Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-12-21
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"a thrown open ON Christ
wv mas day they win dis
close to adm.ring eyes I'M
teriors hune with holly and garIanoea
with strands of evergreen while pul-
r.fa affairs and chanools arc banked
urn FOLIAGE and brilliant With hot-
bou4e flowers Christmas symbols Do
green or silver or sold swing alotL
while notices Zoo evergreen are oui-
Ure1 ou convenient backgrounds. cam
FIes blaze Boo uuWoutcd glory on flower
d.cFad affairs. and the chimes in
church towers rims ont tuneiul carols
to call che w0rupers together
Na,Vadsys we have an idea that we
5o better bon .yeyihing than amy pre-
..JIne aeo has done. But do we, pare
ueuIarIy m this matter of Christmas IN
our churches Great and wise 10
MANY particulars the medieval church
kept the story of the Nativity cone
tir.alIv in the minds of worshipers.
THE CLERGY believed that iu it was the
foundation oF their religion and lost no
opportunity of impresslug its signiu-
canoe upon their nocks. They preach
ed OF 81. they sang OF &c. and they
placed it before the eyes OF their wor-
shippers in amy pictorial form which
was possible.
Tbe two great religious orders that
sprang up ass the result of the preach
ing of So Francis of Assist and his
contemporary ST. Dominic returned
again and again 90 the conditions that
surrounded tho birth OF the Saviour to
emphasize their own doctrine Of conse-
Grated poverty The friars. baretooteo,
in coarse robes and sustained by the
aims of the populace. found in the
Manager and the stable a never falling
source of inspiration and influence.
when the pope. enlightened by NIL
rlruIous dream TO the effect that 81.
Francis and ST. Dominic were to be
the pillars which in that age OF re-
ligious horesy should support the
church against the attacks of its enc
mics. came 90 the support Of the
preaching friars. new churches ana
converts began Co spring up all over
Europe and architects OF talent pros
pored as thcy had never done before.
when the churches were erected, their
builders were called upon 90 exercise
their ingenuity i'm decorating them,
their ecclesiastical patrons favorins
reproseutauons of the Madonna and
child as best suited to appeal 20 the
simple minds of the people.
Many of the early renaissance archi-
tecls. lihe Nicola Pisano, were devout
men of whom it could truly be said
that 90 labor was to pray.
Pisano was born about 1907, and as
art was then i'm a very crude state his
first ideas of carving were obtained by
studying the bas-reuefs on some am
cient Greek marbles brought 20 his ma
tive Pisa by one of the many galleys
plying between that port and the east
such specimens We're used in orna-
menting the tombs of the time. so
poverty stricken was italy then I'm
beautiful sculpture Like AN architects
of his dav pisnno understood stone
cutting and studied the antique with
such good effect that in 1860 he WAS
abIe to create that wonderful marble
pulpit I'M the bapustery OF Pisa which
WAS the pride of the city and the envy
of every other community It's elk
sides arc ornamouted with bas-reliefs
ON one OF these is sCulptured the story
of the Nativity. "a second one being de-
voted TO the visit Of the magi kings
Slena begged for a pulpit exactly like
o. so Nicola pis8no executed IL. with
the assistance OF his son. Giovanni
who became almost as great a sculptor