December 16, 2023
Christmas, Charlotte Mason, and the Chestertons with Kerri Forney
First published in 2020, this post is part of a holiday collection of stories, poems, and meditations from the Parents' Review is an evergreen treasure. Below you'll find Kerri Forney's delightful introduction and a link to the full collection. Enjoy!
One of my favorite things about reading the Parents’ Review is discovering the richness of the community that surrounded Mason. I especially enjoy when one of my book “friends” (a favorite author that I have come to know through the pages of his or her books) unexpectedly pops up in the pages of the Parents’ Review, and I find that my book “friends” may have known one of my Review “friends”. One such surprising connection is Mason’s relationship with Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert K. Chesterton.
I read Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton many years before I was introduced to Miss Mason and quickly named him a “friend” as I could tell his insights were profound, even though I wasn’t always capable of grasping exactly what they were then or now! It was a great delight to discover some years later that the first secretary of the Parents’ National Educational Union (P.N.E.U), the organization founded to spread Mason’s philosophy, was none other than Frances Blogg who became Mrs. G. K. Chesterton upon her resignation five years after taking the position.
Both Chestertons appear to have contributed regularly to the lively discussions in the P.N.E.U. The Parents’ Review published their occasional poems or sketches and also mentions that the Chestertons chaired discussions, gave lectures, and the like. This collection contains several of their Christmas poems, a short play, an essay, and brief reminiscence from Frances about her first impression of Miss Mason when applying for the position as secretary. In her reflections on the Chestertons (also included in the collection), Clare Nicholl suggests that Mr. Chesterton found his inspiration for his famous Father Brown Stories during a holiday with his wife and Miss Mason in Yorkshire. How delightful to find that these different “friends” of mine were actually friends in real life!
Following the Chesterton’s pieces and a couple Christmas hymns that might be new to you, Mason’s “Meditations for the Season of Advent” fill out the bulk of this collection. I was stunned once again at Mason’s clear vision and clarion call to exalt the person of Christ in all she did and said. She longed for all to know Christ and to really see the glory of his personhood as God and man. Her meditations on the story of the Nativity (and throughout the Savior of the World) were written with the goal that we might see Christ anew and rejoice at his coming. May her desire be fulfilled in us as we contemplate her words.
"She longed for all to know Christ and to really see the glory of his personhood as God and man."
Following the Chesterton’s pieces and a couple Christmas hymns that might be new to you, Mason’s “Meditations for the Season of Advent” fill out the bulk of this collection. I was stunned once again at Mason’s clear vision and clarion call to exalt the person of Christ in all she did and said. She longed for all to know Christ and to really see the glory of his personhood as God and man. Her meditations on the story of the Nativity (and throughout the Savior of the World) were written with the goal that we might see Christ anew and rejoice at his coming. May her desire be fulfilled in us as we contemplate her words.
The collection closes out with an essay by Chesterton on education and a thoughtful article drawing our attention to the importance of meaningful conversations with our children among other things.
As you take the time to rest during this Advent and Christmas season, I hope you find these stories, songs, and articles fruitful to ponder and enjoy. May our resolves for good be fulfilled as we pursue this life-giving relational education for all.
Merry Christmas!
