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Show mm mm Wjpea I slake . W ' , ' uty tm& " ':":fW rTx fj f . ' A - T'"f'y - '- VV; 1 -Msr-, -r A V ' U X W&$Sz?3i Portrait of, J$ffZ Jod RoUSL, ' W Tl--- 3 COashington Poinsett M Sn-Cllrving v By ELMO SCOTT WATSON Jm (t SS C. T T HEN you read the title of this article, VAJ m$MWfi Wf Hi M 14 did you exclaim, "Men who helped hMJ rM KaJvf ! VV 'make' Christmas-why, what does that 1 W&40 f LA-M rf)cV JpS m mean? There was only one man who fi UMffuMMl ' iM W made Christmas and he was born near- JNMMA'-MPW V I II IfWM M ly 2,000 years ago." 7ffeI& fWfM 13 True! If it had not been for the M(f$ IMffl, ij 3H birth of Jesus Christ, there would be IffjF 4, Sr , M I ft no occasion for celebrating December - 81 fmMZM JJ 'M K .fl' 25 as Christmas day. And if that cele- 4 , ljm& fMA bration had been kept to Its original ty Ifp - liMMbfW N lt' 1 form, there would be no occasion for C1'1 V JMfW fW 1) I 'writing an article such as this. . K)tzigz3 I J jy Jf 1 But the fact is that there has grown up around TV r TT- F' iXr Y M V the celebration of Christmas a great variety of one y irst U nr lStmaS - f rMyvi customs, traditions and practices which we now C&Ta " . . " . Iflny regard as essential parts of that observance even -"fTT " 'though they may have departed from Its original srawRfWRWraws aYj) SJ'' "sjJ meaning. Some of these have had such a gradual K " 1 v J"t'' r-ts- I evolution that it would be impossible to ascribe "---." ""K WjMK' S 'C"'--) ithem definitely to any one person. But there are ' 'T v Tffi MfJ l3feT others which we can trace directly to one or ' g ' J J fifi .jslSAjtA I more individuals hence the theme of "men who I 7 -'t Y) i helped make Christmas" what it is now in this 1 j' ? S "V , V"vf'l i article. I j " " 1 f 1 i",VV Certainly Santa Clans seems to be an essen- --s VAk 4 J Ual part of the Christmas celebration. Speak of ' t0$&y$ vfisif I ijfj K'W'ifH 'him and there rises to mind a picture of a plump, ' ''j?, p J I '?'- j Sf?f- i elf-like little man who radiates laughter and i V ; j I K i 1 $' (good cheer. Why should he be that sort of per- f J XU " U 1 ion Instead of the stern, gaunt, rather formid- , f Iflfiii mwl 1 1 able figure, solemn and majestic in trailing robes, , ( V3 f i $ vlfp carrying In one hand a basket of presents and ', . -tV? ! i&M- . H. mMS I In the other a birch rod, as an awful warning to , ? mSfllm I naughty children, such as he was when he was K Ur &1fit VW -Ml li 1 MF 'known as Sinterklass, or the Bishop-Saint Nich- MJl 1 A" U h." J3tl llllMi' olas, by the first Dutch settlers in this country? v fiih'- i ' - t&iyll W The answer to that question is the names of J " y - IM"-- jl Wily 'three writers James K. Paulding, Washington 4 1 1 sv S , Slill llrvlng and Dr. Clement C. Moore and an un- f& ,frtiJ p 1 iknown American artist. It was Washington Irv- i itf A &tk JameS Kirk Puldinq line who, In his "Knickerbocker's History of New if? f 'fflW'i 3 By ELMO SCOTT WATSON T T HEN you read the title of this article, 11 did you exclaim, "Men who helped I vrtVV 'make' Christmas why, what does that I J01 mean? There was only one man who l;f ;) made Christmas and he was born near-$73Sr near-$73Sr ly 2,000 years ago." 31 W True ! If it had not been for the Am birth of Jesus Christ, there would be I K no occasion for celebrating December , fi 25 as Christmas day. And if that cele-'l cele-'l bration had been kept to Its original 1 form, there would be no occasion for writing an article such as this. 1 But the fact is that there has grown up around 'the celebration of Christmas a great variety of customs, traditions and practices which we now regard as essential parts of that observance even 'though they may have departed from Its original 1 meaning. Some of these have had such a gradual Involution that it would be impossible to ascribe ithem definitely to any one person. But there are 1 others which we can trace directly to one or I more individuals hence the theme of "men who i helped make Christmas" what It Is now In this Article. Certainly Santa Clans seems to be an essential essen-tial part of the Christmas celebration. Speak of 'him and there rises to mind a picture of a plump, ilf-llke little man who radiates laughter and I good cheer. Why should he be that sort of per-ion per-ion Instead of the stern, gaunt, rather formidable formid-able figure, solemn and majestic in trailing robes, 'carrying in one hand a basket of presents and I In the other a birch rod, as an awful warning to (naughty children, such as he was when he was known as Sinterklass, or the Bishop-Saint Nicholas, Nich-olas, by the first Dutch settlers in this country? The answer to that question is the names of 'three writers James K. Paulding, Washington llrvlng and Dr. Clement C. Moore and an