ed by eight granite steps in the Thiergarten. It was dedicated
on September 2, 1873, to commemorate the great victories of 1870
and 1871. The massive square pedestal is adorned with reliefs in
bronze. Above, in the flutings of the column, which consists of
yellow, grayish sandstone, are placed three rows of Danish, Austrian
and French cannon, captured in the different battles fought with
those nations.]

[Illustration: THE HISTORIC WINDMILL, POTSDAM, GERMANY.--Potsdam
is almost entirely surrounded by a fringe of royal palaces, parks
and pleasure-grounds. Here is located the palace of Sanssouci.
Adjacent to the palace is the famous windmill, now royal property,
which its owner refused to sell to the King, meeting threatened
violence by an appeal to the judges of its supreme court.]

[Illustration: MADONNA DI SAN SISTO (BY RAPHAEL), DRESDEN GALLERY,
DRESDEN, GERMANY.--This masterpiece of Raphael, was photographed direct
from the original painting, worth $400,000. It is an altar-piece,
representing the Virgin and Child in clouds, with St. Sixtus on
the right, St. Barbara on the left, and the cherubs beneath. A
curtain has just been drawn back, and the Virgin issues, as it
were, from the depth of Heaven, her large serene eyes seeming to
embrace the whole world in their gaze. The most striking feature
of the painting is the expression of naive innocence depicted on
the faces of the cherubs.]

[Illustration: MAGDALENE (BY BATTONI), DRESDEN GALLERY, DRESDEN,
GERMANY.]

[Illustration: BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF PARIS, FRANCE.--Paris, the largest
city in the French Republic, and its capital, covers an area of
thirty square miles, with a population of about 2,000,000. The
river Seine, which flows through the centre of the city, is spanned
by twenty-eight bridges, of which the seven principal are shown on
this photograph. The city is noted for its fine parks, magnificent
churches, colossal buildings, and wide boulevards, of which the Champs
Elysees is the most famous. Paris is the centre of the political,
artistic, scientific, commercial and industrial life of the nation.]

[Illustration: PLACE DE LA CONCORDE, PARIS, FRANCE.--Place de la
Concorde, one of the most beautiful and extensive public parks
in Paris, being considered, by the best authorities, the finest
in the world, is bounded by the Seine, Champs Elysees, Tuileries
and Rue de Rivoli. Numerous historical associations are connected
with the place. The guillotine did much b