The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1888-11-23
TEIF; ROsE-EINDOw.

sill, watch the clouds that sailed slowly by,
or the doves that cooed to each other under
the caves Of the great cathedral or that
the cathedral itself should nave become a
familiar object, With its graceful bell-tower,
its solid buttresses, and its great rose-win-
dow over the chancel. lie had traced its
curves and circles so many times that it
seemed before him wherever he looked.
But why was it that when he went out to
walk with nurse, she always hurried him
by the open doorway, and would never let
him go in to see the other side of the big
window? And why did mamma always
sigh and say that the cathedral was papa's
tomb?
Ono day his ann came up into the
entry hall and found little Wilfred in his
f~avorite position, with his chin upon the
~window-sill, looking out at the great
cathedral. But tears were standing in his
eyes, and little voice faltered, as he said
''Please, mamma, tell me about the rose
window and why the cathedral is papa's
tomb?''
So mamma took the little head in her
lap, and as she stroked the soft light curls,
she thought Of a time when another head,
tired and aching, had lain there, and she
had stroked its soft hair.
Then mamsna told her little boy how his
papa had planned the cathedral, all but
the great rose-window, and for that he
could invent no pattern worthy to let the
light shine through into the house of God.
And how he had to sit up long nights, and
worked weary days to find the right de-
sign, until, at last, when he had drawn
the graceful curves and circles, he was
too sick to go about, and could only lie in
this very e~ntry-window and watch the men
at work. And when, one day, the great
window was set up, the very day that lit
tie Wilfred vas born, papa was carried
out and buried under the floor OF the un-
finished chancel, with the great window
high up over his head.
Mamma again stroked the light hair,
and said: But this will not do. My little
boy has been too much alone, and be must
go to school, where he car play with other
children. for he is almost five years old. -
And she kissed the child as she looked at
the great church opposite, and thought of
tie Wilfred in that house too.
So one bright sunny day, mamma again
came up the stairs to take her little Will
fred out to walk. And they went to-
gether across the common, by the great
cathedral, and down a street. till they
came to a pleasant-looking house, with
plants and a bird in one window, and more
plants and goldfish in the other. They
went into this house, and were shown into
a bright room, where there were some
little children standing in a circle, and
playing such a quiet, pretty game! Soon
they all went into another room, singing
as they went, and mamma and Wilfred
followed, The children sat down at two
long tables, when the teacher came and
said, "Would not you like to come too?
See here is room enough between Bertha
and Alfred" But Wilfred did not quite
like to go, till mamma said: $50, dar-
ling. will stay close by"
Then one of the little girls went up to
the teacher, who gave her a box full of
rings. And pretty soon she had laid be-
fore each child a wire ring of about two
inches in diameter. Elsie-for this was
the little girls name-wasv very careful to
place it ON the table directly before each
or the lines which divided the tables into
squares crossed each other, making four
divisions in each ring. After Elsie had
taken one and sat down, the teacher said:
''Now let us see what this is and what it
is made Of" One said wire. YES, and
what is wire made or" But none OF
the children could exactly tell this, SO the
teacher explained how iron was dug out of
the ground, melted in big furnaces, cooled
into long bars, and how these were again
melted and drawn through a succession OF
holes, each time becoming smaller, till at
last it was the wire they saw. Then how
it was cut into short pieces, and these
were soldered together to make these little
rings. 'tAnd now what are they like?"
One child thought Like the top of a
lower-pot;' Another Like the round
picture frame hanging over the mantle
piece:" Alfred thought it would just slip
over one of the balls with which they
played the fruit game. The teacher
thought so too, and bringing one, asked
how it differed; for were they lot both
round? Elsie said it was a slice cut out of
the middle of a ball. But Bertha said no,
because you could put yoar finger through
the ring. Then Alfred said it was only
the edge OF the round slice. The teacher
now gave each child a half ring, and asked
them to hold it in the left hand with the
ends pointing up, then down to the right,
and then to the left hand side. This half
ring was then placed beside the whole
ring, and another half ring given so as to
two whole rings. Alfred said they
looked like q pair Of eyeglasses, or cart
wheels. Then the half last put do gn was
placed on the opposite side of the whole
ring, making a figure each side, which he
thought looked somewhat like an hour
glass. Then the position of the half rings