un-iknown un-iknown American artist. It was Washington Irv-llng Irv-llng who, in his "Knickerbocker's History of New IXork," in 1S09 wrote the first description of the 'new type of Santa Claus and made Sinterklass, ,'or St. Nicholas, the patron saint of the Dutch icolonlsts of New Amsterdam, the archetype of all of those jovial, many-breeched, long plpe-' plpe-' smoking burghers. The next writer to paint a word portrait of "Santa Claus was Irving's friend and collaborator, James Kirke Paulding, who in his "Book of St. ;Mcholas," first published in 1827, said Santa Claus was "as gallant a little Dutchman as ever emoked his way through the world, pipe foremost." fore-most." But It remained for Dr. Clement Clark Moore In his poem, "A Visit from St. Nicholas," to give a more definite word portrait of St. Nicholas and pretty definitely establish in the mind of the public what Santa Claus looked like. How much Moore drew upon Irving and Paulding Pauld-ing for his description is not known but there Is a curious parallelism in some of his words and some of theirs, a'.though Moore, himself, 40 years later said that "a portly, rubicund Dutchman Dutch-man living in the neighborhood of his father's country seat, Chelsea" near New York city suggested sug-gested to him the idea of making St. Nicholas the hero of his Christmas piece for his children. Then in 1S39 a book called "The Poets of America," edited by John Keese, was published. It contained Moore's poem and the illustration for that was a picture of Santa Claus. (Reproduced (Repro-duced above.) Who the painter or the engraver was Is unknown but it is believed that this was the first time a picture of Santa Claus was ever printed. Thus It was Washington Irving, James K. Paulding, Clement C. Moore and the unknown Illustrator of Keese's "Poets of America" helped "make" Christmas by giving us our present Idea of the patron saint of the holiday. What would Christmas be without Christmas hymns and Christmas carols? And what song has been more often sung on Christmas Eve or Is more beloved than "Silent Night, Holy Night"? It was on December 24 of the year 1818 that Josef Jo-sef Mohr, assistant pastor of the newly established estab-lished St. Nicholas' parish church In the little village of Oberndorf, near Salzburg, Austria, handed to Franz Gruber, a schoolmaster of Arns-dorf, Arns-dorf, who was organist for the church, a poem with the request that he write for it a suitable melody arranged for two solo voices, chorus and a guitar accompaniment the reason for the latter lat-ter being that the organ in the little church had broken down. So Franz Gruber sat down at his grandfather's desk Immediately, wrote a simple melody for the poem and that night on Christmas Eve, in St. Nicholas' parish church was for the first time sung "Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht." To the fact that the little organ in Oberndorf had broken down is due the widespread popularity popu-larity of the hymn. The organ builder, Karl Man-racher Man-racher of Fugcti in Zillertal, had been sent for to make the necessary repairs. He heard the air ' and bummed it in his native country, where It became very popular in a short time and soon spread all over I he world. Thus it was, too, that Josef Mohr and Franz Gruber, two Austrians, helped "make" Christmas. 6mar Ftolbaell Do you enjoy sending out Christmas cards to your friends? If you do, then you should know the name of Sir Henry Cole, an Englishman, for it was he who originated this custom. Later famous as a social and educational reformer, Henry Cole was a pioneer in illustrating children's chil-dren's books with woodcuts of famous paintings. In 1843 he conceived the idea of sending decorative decora-tive cards to his friends, bearing his good wishes for their happiness at Christmas. So he went to his friend, J. C. Horsley, a member of the Royal academy in London, for the design and the result re-sult was the card which is reproduced above. But few Englishmen followed Cole's lead and the business of making Christmas cards got under un-der way very slowly in England. It was even slower in getting started in this country. In 1S7.1 Louis Prang, a lithographer of Boston, exhibited samples of his flowered business cards at the Vienna exposition nnd they attracted considerable consider-able attention. He had an agency in London and one of his women employees there (her name is unknown) suggested to him that he put a greeting in place of tho name of his firm and Issue them as Christmas curds. This was done the next year, so that 1.S74 marks the beginning of the Christmas card in this country. So Sir Henry Cole, the Englishman, and Louis Prang, an American, can be added to the list of men who helped "make" Christmas. Do your letters go out bearing a Christmas seal as