PRATZ 



are straw, cotton, and silken goods, 

 macaroni, furniture, etc. There are 

 serpentine quarries in the neigh- 

 bourhood. It was a republic in the 

 Middle Ages. Pop. 50,000. 



Pratz, CLAIRE DE. Anglo-French 

 novelist and journalist. She was 

 born in London, of French parent- 

 age, and educated in London and 

 Paris. Having joined the staff of 

 The Fronde, a Parisian journal 

 written and managed by women 

 only, she became also a contributor 

 to "many of the leading London 

 papers. She was made professor of 

 English language and literature at 

 the Lycee Racine in Paris, and was 

 later appointed general inspector 

 of public charities under the minis- 

 try of the interior. Her novels, 

 written in English, include Eve 

 Norris, 1907 ; Elizabeth Davenay, 

 1909 ; and Pomm's Daughter, 1914. 

 She also wrote France from Within, 

 1912 ; and A Frenchwoman's Notes 

 on the War, 1916. 



Prawn (Leander serratus). 

 Stalk-eyed crustacean of the 

 family Palaemonidae. It is common 

 on the British coasts, particularly 

 where there are submerged rocks 

 in shallow water. About four inches 

 in length, the animal is clad in a 

 translucent, jointed shell of green- 

 ish grey, which turns red when 

 the prawn is cooked. The cara- 

 pace, which covers the combined 

 head and thorax, is extended for- 

 wards in a long sword -like rostrum, 

 strongly toothed on its upper and 

 lower edges. There are two pairs 

 of antennae, the inner pair each 

 bearing three long lashes, and the 

 outer pair each with a single lash 

 extending back far beyond the 

 broad tail fan. The first two pairs 

 of legs are armed with pincers. 



The prawn swims through the 

 water by means of the six pairs 

 of swimming feet (pleopods) under 

 the hind body ; and can dart back 

 suddenly out of danger by spread- 

 ing the tail and flexing the hind 

 body. It feeds upon the small 

 green seaweeds and the entomos- 



63 1 1 



Prawn. Crustacean common in the 

 shallow waters of the British coast 



traca that frequent them. Prawns 

 are caught in a small ring-net and 

 in wicker traps of similar forma- 

 tion to lobster- pots. See Crustacea. 

 Praxiteles (fl. 360-340 B.C.). 

 Greek sculptor. He worked at 

 Athens, which was probably his 



Prato, Italy. Facade and campanile of the cathedral, 

 showing the 15th century outdoor pulpit 



birthplace. The only authentic 

 work by him known to exist is the 

 group of Hermes and Dionysus, 

 which was discovered 1877, with 

 the base and signature intact, 

 among the ruins of the temple of 

 Hera at Olympia ; this is now in 

 the local museum. There are, 

 however, numerous copies of his 



Prawn. Setting a prawning net in a 

 rock pool 



Aphrodite of Cos and Aphrodite of 

 Cnidus, Sleeping Satyr, Apollo the 

 Python-slayer, and other famous 

 statues. He chose beautiful types, 

 but did not idealise unduly ; thus 

 his fairest goddesses are mortal 

 rather than divine. See Hermes. 

 Pron. Praxitel-eez. 



Prayer. Term used to denote a 

 request made by an inferior to his 

 superior, and more particularly 

 a request made by man to the 

 supernatural being or beings who 

 form the object of his worship. 

 Prayer in some shape or form is 

 characteristic of every type of re- 

 ligion, from the lowest to the 

 highest. Sometimes it is associated 

 with the use of spells and charms. 

 In Buddhism, for instance, prayer- 

 cylinders are used inscribed with a 

 sacred formula, and, by causing 

 these cylinders to revolve, the 

 worshippers are supposed to be 

 able to secure their desires, accu- 



PRAYER BEADS 



; mulate merit, and 

 place themselves 

 under the special 

 protection of the 

 deities who form 

 their objects of 

 reverence. In the 

 lower forms of 

 religion prayer is 

 almost always 

 associated with 

 magical andsuper- 

 stitious practices. 

 Prayer may 

 therefore be re- 

 garded as one of 

 the most primitive 

 and natural in- 

 stincts of the 

 human soul. 

 Prayer and reli- 

 gion have always been regarded as 

 inextricably bound up together. 



Criticism in modern times has 

 raised two serious objections to 

 prayer. (1) The first is theological. 

 It is urged that God is immutable, 

 and moreover does not need to be 

 told what man needs. The usual 

 answer given to this is : The ability 

 of God to give is conditioned always 

 by the ability of man to receive. 

 Prayer increases the ability to re- 

 ceive, because it induces an atti- 

 tude of receptivity in the soul, and 

 consequently makes it possible for 

 God to meet the needs of the inter- 

 cessor. (2) The second is based on 

 scientific grounds. The universe is 

 ruled and governed by immutable 

 laws, which admit of no infraction 

 or interference from without. An 

 answer to prayer would violate the 

 law of uniformity, and so is impos- 

 sible. The reply to the objection 

 is obvious. Man, by the use of his 

 scientific knowledge, can use and 

 manipulate the laws of nature for 

 his own purposes without in any 

 way violating the law of unifor- 

 mity, and the power of God cannot 

 be less than the power of man. See 

 Lord's Prayer. 



Prayer Beads OR CRABS'-EYES 

 (Abrus precatorius). Climbing 

 plant of the natural order Legu- 



Prayer Beads. Foliage and flowers ; 

 inset, seeds 



