OCR Text |
Show I In tlio world lina toon Illustrated by bo ninny famous nrlntM. It Is easy to see somo of tho reasons which novo mado It a fnvorlto Bitbjoct. Flrat, tlioro Is tho religious Interest which centers In tho entranco of tho Dlvlno Saviour Into tho world. Such on ovont, for nil who be llovo In tho Christian religion, must hnvo a profound significance. It Is tho sunrlso of faith, tho beginning of n now nplrllual world, tho laying of tho corncratono of the kingdom of heaven on enrtb. Evon If tho nrtlst himself wore not suro of this, did not altogether bo-llovo bo-llovo It, ho would know that other peoplo hollered ho-llered It; nnd by tho Imagination ho could see what a nu promo Importnnco was given hy tho faith of Christendom to tho. brief and simple story o( tha birth nt Hethloliem. Second, there Is tho human Interest which clings to tho over beautiful relation of motbor-hood motbor-hood nnd childhood. Tho tenderest nnd most unselfish luvo Is that with which u truo moth-' moth-' er look ul'' hcrllttlo child; tho most porfoct Innocence nnd trustful Joy are revealed In tho deep oyrs of tho baby who smiles Into the fnco of bis mother bending ovor him. Tho paint-1 paint-1 Ings of thq Child Jesus and tho Virgin Mary have drown Into themselvoH tho best thoughts of men concerning tho gracious socret of maternity ma-ternity and tho uastalned bliss of Infancy. Fantastic Legends, Third, there Is tho poetic nnd plctorJnr Interest, Inter-est, which grows out of tho Incidents of tho story, the strnngo contrast between tho heavenly heaven-ly significance of tho birth or Christ nnd Its outwnrd circumstances, the blending of tight nnd shade, Joy nnd sorrow, hope and fear, nn-gellc nn-gellc songn and earthly persecutions. Alt thoBo varied elements, centurtug nbout n slnglo tlgure, afford---IJ-olUiJinloilllcn nm .Illustration such as art loves. My first ndvlec, thou, to those who wish thoroughly to approciata and unjoy these pictures pic-tures would be to read and'tnwend tho gospel of St. Matthew from (he eighteenth verso of tho first chapter to tho end-of )ho Becond chapter, chap-ter, jnd tho first two chapters of St. Luko's y gospel. Then U would bo who to rend some ot tho later legends which wero woven In tho apocryphal books, and lit tho mcdlnoval poems and narratives about the birth and childhood of Christ. Mnny of these legends ore curious .v Bna- fantastic, evidently nllogorleal and symbol!-' symbol!-' cal. Tboy have nono of the simple directness iand quiet restraint of tho lUljlicnl history. They aro. In effoct, clear illustrations of that native trait of the human mind familiar to every one who 'has tried to tell n truo story to a child tho craving for picturesque detail. " "How did It happen? Wfjore did It happen T Who was there? How did they look? What did they da afterwards?" These aro tho questions ques-tions that c MU! run uk whon they hoar a story; and these are the questions to which men have ' given fanoirul answers lu the upoaryphal and medlnoval legends, such as the prolevnngeHum ot St. James, tho gospol ot St. Thomas, the gospel of tho psoudo-Matthew. The history of the nativity of Mary, tho golden legend ot Jnco- Kroswltha! and thitradl B'' 1 lS Hons clven by Justin Mar- KtuimmmmMmmiemammmmummmmmm miiMammamammimtmivimmmataMaai tyr. St. Jerome. St. llernard UfV kWZOWYA WTH ttlZ CMWT- OTO 11 lYlrJ("J& Id mS&T " VMVKi M:cryof0tUdsWH.gem.ary R VH M nnd symbolist material was (l "U"" J(kJ Vkj3 ' ' ljtJLv tnkon up nulto nalvoly by m.iwj-' tho painters and ombodlod In their pictures. Suppose you havo n picture of the Annunciation Annuncia-tion which roprcsontB Mnry as passing through n garden when tho angel camo to her; that Is In uccordanco with tho I'rotovangellum. which sayB that Mary was chosen by lot.from among tho virgins of Nazareth to pln tho royal purplo of tho Tomplo veil; ono day, as alio was reluming from tho fountain with hor pitcher ot water, tho angel met her nnd snld: "Hall, thou who art full ofgrnco!"nnd whon she went back to her spinning ho camo again to hor to complete his message If tho picture represents Mnry In tho house, working at the veil, tho nrtlst has cIiuboh to bIiow us tho sec-ond sec-ond appearance ot the angel. The emblems which tho artists put Into their pictures aro significant. The pot ot lilies nt Mary's Bide, tho lily-branch In tho nngel's hand symbolize purity. The olive-bough borne by tho dovo menus peace. Or bore Is n plcturo of tho nativity which shows tho Child and his mother and Joseph In a cave. This Is according to tho account of Justin Martyr (nnd qulto lu harmony with tho customs of Palestine), that tho stable of tho Inn whoro Christ was born was a grotto In the rocks, Hero perhaps you boo tho ox mid tho nss bowing their hendB before tho 1 ctilld. "Tmr"trrotrHjy-rtrrrnl-i4Hwjayiudo Matthew In fulfillment of the prophecy of Isnlnh: "Tho ox knoweth his owner nud tho ass his master's crib." Horo, nsnln. Is a dazzling daz-zling supernatural light radiating from tho child, bo that Bhephords who havo Just entered must ubndo tliolr eyes. This detail is given In many legend How the Story Develops. Tho five chief points around which the paintings paint-ings ot tho birth nnd childhood of Christ naturally nat-urally group themselves aro (1) Tho Annunciation; Annun-ciation; (2) The Nativity; (3) Tho Adoration ot the Magi; (4) The Flight Into Egypt; (C) Tho Home nt Nazareth. 