well as a postage stamp these days? If they do, It's because Einar Holboell, a clerk in the post office at Copenhagen, Denmark, while sorting the mountain of Christmas mail in 100.1, had the idea of another stamp for letters which should combine a Christmas decoration Idea with some practical purpose. He went with his plan to the head of the postal service and others with influence and authority. au-thority. And so, when the first Christmas seal committee held a meeting to discuss the pur pose and use of the possible Income from the Christmas seal, and it was decided that the first object was the erection of a hospital for tubercular tubercu-lar children, and, In general, the income from the seal should always be for the fight against tuberculosis, tu-berculosis, in one form or another. Upon application to the then King Christian IX Holboell secured the permission to have a likeness of the deceased Queen Louise on the first Christmas seal, ami the king became so interested in-terested that he himself selected the picture which he wished used. The success of the venture was overwhelming. The first printing of 2,000,000 seals was Immediately Im-mediately Increased to G.000.000 nnd over 5,000,-000 5,000,-000 were sold. Since that time the Christmas seal stile In Denmark has brought in enough money to erect large numbers of sanitaria and convalescent homes for tubercular patients. Holboell, Hol-boell, the modest postal assistant, became postmaster post-master at Charlotten Zund, near Copenhagen, and a Danish cross of Knighthood was his badge of honor. He died of heart trouble In his sixty-second sixty-second year on February 23, 1927. In 1909 the idea reached America and when Jacob Riis, a native of Denmark who had become be-come an American, saw the queer little stamp on mail arriving from his homeland he immediately immedi-ately sent a letter of inquiry to Denmark. The reply was a persona) one from Mr. Holboell, who explained in detail the method of procedure. Through an American woman, Miss Emily Bis-sell, Bis-sell, the idea was presented to the American Red Cross, which, after several years of successful suc-cessful sales, turned the project over to the American National Anti-Tuberculosis association, which has since had charge of it. So Einar Holboell, the Dane, Jacob Riis, the Danish-American, and Miss Emily Bissel, the American, helped "make" Christmas. If William Enstis, secretary of war in 1S09, hadn't turned down the suggestion of President Madison that Joel Roberts Poinsett be appointed quarter-master general of the army, we might never have had those brilliant crimson flowers which we know as poinsettias as a part of our Christmas decoration. Here's why: Joel Roberts Poinsett was a native of South Carolina, who studied medicine for a time at Edinburgh Ed-inburgh university and later graduated In military mili-tary science and mathematics at Woolwich academy. Ill health necessitated a long period of travel in Europe and Asia, nfler which he returned re-turned to America and requested President Madison Mad-ison to furnish him with military employment. Madison made the suggestion of the quartermaster-generalship hut Euslis objected. So Madison Mad-ison offered Poinsett a mission to South America for the purpose of establishing friendly relations rela-tions with the people there and investigating the prospects of their struggle for Independence from Spain. This led to his becoming something of an authority au-thority on Latin-American relations, to his appointment ap-pointment to a special mission to Mexico In 1S22 and his appointment as the first United States minister to that country in 1825. While holding that position he first beheld the exotic beauty of a brilliant red (lower native to that country. When Poinsett returned to his home In Smith Carolina In 1S29 be brought with him some of the seeds of the plant and just a hundred years ago, In 1833, he sold some of the plants which be had grown in his hothouse to Robert P.ulst of Philadelphia. Buist named the (lower "Euphorbia "Euphor-bia polnsettia" anil although the scientific name lms since become "Euphorbia pulclierrima" the name polnsettia, honoring the man who brought It to this country, has stuck and it has become one of our chief floral decorations at Christmas tlie. Poinsett later became secretary of war In Van Huron's cabinet, after which he retired from public pub-lic life. In the cemetery of the town of Stales-hurg, Stales-hurg, S. C, Is a simple marble tablet which hears this inscription "Sacred to the memory of Joel R. Poinsett, who departed this life on" the twelfth of December, (Sol, in the seventy-third year of bis life. A pure patriot, an honest man, and a good Christian." To this might he added "He helped 'make' Christmas." by Wosloi n Nmviij.nrjor Union. |