The shadow figures of Oriental countries differ widely. For example, those of China are as beautiful in pattern and in color as those of the Javanese but are much less grotesque. The Turkish shadow figures are less beautiful than the Chinese and Javanese figures. They are very cleverly articulated, however, and so skilfully manipulated that they furnish the most common and popular form of dramatic entertainment. Black Eye or _Karagheuz_ is the rogue hero, and is known throughout Turkey and the whole of northern Africa. The Karagheuz shows are the usual attraction of Greek and Turkish coffee houses. Among the many things that came to Europe through trading with the Orient were Chinese shadow figures. They probably reached England early in the XVIth Century. We know that the clever showman, Powell, used motions or shadows in his _Old Creation of the World with the Addition of Noah’s Flood_, in 1641. More than a century later Chinese shadow plays came under royal favor in France. There they have been changed and adapted in many ways. The modern French shadow plays are pretentious, with many scenes and numerous characters. All the countries of Europe have made some use of the cut-out shadow figures. Recently cut-out shadow figures have found a rival. This has come about through the growing appreciation of the dramatic possibilities of the human shadow figure. Modern lighting has done much toward this end, because it has made possible a clearly defined silhouette on the shadow screen. [Illustration: _Upper: Scene from cut out shadow play, "The Traveling Musicians of Bremen."_ _Lower: Behind the scenes in a cut out shadow play, given by eighth grade pupils of Fairmount Junior High School, Cleveland, Ohio._ ] The art of the human shadow is not limited. It uses acting, dancing, music, the voice, and color. With a sense of design and arrangement, a beautiful picture is created before the audience every moment. The human shadow play is a new challenge to imagination, taste, and ingenuity. [Illustration: [Marionette]] [Illustration: [Shadows]] CHAPTER II Making a Shadow Play