To have the sense of creative activity is the great happiness and the great proof of being alive. –Matthew Arnold
Dear Readers,
Matthew Henry–a 19th century author, literary critic and cultural reformer, talked about the importance of true education being the purveyor of “sweetness and light”. He strongly believed that the best education had the power to inculcate beauty, generosity, and virtue into the culture. Well, I had the rare opportunity to attend a conference that I think exemplifies the best of this notion! I am so excited to share with those who might not know about a wonderful new (well, young might be more accurate) movement of home schooling mamas committed to raising wild and free children! I was blessed by the founder, Ainsley Arment (www.bewildandfree.org ) with a ticket to attend their most recent event in Long Beach on the Queen Mary. This historic ship was a truly appropriate venue as these ladies love history and love teaching history to their children through the power of good books! Ainsley Arment has had the brilliant vision to bring together a group of her favorite bloggers and IG mamas who exemplify her view of what education should look like when we infuse it with beauty, art, music, literature and nature! Her efforts have culminated in an amazing community of strong, intelligent, artistic, and joy-filled women. I felt so blessed to spend a weekend with these precious people!
Jodi Mockabee
I had the privilege of getting to hear Jodi Mockabee (jodimockabee.com) who I first met when she was a tiny baby being bounced on her daddy’s knee. To see her speaking to this crowd of 400 ladies with such calm and humility was one of those “full circle” moments in life. Her grandfather and father were both our pastors for 15 years–in the wonderful community that was The Chapel in the Pines. Over two decades later, Jodi is a devoted mother to her five and she shared about the power of good books and the power of the words we speak in our homes to each other.
I also had the wonderful privilege of getting to hear Sarah Mackenzie live and in person! Sarah had kindly done a podcast
Sarah Mackenzie with the beautiful woodwork of the Queen Mary in the background.
with me back in September (which you can access here) but to get to meet her bubbly self in person, laugh and share this sweet event together was a treat. Her presentation focused on seeing the beauty in the small unexpected moments in life. The beauty of Sarah is that when she speaks, you know she right there “in the trenches” of motherhood and home schooling with you. If you’re not familiar with her book, Teaching from Rest, you should check out a copy! It is a breath of fresh air in our harried worlds! I’ve felt a real refreshing of grace and perspective reading her book!
Finally, the other personal treat for me was hearing from my friend, Emily Waechtler, (bluecorduroy.com) who lives here in my community and who spoke alongside her
Emily Waechtler and Toni Weber
friend, Toni Weber (www.homeschoolingbyheart.com) Both are mamas home schooling their children, and both are committed to giving their children the freedom to explore through their education the power of good books, the beauty of nature, and the rewards of self-directed learning. Their presentations were humble, kind, and full of the gentle spirit they strive to incorporate into their homes each day.
I was amazed at the calm, cool, and collected Ainsley Arment, who not only put on this very successful event, but did so with grace, humor, and generosity, all while bouncing her little Millie on her hip! So, readers, if you ever get an opportunity to attend a Wild and Free event, don’t miss out! You can also subscribe to their beautiful publications that will inspire you to incorporate more beauty into your days–they certainly have done that for me! You will be blessed, encouraged, inspired and enriched however you interact with these interesting, alive, and passionate women!
Imagine each day wrapping your hair up in a lovely bun and then slipping a very tiny bible into your chignon? Odd? Well, there was a day when many young Christian women hid their bibles this way! In September 1685, in France, all Bible reading was forbidden and Christian homes were subject to search. French Protestants known as Huguenots were forced to keep their scriptures hidden and to worship in secret. I was privileged to get a little glimpse into the lives of this courageous minority on a recent visit to Provence, France while visiting with ICCP of Aix-en-Provence. While staying there with a gracious 93 year-old Huguenot gentleman, a Monsieur D’Cazenove, we were able to visit the Musée du Désert, where this fascinating and inspiring history is kept alive. And indeed it’s true that Huguenot women hid their very tiny bibles in their chignons!
This tiny bible measures just one inch high yet is very legible. Huguenot women hid them in their chignons. From Le Musée du Désert, Cevennes, France
The Huguenots were the fruit of the tide of the Reformation coming to France in the mid 16th century, and were devoted to reforming the church and the political institutions of their times. Many noble and highly intellectual families joined this movement, but in a majority Catholic country where the Church was all powerful, persecution was inevitable. The most notorious incident occurred on St. Bartholomew’s Day, 1572, when thousands of Huguenots were in Paris to celebrate the wedding of Henry of Navarre (a Huguenot) to Marguerite de Valois (a Catholic). The young King Charles IX, under the sway of his powerful mother, Catherine d’ Medici, ordered the massacre of all Huguenots. Thousands died in Paris that day and tens of thousands all across France.
