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Published During the College Year by the Students of Spelman College, Atlanta, Georgia
Volume VIII
December 15, 1931
Number 3
I'hree Madonnas
Johnnie Moates, ’33
During the fifteenth and sixteenth cen
turies, when books were rare and the Church
taught its lesson through beautiful paintings
which adorned the church walls, as well as
through sermons, many of our greatest art
ists lived and worked. A few of these works
that have endured through the ages greet us
at Christmas time through greeting cards,
songs, and advertisements. Particularly in
the Madonnas have Raphael and Correggio
elevated the tenderness in motherly love to
heights of power and devotion. The qual
ities of these scenes are not of the type
which call forth immediate admiration, but
which slowly and steadily dawn upon the
horizon of appreciation.
In the Madonna of the ( hair the 3 irgin is
seated, holding her child in her arms as if
to shield him from some impending danger,
or maybe to tell him a lovely story. Such
maternal instinct suggests a typical scene
of real life. As he nestles into her embrace,
her head rests gently against his. There is
a gleam of seriousness in his eyes as they
follow her gaze. His rounded limbs and
playful feet portray genuine health. A child
at her knee, generally known as St. John
the Baptist, seems to kneel. In his arms
is a cross and his hands are clasped as in
prayer. Although the mother and babe look
out of the picture, his eyes are fixed, as in
ardent worship, on the child. Around each
head is a halo.
Turning to the famous Sistine Madonna,
we recognize a more spiritual creation. As
in a vision, the figures are removed from
earthly surroundings into a heavenly atmos
phere, and the mother and child seem to be
lost in the thoughts of their mission. From
a cloud of innumerable cherubs, which tone
a faint background, the ideal Mother de
scends, offering her son to the service ot
humanity. Her face is shrouded with mys
tery as she courageously obeys the divine
summons. ’I he drapery has been drawn
aside, revealing two figures kneeling on
either side, as if to await her coming. The
wind blows her rol>es as she moves torward.
Below hei fared feet, two little bright-eyed
angels peep over the margin of the picture
in perfect adoration and praise.
Again in ( orreggioV IInig Sight, orig-
Chnstmas Carol Concert
The fifth annual Christmas carol concert
to be given in Sisters Chapel, Sunday eve
ning, December 20th, at 8:00 o’clock will
include some new features, although one
could never tire of hearing the old, old story
in the oldest of the carols. There will be
representative carols of France, Germany,
England, Poland, and Russia and a group
of Negro melodies. There are not many
Negro Christmas spirituals, but this program
will contain three that the director, Mr. Har-
reld, has recently discovered, but has not
presented in any previous program.
The public is invited.
Students of Morehouse and
Spelman to Hear Hughes
Coming! Langston Hughes, Negro poet,
who has achieved fame in the literary
world as a poet. As a composer of a new
type of poetry called the jazz poems and
spirituals, he has caught the attention of
critics and the interest of the modernists.
Come and hear him read his own poems, such
as Me and Mg Gal.
Mr. Hughes is being invited to Atlanta on
December Kith by the student body of More
house College, but he will also be a guest of
Spelman while here.
inallv known as The Natiritg, we are at
tracted by the emphasis placed on mater
nity. The mother, whose arms completely
encircle the little form as she leans against
the manger, wears an expression of supreme
happiness and security. In tender worship
she regards the sleeping child. The light
which seems to play around her child bright
ens her girlish face and lends a spiritual
atmosphere to tin* scene. Her arm, resting
on the bed of hay, makes a pillow for his
head. A white (doth swaddles his body. One
plump foot and tin* outstretched lingers ot
one little hand peep from the folds. Al
though no angelic chorus is seen, the old
German Christmas carol, Silent Sight, lloly
Sight, -eetns to echo on tin* air.
Peace and Good-Will
The United States and the world at large
were made to feel that international peace
/s in the minds of all, even though it has
not yet been realized, when Signor Dino
Grandi, Italy’s Foreign Minister, spent
eleven days in America seriously debating
problems of peace.
The Signor, accompanied by Signora
Grandi, landed in New York on November
16th. tie came with the full sanction of
Prime Minister Mussolini and all Italy.
Two entire days were spent with President
Hoover and Secretary Stimson alone. The
most vital points discussed were: the pres
ent financial crisis, intergovernmental
debts, the problem of reduction of arma
ments and the stabilization of international
exchanges. Grandi pleaded the cause of peace
and declared that the world must regard
security as a result rather than a condition
of disarmament. During his visit he said
that Italy has seen a very encouraging
sign of the work for general cooperation
which is essential to the consolidation of
peace and the restoration of prosperity.
The conversations between this foreign
minister and President Hoover convinced
the Italian government that Rome and
Washington were in full accord on meas
ures of world economic concern. In his last
radio address before leaving, Signor Gran
di stated that he was confident that the
cooperation of these two countries will
develop further towards happy results. Es
pecially will this be true if all countries
are ready to tackle the world problems in
a spirit of reciprocal comprehension.
When Grandi sailed on November 27th,
he left in the hearts of Americans the feel
ing that all war comes from misunderstand
ing and that, following this brotherly visit,
peace is already evident.
Less than a month ago, Monsieur Pierre
Laval, French Ambassador of good will,
was entertained in America and expressed
his views which were also optimistic of
future peace.
With sanction from such world powers
a- France and Italy, other powers must
fool that we are gradually approaching
that much desired state, international dis
armament and world peace.