The Great Recognition
What were the ideas that captured the imagination of Charlotte Mason and formed her philosophy of education? Last week, Kerri Forney wrote about the special connection that Mason had to the poetry of William Wordsworth. For the next few weeks, I will write about an important idea for Mason known as “The Great Recognition.” I encourage you to read Mason’s thoughts about this in Chapter 25 of Volume 2, Parents and Children. This great recognition that Mason encountered is the idea that there is no divide between the sacred and secular or between religious and secular education but that:
God the Holy Spirit is Himself, personally, the Imparter of knowledge, the Instructor of youth, the Inspirer of genius,… a conception so far lost to us that we should think it distinctly irrelevant to conceive of the divine teaching as co-operating with ours in a child's arithmetic lesson, for example. But the Florentine mind of the Middle Ages went further than this: it believed, not only that the seven liberal arts were fully under the direct outpouring of the Holy Ghost, but that every fruitful idea, every original conception, whether in Euclid, or grammar, or music, was the direct inspiration from the Holy Spirit, without any thought at all as to whether the person so inspired named himself by the name of God, or recognized whence his inspiration came… It is truly difficult to grasp the amazing boldness of this scheme of the education of the world which Florence accepted in simple faith (Parents and Children, p. 270-271).
Mason owes much of this understanding to a fresco that can be found in the Spanish Chapel of the Santa Maria Novella church in Florence, Italy. I had the privilege of visiting that chapel last week and spending time studying this mural that was painted by Andrea di Buonaiuto in the 1360s. It is called The Triumph of Saint Thomas Aquinas and the Allegory of Christian Learning. It is painted on the west wall of a small chapel. The top of the painting is actually on the ceiling and then it extends all the way down the wall.
Next week I will talk about the different parts of the painting and how it communicates the message that there is unity in knowledge because it is all under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit whether that idea comes from a Christian or a pagan. When we come to this Great Recognition as parents and teachers, we can be relieved of the tension and discord that we have when it comes to learning about God or learning about the world. Mason said, “There is space for free development in all directions, and this free and joyous development, whether of intellect or heart, is recognised as a Godward movement” (Parents and Children, p. 275).
Have you come to this Great Recognition and how has that affected your understanding of education? Head to the Hive and let us know.
Notes
1. Office Hours: Join Dr. Shannon Whiteside as she answers general questions on Wednesday, August 9 at 3:30 p.m. EDT. Please submit questions by noon Tuesday to allow time for Shannon to prepare thoughtful responses.
2. YouTube Video: In this video, Dr. Deani Van Pelt shares her Charlotte Mason journey, which began when her oldest daughter "dropped out of kindergarten." Now a grandmother and CMI board director, Dr. Van Pelt shares with fellow board member (and Alveary member) Sara To why Mason's philosophy of education is still relevant today and into the future. This video (7-½ minutes long) will help cast a beautiful vision for your school year!
3. Latin: Are you registered for the Alveary-Exclusive Latin class with Magistra Reed? The first video will be posted on August 14.
4. Composer Study: Check out the Alveary composer playlist on YouTube that you can also share with friends! Composer study lessons are also available for anyone to purchase in the store.
5. Buckingham Palace: If you can’t make it to England to tour Buckingham Palace as some of our members did after the CMI conference, you can join a virtual tour on Instagram at 9:00 a.m. EDT on August 16.
