EDITORIAL NOTE

By an oversight, which is much regretted, the article entitled "At the Children's Matinée," in our February number, was signed "Clara Meadowcroft," instead of with the full name of the author, which is Clara Platt Meadowcroft. We cheerfully make this correction, and are sorry that the proper signature did not appear in the decorative heading printed with the article itself.

SPRINGFIELD, MASS.

DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: Years ago, when I was a little fellow and a constant reader of ST. NICHOLAS, you published diagrams and directions for some very clever paper-folding. I remember with what enthusiasm I solved for myself the mysteries connected with the construction of a "Nantasket Sink" and other wonders, into some of which I have initiated a good many boys and girls since then.

I was reminded of those times and of ST. NICHOLAS when I lately saw a Japanese student, surrounded by an eager group of boys and girls, and folding for them from square pieces of paper what they all agreed were "real Easter lilies." I learned from him how it was done, and have written it all out with the diagrams and directions which used to be so dear to my own heart. I have even tried them on some young friends of mine, so I know they can be understood and used.

the edges that ran from this corner at F to C, and giving once more Figure 6.

Now turn the whole figure over, and repeat the fold with the other corner at H and the other corner at F, giving Figure 7.

Raise somewhat the edge IJ, and taking a single edge of the line IC and its continuation IK, and a single edge of the line JC and its continuation JK, make each to lie along the line EC. This will form a little angle at K, which will be forced upward and then backward upon the line EC, producing Figure 8.

Turn the whole figure over, and proceed as before. Now take one of the corners at J and bring it over upon the corner at I. Turn the whole figure over, and again bring one of the corners at J over upon the corner at I. This brings us back, apparently, to Figure 7 again. Proceed as before, turn the whole figure over, and repeat yet once more. The result will be Figure 9 (except for the dotted lines).

Lift the corner at K and bring it forward along the line EC as far as it will go, to L. Do the same with each of the other three similar angles.

Take one of the edges ME and bring it over upon the line NE. Turn the whole figure over and repeat, forming Figure 10.

Take one of the edges ME and one of the edges NE, and bring them over upon the line EC, creasing thoroughly, thus forming Figure 11; turn over and repeat.

HOW TO FOLD AN EASTER LILY

1

5

I.

TAKE a square piece of paper, as in Figure Bring the corner A over upon the corner C, and crease firmly along the diagonal DB, producing Figure 2.

Bring the corner B over upon the corner D, and crease along the line EC, producing Figure 3.

Now lift the corner B again until the line BE is perpendicular, and spreading apart the two edges that run from B to C, press the corner B down upon the corner C. The crease EB will thus fall upon the crease EC, forming Figure 4.

Turn the whole figure over, and proceed in similar manner to raise the corner D until the line DE is perpendicular, and then, spreading apart the two edges that run from D to C, press the corner at D down upon the corner at C. The result is Figure 5.

You will see that the center of the original square of paper is now at E, and all

the original corners at C, while four new corners have been formed, two at H and two at F, thus making four exactly similar double-thickness triangles. Hereafter, whatever fold is made on one of these four similar parts of the figure, will be repeated on each of the other three. Lift one of the corners at H until it is directly above the line EC, and, spreading apart the two edges that run from the corner at H to C, press the corner at H down firmly upon the line EC. The result will be Figure 6.

Bring the corner at J over upon the corner at I. Now lift one of the corners at F until it is above the line CE, and press it down upon that line, spreading apart

Then take one of the edges ME and bring it over upon the line NE, and fold in ME and NE to EC as before; turn over and repeat. The result will be Figure 12.

Now with a pencil curl back a single thickness of the angle at C upon the line CE as far as it will go. Do the same with the other three angles at C, and you will have a full-blown Easter lily.

A skilful folder can produce all sorts of interesting and elaborate variations of this lily, as follows:

Cut a somewhat star-shaped figure, with as many points as you wish your lily to have petals. For the best results, each of these points should be a right

angle, or somewhat less. Use thin, tough paper Crease strongly from the tip of each point to the center; in Figure 13, for instance, crease ET, EV, EW, EX, EY, and EZ. Now bring together the creases ET, EV, and EW

It was rough when we were in the Bay of Biscay, too, but those were the only places. We got to London on the fifth of April, Good Friday. We never were so glad to get off anything, I think, as that boat; we had been

so that they lie one upon another; and, on the other side, bring together the creases EX, EY, and EZ so that they lie one upon another, and press down, giving Fig

ure 14.

