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fibrous inner bark is the phloem tissue (see ). Different types of bundles are distinguished by the arrangement of their xylem and phloem masses with reference to one another. Those bundles, in which the xylem and phloem lie side by side on the same radius, the phloem always being on the outside, are called collateral bundles, and are characteristic of the stems of seed-plants. Those in which the xylem is completely surrounded by the phloem are concentric bundles, and are characteristic of the stems of fern-plants. Those in which the xylem and phloem alternate with each other around a common center are radial bundles and are characteristic of all roots.  Vases form a very ancient class of vessels, used formerly for domestic purposes but now chiefly for ornamentation. Usually they are circular in shape, have one or two handles, and are hollow within, and variously decorated without. In architecture, however, vases need not be hollow. The ancient Greek vases found in catacombs throughout Sicily, southern Italy and Greece were used to receive the ashes of the dead. Such vases are usually of pottery, though some have been found of metal, ivory and bronze. The study of ancient terra-cotta vases has shed a great deal of light upon Greek and Roman life; but unfortunately the Egyptian vases are upon the whole of little interest, perhaps because good clay was so abundant in Egypt that it cheapened the art of pottery. The oldest Greek vases are marked by geometrical patterns. At a later stage plants and animals are used in decoration. A finer clay and a more lustrous pigment indicate the progress of the art. The greatest masters of pottery were the Athenians, who in the 6th century B. C. invented a brilliant black glaze, used for figures upon a red ground. At a later stage the Athenians frequently depicted red figures upon a black ground. A period of decadence in the potter's art appears to have begun in Athens as early as the fourth century B. C. The vases of Sicily and southern Italy were more gay and less classic than those of Athens.

Among the Greek vases' the type best known perhaps is the amphora, in which oil and wine were kept. The pithos was a large and comparatively coarse vase for grain or the cheaper fluids. The hydra was a water-pitcher which possessed an extra handle for pouring. The crater was a bowl from which wine was served to the company at table. The cylix is a very shallow, broad cup. The figures upon these and other Grseco-Roman vases reveal to the modern observe! scenes from the myths, the industries, the festivals, the ceremonies and the sports of ancient life. The Portland (q, v) vase in the British Museum is one of the most famous examples. The workmanship of this vase is peculiar, for it is constructed of two layers of glass, of which the outer and opaque layer is cut down in such a way that figures are left standing, cameo-fashion, upon the inner layer as a ground. See.  Vas'sar College, founded by Matthew Vassar, the first well-equipped institution for the higher education of women, is two miles east of Poughkeepsie, N. Y. It was incorporated in 1861 and opened in 1865. In the same year Mr. Vassar transferred to the trustees a farm of 200 acres, on which the college was to be built, and other property, the whole amounting to $400,000 in value. He increased this sum by other large gifts during his lifetime, and on his death bequeathed $400,000 more. It has also been pecuniarily aided by Mr. Vassar's nephews In accordance with the wish of Mr. Vassar some of the instructors are men and some are women. The buildings are the main building, modeled after the Tuileries, observatory, laboratory, museum, conservatory, gate-lodge, gas-works, boiler and pump houses and farm-buildings. The library contains 60,000 volumes, and the gymnasium, observatory and laboratory are finely equipped, while the conservatory was added for assistance in the study of botany. It has also a collection of paintings and casts of models. There are 210 acres in the grounds, forming a beautiful park, with a lake for boating and skating. Besides the regular course for the degree of A. B., admission to which requires the same examinations as entrance to the leading colleges, there are schools of painting and music. In 1910 there were 104 instructors and 1,058 students; and the college is steadily growing in size and in influence. To-day its annual income is close upon $490,000; while the amount of its productive funds is $1,312,600. The value of its chief buildings and residences at present exceeds two million dollars. The college offers its students four fellowships, six or seven graduate scholarships, besides a number of undergraduate scholarships.  Vassar, Matthew, American philanthropist and founder of Vassar College, was born in Norfolk County, England, April 29, 1792, and four years later accompanied his father to America, where he settled on a farm near Poughkeepsie, N. Y., his father establishing a brewery in that city. Young Vassar subsequently succeeding his father in this interest, he decided in 1845 to apply a portion of the profits derived from it to the endowment of a school for the higher education of women. This purpose he put into effect in 1861, by donating $400,000 to the institution in Poughkeepsie that became known as Vassar College. The success of the institution was gratifying and immediate. On Matthew Vassar's death in June, 1868, he provided in his will for a further donation of $400,000 to Vassar. The in- 