1. The Aununolatlnn comes from tho first chapter of St. Luku, and with It aro associated two minor Incidents, the visit of Mary to her cousin Elisabeth, and tho birth ot John the Ilaptlst, tho forerunner of Christ. Tho painters havo delighted to show us the virginal beauty and meekness ot Mary; the Joy with which the angel brought his message, and the awe nnd wonder with which she received tho new conception con-ception of hor son ng tho Sou of the Highest, tho Saviour of Ins people. No picture of tho Annunciation Is good In which this wonder and this Joy are not expressed. If In addition tho palntor has chosen to put lu many details to mnko us feel tho Innocence and lovely grace. ot Mnry's llfo; If ho has shown us tho quiet work with which she Is busy; tho sweet order of her room which Images tho tranquillity of her soul; this also Is well. Hut tho grent thing is that ho should porculvo and show, as simply as possible pos-sible tbo charm of that perfect figure of maidenhood, maiden-hood, no rudo peasant girl, but ono with royal blood In her veins and heavenly thoughts In hor heart. The Nativity. 2. Tho pictures 6f tbo Nativity hnve n greater great-er variety of Incidents and ot modes 'of presentation. presen-tation. Tho Btmplest nro those which show Mary and Josoph In tho stablo with the child; then conio those In which tho nugols appear, or tho shepherds camo to pay their adoration; nnothcr conception represents tho mother alone with her babo adoring him or nursing him. Pictures ot tho presentation In tho temple, tem-ple, and perhaps somo of the Madonna and Child belong to tho general theme of tho Nativity Na-tivity hecauso their central Idea Is tho advent of Christ ns n little babe. Here tho painters have found a wide field for Imagination, and havo used largo liberty In expressing tho feelings with which different persons drow near to tho holy child. Mary 1b almost always shown ns wondrousty towK amagllfflg?. ns In Murlllo'g "Adoration of tho Shepherds," lifting tho cloth Hint cuT" ors tho child and displaying him with gentlo pride. 3. With lhq Adoration of tho Magi, n now clement cle-ment comes Into tho sceno. These wise men from tho enst, whether they were kings or not, woro tho representatives ot tho outside world. There nro pictures which show the Magi on their Journey led by a star, sometimes shining In tho form of a babo in tho sky; nnd others which show thorn nt tho ' court of Herod asking their way; nnd others which show them being warned by an angel in n dream not to go back to Jerusalem; and others oth-ers which show them returning by sea to their own country. Hut the great majority of paint ors hnvo ehoson tho moment nt which tho gifts ot gold and frankincense and myrrh were presented to tho child. Here tbore Is room for splendid color nnd dramatic contrast. 4. The Flight Into Kgypt is the contrasting companlon-ploce to the Adoration of tho Magi. The ono brings the great world Into tho dwelling1 dwell-ing1 of tho Child Jesus; the other carries the Child Jesus out Into the groat world. Story of the Flight, The plcturo of this subject fall Into two main divisions: thoBo which represent Its actual ac-tual Journey" nnd thoso which show the Holy Family resting, cither by tho way,, or In tho land ot Kgypt. The paintings which deaj with tho latter theme commonly known us tho lie-poso lie-poso lncludo somo of the most beautiful works of art, especially during tho last .three centuries. centu-ries. Many details hnvo been Introduced from the legends ot tho flight, In which tho apocryphal apocry-phal "History of tho Nntlvlty of Mary" 1b particularly par-ticularly rich. This Is ono or them: "Tho Holy Fnmlly rested by tho road beneath a date palm and Mary desired to eat of tho fruit; but it hung high nbovo her head. Joseph, being weary, was not ablo'to climb tho tree. But the Child Jesus knew his mother's wish, and at his command the tree bent down Its branches. Then he thrust his fingers Into tho sand, nnd n spring of water gushed forth. The next morning morn-ing Jesus thanked tho obedient tree, nnd promised prom-ised that ono ot Its branches should bo carried by tho angels and planted In Paradise." The Trlbmph of the Innocents. The landscape is halt Bhadowcd by night, but tho moonbeams weave a filmy radiance ovor plain nnd tho distant hills where tho watch fires aro growing red. In front marches Joseph, with his basket of tools on his back, a sturdy son of toll. Tho mother, a noble woman of Palestine, curries tho child In her tmnBr hn7rij"-ttml-ftHn4.?T nuyAvim r,rr. tl.i.'J. little children that run nnd float beside tbo trnvolors? They are tho spirits of the mur-dorcd mur-dorcd Innocents of Ilethlehem, set free to follow fol-low tho infant Saviour, and knowing that through him tboy havo entered by tho gate ot death Into etornnl Joy. Three tiny ghosts In tho rear hare not yet felt his presence nor onught sight of him, nnd tho pain and terror ot mortality are heavy upon thorn. Hut tho others aro radiant and rojolclng as ransomed souls; and at their feet rolls the river of life, breaking Into shimmering bubbles In which tho glories of heaven are reflected. Joseph does not see the spirits. I doubt whethor even Mary seos them clearly: Hut Jesus recognizes his former playmates with Joy. Ho loans from his mothor's arms to greet thorn, holding out a handful of wheat, tho symbol of the bread ot Heaven. It Is all mystical, visionary, unreal? Or Is it a true plcturo to the o of what faith be holds In tho religion ot Jesus? Surely If this (gospel has any moaning It Is the bringing ol light nnd blessing to the suffering llttlo one of earth; n deeper compassion and a tenderet enre for them, and tho promises ot a heavon full ot happy children. |