John Cole narrative explores tradition ‘First Rite’ evokes history, pays homage

First Rite: A Christmas Tradition, by John Cole. Illustrated by Mary Beth Owens. Down East Books, Camden, 32 pages, clothbound, $12.95.

The legacy of the late writer and editor John Cole (1923-2003) is substantial. As founder with Peter Cox of Maine Times, Cole was responsible for nurturing some of the most enlightened journalism in this state. He also wrote numerous nonfiction books, from a history of the Claremont Hotel in Southwest Harbor to the classic “Striper: The Story of Fish and Man,” and was an engaging and wide-roaming observer of life and a reviewer of books for numerous publications, including this one.

“First Rite: A Christmas Tradition” is another gift from Cole. This short narrative of going into the woods of a saltwater farm in Brunswick to cut a tree for the family living room is, to quote Robert Frost, “lovely, dark and deep.”

The opening sentence brings mystery: “It is snowing, and I wonder if I am too late.” Too late for what? we question. Following the man with band saw on his “annual adventure,” we discover that it is the lateness of the day that weighs upon him. Will the wet snow falling and the dimness of the winter solstice allow him to find the balsam fir to satisfy those waiting at home?

Cole evokes the history of the woods he traverses, acknowledging the ghosts of lumbermen and farmers who cut over and cultivated the land centuries before. He honors the shipbuilders who drew upon the “spirit of Euclid” to design their vessels. The prose is often poetic: “The timbered skeletons of launching ways lie at eternal rest.” As he kneels to cut down the chosen tree, he states, “I am in a small wild universe now.” And heading home, dragging the tree behind him, he pays tribute to the “greatest of stars,” the sun, as it starts its journey “that will take it to the center of our skies.”

Walpole illustrator Mary Beth Owens renders Cole’s vision with clarity and spirit. In one double-spread illustration, the apparitions of past generations appear in the trees, axemen pausing in their tra

vails and a farmer pulling a stump with a pair of oxen. Her watercolors, reproduced in miniature (the book measures 4 1/2 by 6 inches), illuminate the white of winter, the glow of solstice light.

A few weeks ago, National Public Radio ran a story about the revival of interest in aluminum Christmas trees, which were big in the 1950s. John Cole’s “First Rite” should serve to dissuade us from ever considering a metal tree. This book seems to emanate the smell of fresh cut balsam, a perfume that is real – and irresistible.

Illustrator Mary Beth Owens will sign copies of First Rite: A Christmas Tradition” from 4-7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 21, at the Village Store in Boothbay Harbor. For information, call 633-2293. Carl Little can be reached at little@acadia.net.