This corresponds to Figure 5 in the description of the four-petaled lily; and as Figure 5 was composed of four similar parts, each a double-thickness triangle, so this figure is composed of as many similar parts as it originally had points, each being a double-thickness triangle. Treat each of these parts as you treated each part of Figure 5 before, and each point in your figure will become a petal in your flower.

Some interesting effects can be produced by making every other petal short and broad, and every other one long and slim; or by using a piece of paper shaped as in Figure 15, but treating it as though it had but three points, X, Y, and Z.

BRYAN, O.

DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: I am a girl thirteen years of age, and have lived in India with my mother and father for ten years. My mother, brother, sister, and myself came to America, and we were passengers on the Titanic. My father stayed in India for another year. I am going to tell you about our journey home, and about the Titanic disaster.

We started from India March 7, on the steamer City of Benares. We had a very nice voyage to Port Said. The sea was very calm. While in the Suez Canal we saw camels and many other interesting objects. When we left Port Said, it began getting cooler, and the sea was getting a little rougher. We went between the two islands Corsica and Sardinia to Marseilles. There, nearly everybody got off to go shopping. When we left Marseilles, we got into the Gulf of Lyons, and it was very rough there. The waves just dashed over the highest deck. When we went through the Strait of Gibraltar, we did not see the rock, because it was night.

on it twenty-nine days, almost a month. We stayed in London five days, so as to make connection with the steamship Titanic, which was sailing the tenth of April from Southampton. During those five days, we went to the places of interest, like St. Paul's Cathedral, Zoological Gardens, and Westminster Abbey. We also saw the largest clock in the world, which is called "Big Ben."

On the tenth, we left London for Southampton on the train. We got on the Titanic about ten o'clock, and sailed at twelve. We were thinking of getting to New York in about six or seven days, but when we got on the Titanic, we heard people saying that we were going to get there in about four or five days, that Captain Smith was going to make his maiden voyage a record one.

We were just dazzled when we got on this lovely big boat. Our cabin was just like a hotel room, it was so big. The dining-room was beautiful, with the new linen and silver. There was an elevator, so we did not have to walk up or down. We had been on the Titanic for three or four days, when we found it was beginning to get bitterly cold. On Sunday, we all crowded to the inner decks especially made for winter.

On Sunday night, my mother had just gone to bed, it seemed, when she was awakened by the engines stopping; then she heard a pounding noise above our cabin. She got up and asked a steward what the matter was, but he said, "Nothing," and that she should go back to bed. She came back into the cabin; but then our own cabin steward came, and she asked him, and he said to tie on her life-belt and come, that the ship was sinking; so she awakened me, and we all put on our shoes and stockings and our coats over our night-clothes, and went to the upper deck. We heard them sending off rockets for help, and the band was playing. Soon an officer came and told us to all come and get into the life-boats. We went. My mother, brother, and sister got into one life-boat, and then they said it was all for this boat, so my mother told me to get into the next one. I got into another boat, and when they were lowering it, another one nearly came on top of us. We finally did get to the surface of the water, with much difficulty. The Titanic was sinking lower and lower. We could see the port lights go under one by one until there was an awful explosion of the boilers bursting, and then the ship seemed to break right in the middle, and, after a bit, go down. When it did go down, we heard terrible screams and cries from the people that were going down with the boat. We rowed for quite a while, then the oarsmen on our boat began singing songs to cheer us up. Sometimes we would think we saw a light, but it would only be a star in the horizon. It was bitterly cold, and we did not have anything on except our coats over our night-clothes. None of our family had any life-belts on at all. Suddenly, in the early morning, we saw a faint green light; it came nearer and nearer. It proved to be

the light on the rescue ship Carpathia, which was sending off rockets to notify us that it had come to save us. We rowed as fast as we could to it, and were one of the first boats to get there. I was the first to be taken off, and a steward came and took me to the first-class dining-saloon, and gave me brandy and hot coffee; but I could not drink anything, I was so worried about my mother. After a while, though, I found her in the second-class dining-saloon, trying to find me, with my sister and brother. My, but I was glad to see her! The women were hunting for their husbands, and when they could not find them, they knew they had gone down with the Titanic. It was an awful sight!

