Show i JJ S JJ 11 1 11 pr d I 4 1 J Jt a B. B III f s I I 7 N p r S I 3 It f i 4 j 7 jC T S ANTA CLAUS sis most children childrenS S arid and all gl ups grown know mow Is Isa a nickname nickname nick nick- name for fOl St. St Nicholas And nd St. St 5 Nicholas was not a ft GermanS German S saint that that will please pleas all good goo S Americans The saint of children chIldrenS S has lias not come fo to us from the S people vh vho so wa wantonly tonIY abused V f. f the children of France and Belgium When we we we- St. St Nicholas Santa Claus Clans w we are merely l I saying sll in o our r own wp way San an NIcolaas Ico nas as the pe peo peo- S ii pip of Holland Of-Holland say It For the Hollanders der who 5 settled Jn In New v. NewYork York and New Kew Jersey years S v ri o nt the very beginning of our country ht 5 j 1 San iSan s n with them and was It-was not long be before be V fore forc Americans were saying Santa Claus S t Wb Why St. St N Nicholas belongs to all the world 5 Hundreds of II f churches In England bear his his' name S There art are more than a n hundred St. St Nicholas NicholasS S f churches churches An n Belgium Thousands of such churches S are re s red all ll over oyer Europe 5 S 5 The The queer r thing about It Is Is that St. St Nicholas was really born In Asia Minor l in In the Inthe the province of of Lycia In the Uie sixth century en ur St St. Niche Niche- 5 5 las of f Barl Ban he Is of called by Europeans but S only only the bones of St. St Nicholas reposing for eight eightS S 5 centuries in the cr crypt pt of a handsome cathedral at 5 Barl B Italy have given him that title He never er ill lived d In Bar BarL Italian sea traders wh who vois worshiped lp d S S him as BS their especial protector stole his body from Its resting place In l 1 5 Myra ra in the twelfth cent century cen- cen 5 t thi tury y and brought It W tO the Italian seaport Since Sincer S r tl that t tl tim time n the celebration h held ld there in the Rl saints saint's S N 5 honor hont Is unique 5 0 The Ibe eastern world knew and loved him first but 5 It 18 is from western vestern Europe that we wel learn arn of oj many r of the quaint customs connected with the ce ebra- ebra of of his birth In Lycia he lived to to it a good id old 5 ne nr his da days R even en in childhood b by doing 5 5 good od d deeds etIs and nd giving lavishly to the thio poor r. r of theS the S f fortune he inherited It was give 0 o so as a's as a a steward of God his we wealth belonged toS to S G Gods God's ds d's children Nicholas bel believed eved Finally liy he e was made ronde bishop of Myra l where be went to live after a pilgrimage to the Holy Land 5 It was not strange that after such stich a life of k I Ch charity he he should become a saint of th the c common mm S people even as St. St George was wS a saint saint- of knight hood He lie was invoked by the he laborer toiling for forr 5 r his daily bread brend by hy mariners by merchants He lie S was protector of the weak against the strong th the 4 f i poor against the rich the captive the prisoner th the slave He lIe s was especial guardian of maidens S t S i. i 4 schoolboys the orphan poor Throughout most of Europe children n arc are taught to reverence him lm and and to tob believe lIe e if th they y re pj-e docile and attentive to their S duties he be will fill till the rap eap or stocking with dam dam- 5 5 ties If It they are naughty or Idle he certainly has hus S a rod In pickle to bring for them S Here is what the Encyclopedia Britannica has S to to say about St. St Nicholas f v- v St St St. Nicholas bishop of Myra in Lycia a saint saintS saint S honored by the Greeks and the on the 6 Sixth of December HIs ills His cult is as celebrated as his history Is obscure All AH the accounts that have luve i- i come come c Iowa down own to us are of a pur purely ly legendary character char char- lr acter aeter and It Is Impossible to find any single In- In confirmed ed historically be be main facts acts of t 5 his Ills life lite are usually given as follows S He was bishop of Myra at the time of ot th the Emperor was vas persecuted tortured for tor tb the faith 55 and kept In until prison the more t tol- tol l- l frant reign of Constantine and was present at the council of It should be observed that this last circumstance Is ignored by all ali hin funs ians and that St. St S who knew all au lI the notable bishops of the period never ne mentions Nicholas khoa bishop of Myra yra The oldest known monument of the cult of St. St Nicholas seems seems' t to be i ie e Church of and Nicholas built at 5 Constantinople by the Emperor Justinian In the West the name of St. St Nicholas appears In the ninth century ry s and churches de dediS dedicated dedi dedi- l- l S to him are to be fo found nd at the beginning of v the eleventh century S I It is more especially however from the time of ot the removal removal of his body to Bail Barl In Apulia that S his Ills cul cult became beame popular The TIle Inhabitants of BanS Ban Ball organized an expedition seized hi his remains by means of a ruse and transported them m to Bi Ban Barl rl where t they ley were received In triumph on the ninth of f Way May 1087 and where the foundations were laid o of a new basilica In Jn his honor This was the origin Ogin of a 8 famous and still popular pilgrimage 01 There a al ai 4 nearly churches In England dedi dedI- to St. St Nicholas He Is the tM patron saint