CMP Review 2024-12-26

December 26, 2024

“Christmas inspired Frances, motivated her, and kept her from depression during the winter,” wrote Nancy Carpentier Brown about G. K. Chesterton’s wife. “The Infant in the Manger was her heart’s desire, and she loved to describe His tiny feet, little hands, and small footsteps.”

When N. C. Brown prepared her book on the writings of Frances Chesterton, she began with an essay written by Frances that first appeared in the Parents’ Review. “The essay was written before her marriage and sounds strikingly similar to G.K. Chesterton, so much so that one wonders if he inspired her words, or if she inspired his. In any case, we can see how they thought alike.”

Frances served as the Organising Secretary of the PNEU from 1896 to 1901. After her marriage to Gilbert Keith, she continued to make contributions to the Parents’ Review. She expressed her devotion to Christmas year after year in original poems presented in Charlotte Mason’s inimitable journal.

In December of 1918, Frances’s latest Christmas poem filled the second page of the Parents’ Review. Entitled “Seen and Unseen,” the poem painted a vivid picture of a conversation between Mary and Joseph as they gazed upon their newborn child. Today we share this poem for your inspiration this Christmastide. Find it at here.

@artmiddlekauff