124 LIVING LIGHTS. 



was the victim of an optical illusion, and wishing to satisfy 

 himself, he took a friend to the place at the same hour on 

 the following night, without, however, informing him what 

 he had seen. The latter immediately noticed the light, and 

 soon the garden was thronged with persons interested, who 

 wished to see the flowers that " threw out flames." Later, 

 .fourteen persons saw the exhibition at once, not only upon 

 the Papaver orientale, but on the lAlium hulbiferum ; and 

 before the curious phenomenon ceased, over one hundred 

 and fifty reliable observers were enabled to testify to the 

 delight they had experienced in watching the gleams of light 

 play about these flowers ; the doubters and critics, of which 

 there were many, being effectually silenced. 



It is usually the misfortune of the single observer, or the 

 minority, to be ridiculed, and their word doubted, simply 

 because others do not choose to believe their statements. 

 That such a course is unjust, is well shown in the instance 

 of the daughter of Linnaeus, who made the statement, that 

 as she approached the flowers of Dictamnus alius with a light 

 they appeared to ignite, without, however, injury to them. 

 This experiment was tried time and again by others, but 

 without success ; and not a few scientists of the day regarded 

 it as a delusion, while others averred that it was pure inven- 

 tion ; opinions which placed the lady in a disagreeable posi- 

 tion. Some years after. Dr. Hahn was enabled to show that 

 the experiment was . not mere fiction. He says, " Being in 

 the habit of visiting a garden in which strong^ healthy plants 

 of Dictamnus alhus were cultivated, I often repeated the 

 experiment, but always without success ; and I already began 

 to doubt the correctness of the observation made by the 

 daughter of Linnaeus, when, during the dry and hot summer 



