of the effects。 If there is a law that pick…pockets shall go
to prison； it implies that there is an imaginable mental connection
between the idea of prison and the idea of picking pockets。
And we know what the idea is。 We can say why we take liberty
from a man who takes liberties。 But we cannot say why an egg can
turn into a chicken any more than we can say why a bear could turn
into a fairy prince。 As IDEAS； the egg and the chicken are further
off from each other than the bear and the prince； for no egg in
itself suggests a chicken； whereas some princes do suggest bears。
Granted； then； that certain transformations do happen； it is essential
that we should regard them in the philosophic manner of fairy tales；
not in the unphilosophic manner of science and the 〃Laws of Nature。〃
When we are asked why eggs turn to birds or fruits fall in autumn；
we must answer exactly as the fairy godmother would answer
if Cinderella asked her why mice turned to horses or her clothes
fell from her at twelve o'clock。 We must answer that it is MAGIC。
It is not a 〃law；〃 for we do not understand its general formula。
It is not a necessity； for though we can count on it happening
practically； we have no right to say that it must always happen。
It is no argument for unalterable law （as Huxley fancied） that we
count on the ordinary course of things。 We do not count on it；
we bet on it。 We risk the remote possibility of a miracle as we
do that of a poisoned pancake or a world…destroying comet。
We leave it out of account； not because it is a miracle； and therefore
an impossibility； but because it is a miracle； and therefore
an exception。 All the terms used in the science books； 〃law；〃
〃necessity；〃 〃order；〃 〃tendency；〃 and so on； are really unintellectual；
because they assume an inner synthesis； which we do not possess。
The only words that ever satisfied me as describing Nature are the
terms used in the fairy books； 〃charm；〃 〃spell；〃 〃enchantment。〃
They express the arbitrariness of the fact and its mystery。
A tree grows fruit because it is a MAGIC tree。 Water runs downhill
because it is bewitched。 The sun shines because it is bewitched。
I deny altogether that this is fantastic or even mystical。
We may have some mysticism later on； but this fairy…tale language
about things is simply rational and agnostic。 It is the only way
I can express in words my clear and definite perception that one
thing is quite distinct from another； that there is no logical