The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-12-22

Inc Dlrth or Christ the event which
Is the reason for the celebration of Christmas
has been the inspiration for some of our great
est painters. But among all the paintings of
the Nativity, there is one which probably has
greater appeal than any Of the others and is
therefore a true Christmas classic That Is
Correggio's "Holy Night"
Several years ago DR.. W. r. valentiner, di-
rector of the Detroit Institute of Arts and a
widely known authority on painting, compiled
for the New York Times Magazine list of the
"five greatest Christmas pictures" Of these
five he ranked Botticellrs Mystical Alteration
Of the Child" first but of Correggio's Holy
Night" he said: ut is undoubtedly the most
popular Of the representations Of the theme
among the old masters. 1t is for the most part,
the optimism, the radiating serenity of Cor
reggie which makes his portrayal so charming.
In addition, his Incompatible sense of beauty
makes his figures true children of the beauty
hungry Italian Renaissance sa
what charm emanates from the youthful
form of Mary what magic from the Child, from
whom here, for perhaps the first time in Italian
art, the light streams out and envelopes the
scene! Like Christmas hymn, jubilant and
glowing, with the ecstasy of the new message,
1t radiates from the beaming faces of the shep-
herds and the women, from the dancing ges-
lures of the angels.
yet It is not depth of religious feeling which
moves US first of all in Correggio's art He al
ready stands on the threshold of the high Rem
aissance with which in Italy a relaxing Of the
religious sentiment begins. But he is filed
with that for which the world of today is seek
ing, the ring of happy message, the conscious
ness of hope and of the new life, and no one
can Withstand the ardor of his youthful tenn
permanent
with the four other masterpieces of early
art which we have chosen (Botticelli's "Mys-
teal Alteration of the Child; Perio della Fran
cesca's worship of the Child; Hugo van der
Goes "Portinari Altar; and Durers "The
Paumgaertner Altar') it is, on the contrary,
the religious spirit which, together with the
beauty of the composition, wins us to their con-
ception."
Just as the Nativity has been the inspiration
for painters, so have various phases of Christ
mas been an inspiration for the poets. Some
OF their poems have been set to music and are
sung as Christmas carols, such as that of Ed
mund Hamilton Sears which begins with the
familiar lines:
sit came upon a midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth
To touch their harps Of gold. :"
IOngfellow immortalized the appeal of the
Christmas bells In his poem beginning:
II heard the bells on Christmas Day
their old familiar carols play. :"
Ard Eugene Field took the same theme in his
why do the bells for Christmas ring?
Why do the little children sing? i. :"
But of all the Christmas poems the one which
is par excellence Christmas classic, in that
it Is most often reprinted and is most familiar
to the greatest number of people, is that old,
old fayorite beginning:
Twas the night before Christmas, when all
through the house
Not a creature was stirring not even a
mouse;
The remarkable thing about this Christmas
classic Is tina. 1t was written quite by chance