differ from ours? What have
cats on their feet that help them to walk quietly? Of what use are
their claws? What does a cat do when she is angry? How does she
sharpen her claws? What does she do with them if she likes you?

=To the Teacher:= Allow the children to talk freely of their kittens
at home. Have them draw a kitten with charcoal on manila paper. Even
if the results are not much in themselves, their powers of observation
will be quickened, as is always shown when the same drawing is
attempted a few days later.

=The story of the artist.= We know that Mr. Adam must have been very
fond of cats, because he has painted so many pictures of them; but
that is all we really do know of him. One authority gives the first
letter of his name as S., the dates of his birth and death as 1801 and
1867, and his birthplace, Italy. Another authority gives the same
dates but the initial letter J. and the birthplace, France. The
paintings are signed T. or J. Adam, but no record has been kept of the
artist's life.

=Questions about the artist.= Who painted this picture? Why do you
think he must have liked cats?

MADONNA OF THE CHAIR

=Original Picture:= Pitti Palace, Florence, Italy.
=Artist:= Raphael Sanzio (rae''f[+a] [)e]l saen''zy[=o]).
=Birthplace:= Urbino, Italy.
=Dates:= Born, 1483; died, 1520.

=Questions to arouse interest.= Whom do you see in this picture? Who
is sitting in the chair? Who leans against the mother's knee? What is
he holding under his arm? At whom is he looking? Why do you think he
loves the baby? How many have a baby brother at home? What has the
mother on her head? Around her shoulders? What makes you think the
baby is not sitting very still? Who painted this picture?

=The story of the picture.= A long time ago a good old man whose name
was Bernardo lived all alone in a little house in the woods. If people
were lost in the woods, or tired, or hungry, they always came to him
and he would help them. It was his work to take care of the trees and
see that only the oldest and largest were cut down. But there was one
large oak near his house he never would let the men cut. Its branches
kept his house cool in summer with their shade, and in the winter they
sheltered it from the bitter cold winds. Bernardo, living all alone
and with no one to talk to, used to talk to the tree. And the big oak
would nod its branches as if it understood every word.

All the trees belonged to a man