When Henry IV, a Huguenot known as Le Bon Roi–the Good King, came to the throne, he passed the Edict of Nantes (1598) granting religious freedom to Huguenots–one of Europe’s first documents to protect this fundamental right. However, 80 years later, King Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes, and Huguenots were harassed out of all educated professions, arrested, tortured and imprisoned, their lands and properties confiscated. Louis XIV issued countless warrants for the arrest of Huguenots who refused to convert to Catholicism. At left are just a few of King Louis’s numerous warrants persecuting Huguenots. In these samples, agents of the King are instructed to destroy all the Huguenot churches, extinguish and suppress their colleges, arrest their midwives, and to obtain their declarations as to whether they will convert or die as Protestants.
This barrel converted into a pop-up pulpit, but looked like an ordinary barrel when not in use.
It was particularly during this period that Huguenots became very creative in finding ways to worship in secret. As a large majority lived in the Provence region, where there are thick forested areas and many caves and grottoes, the Huguenots often met secretly in caves to worship. A home church or a church meeting in a factory might have a convertible pulpit, that when not in use looked like an ordinary wooden barrel, but converted quite ingeniously into a pulpit by a clever system of levers. Goblets for communion wine could be converted to appear as ordinary looking candlesticks, and picture frames were designed so that bibles could be hidden between the mirror and the back of the frame.
Despite these subterfuges, countless Huguenots were arrested, tortured and put to death. Over 5000 men were forced to slave on the galleys of the King, choosing that grim fate over giving up their faith. Marie Durand was arrested at age 19 and spent 38 years imprisoned because she refused to violate her conscience.
Remarkably, despite these tremendous hardships, the Huguenot people were known as the “people who sing.” Their secret worship services were marked by their joyful singing of the scriptures set to music, particularly the psalms. When I question our host, Monsieur d’Casenove, about this fact, he slips quietly into his centuries-old chateau and reemerges quickly holding an ancient book in his hand. It is a psalmer, a very old book of the psalms set to music. When I ask him how old it is, he turns to the copyright page, and the book had been printed in the 1550s.
The history of the Huguenot people is a rich, varied, and inspiring history of a people who fought, suffered, and died for freedom of conscience. It is a history that has some bearing on American history too. In my next post I will explore what Huguenot history has to do with Paul Revere, George Washington, and the Marquis de Lafayette!
The chateau of Monsieur d’Casanove in the Cevennes region of France, an area rich in Huguenot history.
Rea Berg is passionate about children's books and has been republishing classic and historical children's literature for the last 30 years through her company Beautiful Feet Books. She also designs guides for teaching elementary and secondary students history using award-winning classic and historic literature. She holds both an undergraduate degree in English from Simmons College, Boston as well as a graduate degree in children's literature.
home schooling with you. If you’re not familiar with her book, Teaching from Rest, you should check out a copy! It is a breath of fresh air in our harried worlds! I’ve felt a real refreshing of grace and perspective reading her book!
magine each day wrapping your hair up in a lovely bun and then slipping a very tiny bible into your chignon? Odd? Well, there was a day when many young Christian women hid their bibles this way! In September 1685, in France, all Bible reading was forbidden and Christian homes were subject to search. French Protestants known as Huguenots were forced to keep their scriptures hidden and to worship in secret. I was privileged to get a little glimpse into the lives of this courageous minority on a recent visit to Provence, France while visiting with ICCP of Aix-en-Provence. While staying there with a gracious 93 year-old Huguenot gentleman, a Monsieur D’Cazenove, we were able to visit the Musée du Désert, where this fascinating and inspiring history is kept alive. And indeed it’s true that Huguenot women hid their very tiny bibles in their chignons!
documents to protect this fundamental right. However, 80 years later, King Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes, and Huguenots were harassed out of all educated professions, arrested, tortured and imprisoned, their lands and properties confiscated. Louis XIV issued countless warrants for the arrest of Huguenots who refused to convert to Catholicism. At left are just a few of King Louis’s numerous warrants persecuting Huguenots. In these samples, agents of the King are instructed to destroy all the Huguenot churches, extinguish and suppress their colleges, arrest their midwives, and to obtain their declarations as to whether they will convert or die as Protestants.
worship services were marked by their joyful singing of the scriptures set to music, particularly the psalms. When I question our host, Monsieur d’Casenove, about this fact, he slips quietly into his centuries-old chateau and reemerges quickly holding an ancient book in his hand. It is a psalmer, a very old book of the psalms set to music. When I ask him how old it is, he turns to the copyright page, and the book had been printed in the 1550s.
