The Holy Infancy

The Saviour of the World #1

by Charlotte M. Mason

Charlotte Mason is known today as a British educationalist from the early 1900's whose ideas and philosophies are currently being rediscovered by modern day home schools and private schools throughout the world. Many of Mason's modern readers may be unaware of her devout spiritual life and her deeply moving poetry. This is the first volume of a six-volume set of Mason's poetic writings on the life of Christ.



This volume will appeal to Mason's current fans, to Christians of many persuasions, and to anyone who enjoys reading epic and/or religious poetry.



SOME OPINIONS OF THE PRESS ON "THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD" - VOL. I. - THE HOLY INFANCY

These reviews/comments followed the original release of The Holy Infancy in 1907.



"This is a very pleasant volume. The authoress has been entirely successful in her aim. Her verse is simple and devoid of sought adornment, and the familiar story wrought into it is revealed in something of its original sweetness."

-- Glasgow Herald



"This book is a rendering, chiefly in blank verse, of our Lord's life as recorded in the Gospels. Its value, apart from the deep reverence and devoutness which characterise the book on every page, is that poetry catches the attention and intensifies the interest, which sometimes flags in the reading the text . . . new presentation of familiar truths, expanded and developed, gives a fresh delight, awakens new convictions, and is a further stay to faith."

-- School Guardian



"The talented and devoted Anglican author of this work looks forward to the time when some poetic genius will arise and give to the world the greatest epic of all ages, the august story of the Messiah . . . The medium of verse is specially dignified being easily impersonal, condensed, reticent, and reverent. We congratulate Miss Mason on the considerable measure of success attending this first volume of the work to which she has put her hand . . . Various other passages it would be pleasing to quote, did space permit, and especially those concerning the weariness, disappointment, and isolation in the wilderness, and again Nicodemus and the soul's new birth, passages in which high doctrine, faithfully understood, is expressed in worth and musical language."

-- Tablet



"The author of this little book has tried to supply a real want by giving us a poetical version of the Gospel History. She has many of the qualities that fit her for the task, a deep reverence for her subject and also a true poetic feeling."

-- Commonwealth



"The Saviour of the World has one special merit. It helps one to realise what the Incarnation means practically--that the first Advent of God the son was a real identification of Himself with our mortal nature, not in appearance only."

-- Guardian



"The first volume of what promises to be a remarkable work ... opens with a paraphrase in dignified blank verse, of the prologue of St. John's gospel . . . The poet paraphrasist has performed her self-appointed task admirably, with reverence and discretion . . . the interview with Nicodemus might well have been written by Browning himself."

-- Lady



"To the author, the composition of these poems, illustrative of the words and acts of Our Lord, must have been a labour of Love . . . Everywhere her language breathes a spirit of deep devotion to the Saviour of mankind."

-- Catholic Times



"A distinctly noteworthy contribution to contemporary devotional prosody . . . We wish her well upon her toilsome but enviable journey."

-- Liverpool Courier

Genres: Education, Poetry

150 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 15, 2015

About the author

Charlotte Mason, a renowned British educator, lived during the turn of the 20th century. She turned the idea of education being something of utilitarian necessity into an approach based upon living ideas. She believed that education is "an atmosphere, a discipline, a life" and a "science of relations." Her methods are embraced around the world today, especially among the homeschool community.

Reviews

[Mariah Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn’t my first time reading through The Savior of the World. The first time I read it, maybe 10ish years ago, I ate it up, just excited to read anything from Charlotte Mason. But this time through, I didn’t find it as enjoyable. I don’t think it’s good poetry, sorry to say, but what I do appreciate in it is the creative narration aspect that I know was part of Miss Mason’s process.

[Gina Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this poetic retelling of the beginning of Christ’s life by Charlotte Mason. In the introduction she says, “a version in a new form is a concession to human infirmity, but we know how arresting a new, though inferior, presentation is; no one can read the Gospels in another tongue, though in a poorer translation, without new convictions, new delight. For these reasons, the writer ventures to hope that rendering in verse which aims at no more than being faithful and reverent may give pleasure to Christian people, may help to bring out the philosophical sequence of our Lord’s teaching, and throw it into relief the incidents of His life.”