VI. THE PARABLE OF JOASH. 1 25 



in the leaves ; giving them strong ribs and great 

 expanding extent ; or spinous edges, and wrinkled 

 or gathered extent. 



Get clearly into your mind the nature of these 

 two conditions. When a leaf is to be spread wide, 

 like the Burdock, it is supported by a framework of 

 extending ribs like a Gothic roof. The supporting 

 function of these is geometrical ; every one is con- 

 structed like the girders of a bridge, or beams of a 

 floor, with all manner of science in the distribution 

 of their substance in the section, for narrow and 

 deep strength ; and the shafts are mostly hollow. 

 But when the extending space of a leaf is to be 

 enriched with fulness of folds, and become beautiful 

 in wrinkles, this may be done either by pure undu- 

 lation as of a liquid current along the leaf edge, 

 or by sharp 'drawing' — or 'gathering' I believe 

 ladies would call it — and stitching of the edges 

 together. And this stitching together, if to be 

 done very strongly, is done round a bit of stick, 

 as a sail is reefed round a mast ; and this bit 

 of stick needs to be compactly, not geometrically 

 strong ; its function is essentially that of starch, — 

 not to hold the leaf up off the ground against 

 gravity ; but to stick the edges out, stiffly, in a 

 crimped frill. And in beautiful work of this kind, 

 which we are meant to study, the stays of the 



