rew on it, with a piece of charcoal, a picture of
Mary and her children. He took the drawing home with him and painted
this great picture. So the old man's wish came true, for this barrel
end made from the old oak tree, with the picture of Mary and her
children upon it, has become famous over all the world.

Such a round-faced, healthy, happy-looking baby, held tight in the
loving clasp of his mother's strong arms! Perhaps he is getting tired
of sitting so long for his picture, and wants to go down and see what
the artist is doing. His chubby little arms and feet make us think he
is not sitting very still. His lovely mother bends her head toward
him. Her head is covered with a handkerchief, and there is such a
beautiful shawl around her shoulders. The older boy looks with love
and adoration at his sweet baby brother, who is looking toward us.
What a beautiful old carved chair they must have been sitting in!

The mother's face was so good and kind, and she looked so lovely there
on the porch with her children, that she reminded Raphael of that
other mother, Mary, the mother of the baby Jesus. The elder brother
looked like the little St. John adoring Jesus. So Raphael painted a
halo around their heads and called the picture the "Madonna of the
Chair." This halo is a ring of light which artists often paint around
the heads of angels and saints. Raphael wanted to make us think loving
and tender thoughts about the baby Jesus, Mary, and St. John.

=Questions to help the pupil understand the picture.= Who was
Bernardo? Where did he live? What did he do? Why did he not cut down
the oak tree near his house? To whom did he talk? How did the oak
tree seem to answer him? Who was Mary? Tell about the storm. How long
did it last? Who came in search of Bernardo? Why did he pray that his
two friends might be remembered together? What became of the oak tree?
of Mary? Who painted her picture? Where was she? On what did the
artist paint the picture? why? Why is the picture round? How did this
make Bernardo's wish come true? Of whom did Mary and her children make
the artist think? Why did he paint the halo around their heads? What
is a halo? Why is the picture called the "Madonna of the Chair"? Of
whom did the artist want to make us think?

=To the Teacher:= Have the children retell the story of the picture.

=The story of the artist.= Raphael's father was a painter, and
belonged to a family of painters. Perhaps there never was a