Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1869-03-24
Prom the Christian Advocate
The Wonders of Winter-Time.

By REv. J. ". DAILY.
Charley had been looking out OF the win
dow very abstractedly for long time. Sud
denly he turned to his brother with the ex-
clamation
johnny, is snow white mud p
johnny, who was about two years oder
than Charley, looked amused for a moment
and then remembering his seniority, he drew
himself up with an air Of superior wisdom
and grayely replied
" No, Charley, my boy, it is not"
The youthful inquirer opened his large eyes
to their fullest circumference as he listened
to the dignihed reply OF his brother
" May be you would tell me what snow is
made Of r. he said at length in an awed tone
Of voice
" Well, yes !" and Johnny cleared his
voice to give lucid explanation. q" 1t isl
think the astronomers tell US it is rain made
hard and white"
:" Ha, ha!" laughed Mr.. Page, who had
come syly in the door just in time to hear of
a new fact in astronomy Johnny tried to
run out of the room, but his father detained
him. &" You have made, said he, " the COM
mon mistake Of undertaking to explain that
of which you knew very little"
Johnny blushed, but had not word to
say.
However" continued Mr.. Page, smiling,
" you came nearer to the truth than some
people do that make business OF guessing
But shall explain about the snow, Charley,
or do you want to hear Johnny get of some
more Of his peculiar astronomy p
Now, father, don't y said johnny, IN a
pleading voice. He was heartily ashamed OF
his foolish vanity. Charley, with brotherly
solicitude, endeayored to avert from johnny
any further disgrace by eagerly asking to
hear about the snow.
What do you first wish me to tell you
about it "
What is 1t made OF y asked Charley.
1t is formed IN the same manner as ram,
said Mr.. Page. " There Is IN the atmos-
phere watery yapor floating about. some
times We see 1t very plainly, and we call 1t a
mist. A mist is very fine rain. y fog Is
composed Of smaller particles OF water than
mist. That cloud you see sailing along IN
the distant sky is made up OF floating yapoI
gathered into one mass. When the wind
drives several of such masses together, and II
is cold enough to condense them, they break
up into drops Of water or flakes of snow,
or if it is very cold, the rain is frozen into
hail
" What does condense' mean = asked
Charley.
1t means to erorcd together. Cold an
makes this vapor huddle closer SO, one tiny
particle unites with another, and the two
with another, until the drop gets too heavy
to stay up, and then it falls to the ground.
But snow is not so heavy as ram, Is 1t z
No. One drop of water would make
several flakes OF snow, unless the naKes are
very large"
Is not flake always as large as every
other2
" No Charley. Some are great deal
larger than others. One flake will sometimes
have great many snow crystals, while an
other will have very few"
Snow-crystals ?" timidly qucried Johnny
half afraid Of being reminded OF his unior
tunate explanation.
Snow-crystals, said the father are
formed from the watery particles in the clouds
The cold air causes these particles to burs
out into beautiful forms, like buds into How
ers, and as they come floating downward
they cling together in flakes. 1t Is said tha
there are six hundred varieties of these crys
tails"
six hundred different shapes ?"
Yes; come over here to this window
away from the heat of the stove. What de
you see on the glass ?"
"Jack Frost !" shouted Charley
There are trees standing up and som'
falling down; and, see Charley, as sure a
can be. there's man !"
80 Johnnie here's horse !" aud Char
ley's trembling finger pointed out what nigh
have been intended by the eccentric artist Il
represent horse or COW, or neither.
"Well, now see how fast lack Frost works.
saving which MIR. Page rubbed out tnarley