The Worker in Sandalwood, illustrated by Frances Tyrrell.

Canadian artist and illustrator Frances Tyrrell, whose debut picture-book was a presentation of Father Jean de Brébeuf's The Huron Carol, turns her attention to poet Marjorie Pickthall's tale of a Christmas miracle in this lovely title. The story of Hyacinthe, an apprentice woodworker who is much abused by his harsh master, it follows the creation of a carved sandalwood box, ordered by Madame at the big house for Noël. When the eve of the great day arrives, and Hyacinthe has not yet completed his task, his master locks him inside the workshop, threatening him with a beating if he is not done by morning. In utter despair, the fourteen-year-old boy gives way to tears, until a knock at the door reveals a mysterious young man from faraway lands - a young man who is also a carpenter, and aids him in his task...

First published in 1914, The Worker in Sandalwood is a beautifully-written and immensely poignant tale, something I discovered when I sought out the first edition of it, at the New York Public Library, and read it n their Rose Reading Room. I initially became aware of the story through my desire to find more of Frances Tyrrell's work, after reading her edition of The Huron Carol, and subsequently going in search of other titles by her. Finding that my library didn't have her edition of The Worker in Sandalwood, I decided to read the tale anyway, and I'm glad that I did. It is a lovely work, one which captures the feeling of holy mystery that permeates the Christmas season, and which depicts the depths of despair and the heights of joy. This version, which I have finally been able to obtain through inter-library loan, presents a somewhat adapted text, but one which, as best as I can recall, retains the flavor and sense of the original. The artwork is phenomenally beautiful, confirming my belief that Tyrrell is an immensely talented illustrator. The use of color and light, the many minute details, the overall composition of each painting - everything is simply lovely! I wish that Tyrrell were a more prolific illustrator, but am happy for what I am able to track down. Recommended to anyone looking for beautifully-told and beautifully-illustrated Christmas stories. ( )

The Worker in Sandalwood, original 1914 edition.

A clumsy, dull-eyed young woodworking apprentice, worn down by abuse and despairing at the lack of love and warmth in his life, is visited by a mysterious young boy on Christmas Eve night in this lovely holiday short story from Canadian poet Marjorie L.C. Pickthall. Given only curses and blows by his cruel master, Pierre L'Oreillard, fourteen-year-old Hyacinthe is quiet and bumbling, with an inner depth and an eye for beauty that no one suspects. Left to make the sandalwood cabinet ordered by Madame at the big house, while his master gets drunk every night, he labors unceasingly in the cold of the workshop to create a thing of beauty. But when his task is not completed by Christmas Eve, he is locked in and told he will receive a beating if he isn't done by morning. Breaking down entirely, he is at his lowest point, even considering suicide, when there is a knock at the door, and a mysterious stranger with quiet eyes asks for shelter. This seeming youth, "bred as a carpenter," offers to help with his host's task, telling him tales of his own youth in far-off, sunny lands. As Hyacinthe watches, a miracle occurs, in the making of the cabinet, and as the stranger leaves, surrounded by glory, he realizes that his visitor has been a youthful Christ...

Originally published in 1914 in New York, in this thin twenty-page volume embellished with one or two illustrations, The Worker in Sandalwood was more recently released in 1994, as a fully-illustrated picture-book with artwork by Frances Tyrrell. It was also apparently released in the 1940s, in a limited chap-book edition printed in Toronto. It was the Tyrrell edition that alerted me to its existence, after I enjoyed her illustrations for The Huron Carol and went looking for more of her work. That presentation is one I have still to read, but when I discovered that my library had a copy of the first edition, I decided to request it. I'm glad I did, as the story here is well worth seeking out for its own sake, leaving aside the question of illustrations. Pickthall, who was a poet of some renown in the early twentieth century, has a way with words, and there were passages here that were beautifully crafted and immensely poignant. Her description of Hyacinthe, at the beginning of the tale, is a case in point: "He was a great clumsy boy of fourteen, dark-faced, dull-eyed, and uncared-for. He was clumsy because it is impossible to be graceful when you are growing very fast and have not enough to eat. He was dull-eyed because all eyes met his unlovingly. He was uncared for because no one knew the beauty of his soul." Of course, one does know the beauty of his soul, and that one is Christ, whose visit is also marvelously described. The conclusion of the tale, in which Jesus departs in a bright shower of glory, and the frozen sparrow revives, left me with a lump in my throat.

This is a lovely tale, one I would recommend to readers looking for deeply-felt, beautifully described Christmas stories. Some of the realities described are very dark, especially that moment when Hyacinthe appears to consider suicide, but this makes the coming of the light all the more powerful. I'm even more curious to see the Tyrrell edition, now that I have read the story. ( )