Mark Potosky, age 13, of Adamsburg, Pa.,'for his question:

WHAT IS THE STATUE OF LIBERTY HOLDING IN HER LEFT HAND?

Standing on Liberty Island in New York Harbor is the stately Statue of Liberty. Her proper name is Liberty Englightening the World, and she represents freedom. From the tip of her torch down to her sandals she measures 151 feet. The pedestal and base on which she stands raises her up another 154 feet. She is dressed in a loose robe that falls in graceful folds. On her head she wears a crown of spikes that spread like rays from the sun. In her right hand she holds aloft the burning torch of freedom, and in her left hand she holds a tablet bearing the date July 4, 1776, in Roman numerals. Andy thinks that the tablet symbolizes the Declaration of Independence, although others think that it may represent a book of law.

The idea for the beautiful Statute of Liberty was first suggested by the Frenchman Edouard de Laboulaye in 1865. It was proposed as a memorial to American independence and as a symbol of friendship between France and America. In 1885 the statue was shipped to the United States in 214 separate cases. On Oct. 28, 1886, President Grover Cleveland dedicated the monument. Since then it has served as a symbol of hope and freedom to countless thousands of individuals.