AL A CHRISTMAS CAROL J. G. HOLLAND LL Christmas literature worth while has been drawn from the same source. The source of inspiration of this Christmas poem, and of all other worthy Christmas literature, is in the following familiar extracts from Bible literature: And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone 'round about them; and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men! And the shepherds came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.-Luke 2. Behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. And, lo, the star, which they before them, till it came and stood child was. And when they were saw in the east, over where the went young A CHRISTMAS CAROL 61 come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshipped him. -Matt. 2. A CHRISTMAS CAROL * There's a song in the air! And a baby's low cry! And the star rains its fire while the Beautiful sing, There's a tumult of joy O'er the wonderful birth, Is the Lord of the earth. Ay! the star rains its fire and the Beautiful sing, In the light of that star Has swept over the world. Every hearth is aflame, and the Beautiful sing We rejoice in the light, And we echo the song That comes down through the night From the heavenly throng. Ay! we shout to the lovely evangel they bring, SUGGESTIVE EXERCISES 1. Who were "the Beautiful"? 2. Why a "tumult" of joy over this wonderful birth? 3. Look up in any good encyclopedia how pearls are formed. * From "The Complete Poetical Writings of J. G. Holland"; copyright, 1879, 1881, by Charles Scribner's Sons. 4. Look up "impearled" in an unabridged dictionary. What is the meaning here? 5. What is "the song from afar"? 6. In what way has this song swept over the world? 7. In what sense do we "rejoice in the light"? 8. Why does the poet say the song still comes down? 9. Why "through the night"? 10. What is an evangel? 11. Why is the word King capitalized in the last line and not before? 12. How may we "echo the song"? REFERENCES LOWELL: A Christmas Carol. LONGFELLOW: The Three Kings. Christmas Bells. MILTON: Hymn to the Nativity. TENNYSON: Birth of Christ. SIR JOHN BOWRING: What of the Night? DOMMETT: A Christmas Hymn. THRING: Hymn for the Nativity. BOLTON: The Shepherd's Song. A. W. MORRIS: A Christmas Carol. FIELD: Christmas Eve. SEARS: Christmas Hymn. A. CARY: A Christmas Story. K. D. WIGGIN: The Glad Evangel. TATE: While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night. WILLIAM REED DUNROY: Bethlehem. STEVENSON: Christmas at Sea. NOTE: For a complete volume of Christmas literature, see R. H Schaulfler. Christmas. Moffat, Yard and Co., N. Y., 1907. COLUMBUS JOAQUIN MILLER EVERY one is familiar with the simple story of the life and voyages of Columbus. But few of us today appreciate his "struggle of faith, patience, and wisdom against superstition, jealousy, and ignorance.' Filled with the current idea of expert geographers, Columbus believed the earth to be a globe, and that the rich ports of India and the East could best be reached by sailing westward. With no idea of discovering new lands, but with a firm determination to find a shorter route to the Indies, to carry the Catholic faith to the nations of the East, and to gain for himself fame and fortune, Columbus set out on his memorable voyage. He believed himself, as he wrote in his diary, "an agent chosen by Heaven to accomplish a grand design." With faith in his compass and astrolabe, and resting securely on the Toscanelli chart to guide him safely to the East Indies, he set sail westward August 3, 1492. Day after day and no land sighted, the sailors losing heart cried out, "Are there no graves in Spain that you should bring us here to perish?" Terrified by variations of the compass, homesick and discouraged, these sailors mutinied and even threatened to throw their leader overboard, but Columbus held firmly to his purpose, declaring stoutly that, "however much they might complain, he had to go to the Indies, and that he would go on until he found them, with the help of our Lord." |