The Cordova daily times., 1916-12-22

sionally in the churches of this 1 country are not to be compared with those of Europe, especially the remark able ones made by the peasants of It ally and of the Tyrol In the latter country there has been of recent years decided revival of interest in these groups representing the nativity of Christ
 1 It Is not unusual to see one with sev. eral hundred figures. Not alone the | birth of the Saviour, but the adoration of the shepherds, the arrival of the kings with their soldiers and courtiers the flight into Egypt, Jesus in the tenn l pie, and even the marriage at Cana are represented.
 | The Tyrols cribs have been famous 1 for centuries. and the people were just | ly proud of them until the spirit of
 modern enlightenment" invaded the | land and crib building was denounced as child's play. Enterprising antiqua- rians and art sellers eagerly bought up all the old cribs and then sold them at good profit to tourists.
 Many fine specimens have disappear. ed from the land, but fortunately | few of the best were acquired by na. tlonal museums. The best two Tyrol is known to have had, the "Ursulinen- krippe" of Innsbruck and the Moser crib of Bozen. are now in the Bavarian National museum at Munich A third the Jaufenthaler crib, is fin the Vienna l museum.
 Originally 1t belonged ts a family in Wllten. now a part of Innsbruck. Ii contained 154 animal figures. 24 build ings and 256 human figures. It in. | cludei solid woodcarvings, figures the heads of which were wax and others whose heads and limbs were movable Some of these date back as far as the year HOO. Seven scenes were repre- l scented.
 | The Moser crib of Bozen was much more extensive. Moser's city" was in itself masterpiece and included pal aces, gushing fountains, monuments | of King David and towers with six city clocks striking the hours of the night. It was valued at more than | 5000 during Moser's lifetime.
 The Ursulines' crib was particularly l famous on account of the gorgeous l dressing of the figures, The angels were clad as courtiers of heaven in 1 the rich court costumes of the seven | teenth century.
 These masterpieces are now lost to l TyrOl It can hardly cause surprise, 1 then. that serious minded men began | to entertain grave fears for their re maining works of art This fear had q : practical result fin the formation of a l society whose object was ts prevent in selling of old cribs and to revive the l spirit that produced them.
 Tyrolese cribs may be divided into two general classes. the oriental type and the Tyrolese. In the latter class l the crib owner takes 1t for granted that Christ was born i'll Tyrol, hence scenery, people and dress are purely Tyrolese In all the cribs the stable | of Bethlehem Is either the ruin of Il Il castle (according to legend, Christ first saw the light of day in the ruins of the tower of David) or part of a temple to show that the stable of Bethlehem was the first Christian temple, or else 1t is a simple cave on the mountain side.
 The stable of Bethlehem and its fiji mates always remain the center of the great scene, the rest is merely the set ting. The crib means much to the family. After weeks of careful, pain. stalking labor everything is ready, but the holy family Is not there. After supper on Christmas eve the parents domestics and children gather about the crib, the gospel scene Is read aloud and the little ones, quick to detect the absence of the "Christkind," are told that the holy family are stlll seeking a shelter and finding none. The sadness that at first expresses itself On thetI :.-...-ccccc. taces soon gives way to ioS as they recall that perhaps there if room in their own hOme-at least they will make room. At midnight the sol emn church bells call all to mass, and
 when the family returns. To! there lies the infant in the manager, while Mary