The Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1931-1952, 1931-05-07
Early Christian
Paintings Depict
CONTINUED from Page y

Bible quoted by orthodox Christians
as describing his complexion, repre-
sents it as being black. Solomon's
declaration, I am black but comedy,
o We daughters of Jerusalem (Sol.,
II, is often cited as referring to
Christ. According to the Bible it,
self, then Jesus Christ was a black
man." ("The Worlds Sixteen Cruel
fled Saviors,' PIP. 51-52, edition of
1879
If the view of Graves seems ex-
IRENE and far fetched, let US con-
slider the startling archaeological evil
dence offered by Sir Godfrey Hig-
gins, one of England's most brilliant
scholars. We shall let Mr.. Higgins
speak for himself.
In All Romish Countries
I'm all the Romish coutries of Eu-
rope, in France, Italy, Germany, etc,
the God Christ as well as his mother
are described in the old pictures to
Oe black. The infant God in the
arms of his black mother, his eyes
and drapery white, is himself per-
fectly black. If the reader doubts
my word, he may go to the Cathedral
at Moulins-to the famous Chapel
Of the Virgin at Loretta-to the
Church of the Annunciata - the
church at st. Lazaro, or the Church
of st. Stephen at Genoa-to st.
Francisco at Pisa-to the Church at
Brixen in the Tyrol, and that at Pa
dua-to the Church of st. Theodore
at Munich, in the two last of which
the witness of the eyes and teeth,
and the studied redness of the lips
are very observable; to a church and
to the Cathedral at Augsburg, where
a black virgin and child as large as
life;-to the Borghese chapel Ma
ria Maggiore--to the Pantheon-to
small chapel of st. Peters, on the
right hands side on entering, near
the door; and, in fact, to almost in
Vulnerable other churches, in coun-
tries protesting the Romish religion.
In All Old Churches
There is scarcely an old church
in Italy where some remains of the
worship of the Black Virgin and
Black Child are not to be met with
Very often the black figures have
given way to white ones, and in these
cases the black ones, as being held
sacred, were put into retired places
in the churches, but were not de-
stroyed, but are yet to be found
there.
"ln many cases the images are
painted all over and look like bronze
D.. but pictures in great numbers
are to be seen, where the whites of
the eyes and of the teeth. and the
lips a little tinged with red, like the
black figures in the Museum of the
India Company, show that there is
no imitation of bronze.
"In many instances these images
and pictures are shaded, not all one
color, of very dark brown, so dark
as to look like black.
Toes Kissed White
"They are generally esteemed by
the rabble with the most profound
generation. The toes are often white,
the brown or black paint being kis-
sed away by the devotees, and the
white wood left.
mo doubt in many places, when
the priests have newly-painted the
images, they have colored the eyes,
teeth, etc, in order trat they might
not shock the feelings of devotees
by too sudden change from black
to white, and in order, at the same
time, that they might furnish de-
cent pretense for their blackness,
viz, that they are an imitation of
bronze; but the number that are left
with white teeth, etc, let out the
secret.
The Smoke Bunk
when the circumstances have
been named to the Romish priests,
they have endeavored to disguise
the fact by pretending that the child
had become black by the smoke of
the candles; but it was black where
the smoke of a candle never came;
and besides, how came the candles
not to blaeken the white of the teeth,
the teeth and the shirt, and how
came they to redden the lips? The
Mother is, the author believes. al
ways black, when the child is. Their
real blackness is not to be ques-
toned for a moment"