Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1880-05-31


thing. Presently she spoke again:
"Oh, brother Willie! what makes it
burn %
"What burn ?"
"Why, the fire."
1.-The Goals %
mo, no; but what makes the Goals
burn ?"
"Why, the fire, little goosie."
81 know buddie, but what makes the
black Goals get all red? l had black
stone in my pocket and l threw it on the
CRATE, but it does not get red and make
little sparks. What makes the fire burn
the Goals ?"
"Why, why; because" said Will,
and then he stopped.
Now Willie was head-boy at school,
away up in higher arithmetic, and had
finished geography, and he would not
have believed little "Kittie-cat" could
have asked him a question he could not
answer. But here was one, sure enough,
and though Will put on his thinking-cap
and puzzled over it some time, he had
to confess:
"Well, Kittie, really don't know
what does make coal burn any more
than stones or bricks. never thought
about it. We must ask papa"
wonder how many Hearth and Home
children could tell without asking papa.
When papa came in both children
rushed up with the question, "Papa,
what is fire? What makes the Goals
burn 2"
$50 am to tell a great CRATE story,
am II"
Kittie smoothed down the crumpled
apron for the fftieth time, and when she
had climbed to papa's knee, really hoped
he wouldn't know the difference"
"My son, what is coal ?"
ga solid, black, opaque substance
found in the earth"
"Can you tell me anything more about
it?"
There are two kinds of coal; char
coal, which is wood that has been ex-
posed to great heat; and mineral coal,
which is formed in the earth from de-
cayed vegetation, old wood, and other
vegetable matter which has been covered
by earth for centuries until decomposed."
Eyes" said papa, "and the element Of
these formations is carbon, which, when
brought in contact with the oxygen Of
the air, or when the two are united by
heat, produce combustion or fire. A
little heat is first necessary to combine
the two, and then the elements of the
coal unite with the oxygen of the air,
and combustion Chat means burning)
continues until the carbon is all con.
sumed. Pure carbon burns without
fame, but there is always little water
in coal, which by the heat becomes
hydrogen gas, and this causes the fame.
So fire is heat and light produced by
uniting oxygen with with carbon and
hydrogen gas. Of course, my son, this
will require thought and study; and
expect little pussy still wonders what
makes the fire burn. But by knowing
the facts of things, and then thinking
about them, we gradually come to under
stand the reasons. Kittie will learr
by and by. Tomorrow I shall ask you
both What is freq and you must tel
me as correctly as you can"
Kittie looked little discouraged, but
just then the tea-bell rang. and Will,
papa was putting fresh coal on the CRATE
Willie said, 81 will tell you conun
drum, sister, and that shall be YOU
part: When you tell servant to pu
more coal on the fire, the name of wha
ancient king can you use? Give it up
Philip the Great (fll up the grate)."
1t is very wise for the little people t.
think about the common things around
them, and try to learn and understand
about them. These little everyday
lessons of wisdom will always be usefu
to them.-HearM and Home.