Then, before we sailed for New York, they sent four life-boats afloat so that they could get any one that was drowning.

We had fog all the way to New York, and got there in the pouring rain. We went right to a hotel, and the next day we went on to Michigan.

I have taken ST. NICHOLAS for a year now, and like it very much. I can hardly wait until the time for the next one to come.

Your most interested reader,

RUTH E. BECKER.

HAVANA, CUBA.

DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: This is the first letter I have ever written to you, although I have taken you for four years. We live on a big farm. I have three sisters and one brother.

We have on our farm grape-fruit, oranges, mangos, lemons, and guavas. May is the mango season here, and then we just feast on them. We live twelve miles from the city, and less than a quarter of a mile from the nearest town.

We had two cocoanut-palms in our yard, but one got sick and died.

The best story I have ever read is "Dorothy, the Motor-Girl." Another exciting story is "The Land of Mystery."

Your interested reader,

NATALIE E. HARVEY (age 11).

SANTA CLARA, CAL.

DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: I think that the ST. NICHOLAS family may be interested to hear about the place where I spent my vacation. It was in the Big Basin of California, where the largest redwood-trees in the world grow.

These trees, although not so large as those in the Yosemite, are large enough to interest most people, and possess a characteristic which the Mariposa trees do not. If a tree is burned or cut down, or in any way injured, it does not die, but, sending up new shoots, lives on. Thus it is practically impossible to kill them. One tree is burned out completely, and as its heart is gone, looks much like a chimney; but, in spite of this. it is growing and apparently enjoying life as much as its neighbors.

The highest tree is 350 feet high, and the largest is sixty-seven feet in circumference at the base. Automobiles are backed into this tree, and then a picture is taken.

Early one morning, we took a beautiful walk, and in one place saw Woodwardia ferns that were eight feet high. Huckleberry bushes lined the creek banks and covered the hillside, and the blueberries were a pleasing contrast to the bright green. The water babbled below us, and the wind sighing above us seemed to be an echo of the rushing water. Once or twice a blue-jay

cawed, and the discordant sound seemed to belong to the place in some way, although everything else was harmonious.

I have only taken ST. NICHOLAS for a year, but I watch for its coming every month, and my only regret is that I did not become a subscriber sooner. Your true friend,

GERTRUDE GROTOPHORST (age 16).

THE DREAM OF A FAIRY

Rock opal point, a point of land
Just like the greater Guiding Hand
That leads to the wonderful silver sea
By the golden river, a dream to me.

Birch-trees cover its mossy banks,
And shells of rare kinds are on its planks
That cross over the river so wide
That leads to the sea with its roaring tide.

The little pebbles along its shore

Are washed by the sea with its awful roar;
It washes over the soggy sands,
Covering abalone, snails, and clams.

The sun rises over the water so deep,
And wakens the robins from their sleep,
As they begin their morning song,
Just as the church-bells go ding-dong.

JAMES JEROME HILL, 2d (age 8).

SHRUBOAK, N. Y. DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: You have been in our home for a great, great many years; we are all anxious to get the mail when it is time for you to come.

I have one sister and three brothers. My oldest brother is twenty-one years old, the next twelve, and the last seven. My sister is fifteen. We are all much interested in you, and read all your stories. I have joined the League and so have my sister and brother. We have four volumes bound, which we are fond of. We have a horse, a cat with two kittens (the mother and children are all tiger-kittens), and quite a good many chickens.

The mother kitten never catches chickens, but she catches mice. She seems to like chickens, and there is one chicken she rubs against every morning when it comes in, and the little kittens play with it. Your interested reader,

EMILY MINOR MARTENS (age 10).

LONDON, ENGLAND. DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: I have taken you for one year, and think you are the nicest book I have had; I am particularly interested in "The Lucky Sixpence" and "Beatrice of Denewood," and often wish I could see Denewood.

I am an Australian, and have lived most of my life in Sydney.

I came over from Australia in July, 1912, on a German boat called the Scharnhorst. It was very nice, and we sometimes had as many as three ice-creams a day in the hot weather. The captain let me and a little boy called Ted see the wireless room, which we liked very much.

Yours very faithfully,

JOAN ANTILL (age 11).