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Show ae' r " t THE CRADLE-ROCKING FORM OF WOR8HIP AT CHRIST. MAS IN GERMANY. Resulted In the Church Later Gaining Much Stronger Hold on the People. 7tf IIItOUauOUT Germany, and olio 1 Italy and Franco there has been for somo time a widespread use of the "crib." It Is now universally diffused In the Itoman church. Crlbi are the delight of children who through the season of Christinas and Epiphany Epiph-any wander Into the churchc nt all times of the day to gaie wldo eyed on the lifelike scene and offer a prayer to their "Little llrother," it they call the Christ child. The use of the "crib," however, is by no meant confined to churches. It Is common In many homes both Catholic and Protestant xui-iB grew up in uerraany, aoout tho Fourteenth century, tho extremely ex-tremely popular Christmas custom of cradle-rocking, a response to the people's peo-ple's need of a lifelike and homely presentation of Christianity. The crib became a cxodlo that could be rocked and the worshipers were thus able to express In physical action their devotion devo-tion to the new-born babe. Tho cradle-rocking cradle-rocking seems to have been done at first by the priests, who Impersonated the Virgin and St. Joseph and sane a duet, alio people and the choir took part In the singing. In time dancing, which was a natural accompaniment to fostlve song to the early Oennnns, became common around the cradle. Eventually tho people were allowed to rock the cradle with their own hands. It was by appeals llko this to tho homely Instincts of Uie people thnt tho church was ablo to gain a real hold over them, so that during tho Fifteenth, Fif-teenth, Sixteenth nnd Seventeenth centuries Christianity became n genu-Inely genu-Inely popular religion In Germany. Dr. Andred Tlllc, n well-known Christmas historian, In an artlclo on Christmas In Germany, makes a statement thnt ls most Interesting, "In tho dancing nnd Jubilation around tho cradle," ho writes, "tho religion of the cross, however much It might In Its Inmost character be opposed op-posed to tho nature of tho German people . , . was felt no longer as something alien. It had hecomo nnt-unitized nnt-unitized hut had lost In tho process Its very coro. The preparation for a life nfter death which was Its Alpha nnd Omega, had passed Into tho background. back-ground. It was not Joy at tho promised prom-ised 'redemption' thnt expressed Itself It-self In the dance around tho cradle; for the German has never learned to feel himself utterly vllo and sinful; It was Joy at the slmplo fact that a human being, a particular human being, be-ing, In peculiar circumstances, ws born Into the world." |
