out with the scissors--the result being that when the paper was unfolded the meaningless “thing” resolved itself into a beautiful geometrical pattern, which showed to great advantage when stuck upon the black woodwork of the mantel. [Illustration: FIGS. 201-210.--Two Ways to Cut a Five-pointed Star.] Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Harrison, and Thomas Lynch, Jr., were appointed a committee by the Continental Congress to design a national flag for the baby United States, and you all know that in the little old house, 239 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Betsey Ross made the First American Flag. You have also probably read the legend so frequently published, which tells us that the stars in the original design were six-pointed, and were only changed because some one showed how To Cut a Five-pointed Star with One Clip of the Scissors, by folding Fig. 201 in the form of Fig. 202, and folding the latter in the form of Fig. 204, again folding in the shape of Fig. 205, and then making a cross-cut at the dotted line. When the paper was unfolded it appeared in the form of Fig. 210, a five-pointed star. Another Way to Cut a Five-pointed Star, is to fold a circular disk of paper (Fig. 206) across its diameter (Fig. 207), and fold this in the form of a fan (Fig. 209), which when pressed down flat will be Fig. 208. One cut, where the dotted line is shown on Fig. 208, will produce the five-pointed star (Fig. 210). If, as according to the legend, it was because of the simplicity of this one clip of the scissors that the five-pointed star was adopted, the old legend needs revision, for A Six-pointed Star can be made with One Cut, with no more trouble than it takes to make the five-point. Fold the paper as in Figs. 195, 196, and 197 (see Reticule). Fold the form (Fig. 197) fan-wise, at the dotted lines on Fig. 211, making the divisions equal (Fig. 212). Press the folds down until they are flat (Fig. 213), and make the cut at the place indicated by the dotted line. When the paper is unfolded you will have the six-pointed star, Fig. 214. [Illustration: FIGS. 211-214.--A Six-pointed Star, with One Cut.] This is the star of the East, which guided the wise men to the lowly manger--the Star of Bethlehem, a grander and better symbol than the irregular five-pointed star. The six-pointed star stands for Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men. The magicians of old called the six-pointed star the “pentacle” of Solomon. [Illustration: FIGS. 215 and 216.] One of the oldest and most venerated symbols is The Cross, and if you make one of the proportions of five squares, each of the three arms of equal size, and equal to the square space in the middle, you may, by Two Cuts, make the Cross into a Square.