of r S 5 or Russia the special protector of children schol schol- S ars ars merchants and sailors and Is is' Invoked In by travel travelers erR against robbers In art St. St Nicholas Is I represented with various attributes attributes being most I S commonly depicted with three children standing I In a n tub by his side Of the various S Ion of o this th is none Is absolutely certain One ne ex- ex has been ls been e In n th tile the legend of St. St Nicholas 1 miraculously restoring to life three rich I y youths who had been murdered murder d cut up an and conA con con- LS A in a salting tub by a n thievish Innkeeper r or w butcher In Jn whose house they had bad taken token T tD L S r I rt j c j v F A eJ d r 9 S A 4 le legend end of of his surreptitious bestowal of dowries dow dow- dow 5 ries upon the three daughters aug ers of an Impoverished d' d S citizen Is said sal to to have originated the old custom 5 of giving presents In hi secret on the e ev e eve of St. St Nicholas Nicholas Nich Nich- ol olas s. s sUb subsequently subsequently- transferred to Christmas day li Hence nce the association of Christmas with Santa Claus and American corruption of the Dutch form San Nicolaas Nicolans the custom being brou brought ht to America by ly the early Dutch colonists Ma Many y wonder on el tales tales' are to told d of or of St St. Nicholas Here liere are re three famous ous adventures of the saint J Rescue of the tho Stolen Boy There was was wasa a rich merchant mercha t tho who ho was a Christian He lived ne near r the border of a heathen land One day his his' hiso o only ly son on was stolen by some wicked S neighbors who sold I him lm to a heathen king The boy was handsome s so the he king made him the royal ro al cupbearer It ha happened pene t tIl that t the king was giving a great banquet u t. t And as th the boy was prese presenting the cup full of wine Ine he suddenly remembered that It was th the Feast of St St. Nicholas that I his ls family family- father futher mother and were sisters were happily celebrating cele cele- brating the day r Thinking about this the boy burst Into tears w Why do you cry asked the king angrily Dp ou not see that your tears are ure falling failing into my cup an and l spoiling my wine vine This Is the Feast of St. St Nicholas answered the boy hoy sobbing arid antI every everyone one at home Is IR eatIng eating eat eat- ing lug nUll and is merry 1 And alas alasi I 1 I am not there I Great Grent may be your St. St Nicholas replied the king scornfully but hut he C cannot save you ou from my and I Scarcely hind had the king spoken these words when a vl violent lE nt whirlwind tore around outside the palace and a n flash flath of lightning Illuminated the hall ball and loud thunder roared And 10 lo I St St. Nicholas himself himself him him- self dressed in his bishops bishop's robes and wearing his mitre stood before the throne He lie caught the boy by the locks and und flying g with him through the dome of the hall hail whirled him rapidly through the air all In a few minutes he set him down In the midst of hi hii astonished family who were keeping the tile feast of the good St St. Nicholas The Terrified Robbers After St St. Nicholas was dead he still care cared to tol Once there was a man who would l help elp people He lie heard beard how kind not become a C Christian many things St St St. Nicholas did for hl his followers so he stole nn an an imago Image of the saint paint He placed place the image Im in the best bet room of his house houst which I w was s S tilled filled with treasures The next morning before ho he left the house he said to the Image Guard my treaSUres I 1 If It when I return I find anything gone Ill I'll bent beat oca y you u well wein I So he lie went scent away lIH hud had not been heen gone long when robbers ro b bels bel's broke into the tiLe house and stole all the treasures nn and carried them oft off to their den e The he man an came and saw what had hart happen happened ell He lie was wa filled S with back fury lIe He took a whip and beat and hacked Image without merc mercy S SS the HIP Nicholas himself appeared very er night St. St That S lIe He showed them his brul bruised d and to the tie robbers feeding to form and nd commanded them to restore Se bleeding they had hind stolen They hey were terrified the treasure treasur stuff carried It ft i gathering together all nil the t and They told him what had hapS hap hap- back to and S its lie ho owner was so astonished d th that he Im immedi- immedi edl- edl became a Christian The Boy and the Cup rich Ilch man who had no son tobe to tobe there was a Once wealth He lie ma made e a vow to St St. to hl his hell heir be I born bor to him he would Nicholas NIchola that It if a son were S give the saint a cup o of gold Time went by and a beautiful boy was born born Immediately the father had a cup mad made of pure gold It was was' very heavy and wrought all over with figures In fact the cup was so 50 elegant that when the goldsmith had I finished It the father fathel father decided decided to keep it for himself himself him him- him him- self an I have a iv silver one made for the the good I saint S S When the silver r cup was finished the father took took hl his little lIttie son who was old oki enough to fo walk and set out for the shrine of St St. t. t Nicholas On tl way tire feeling thirsty he stopped near earn a river S and rind giving the cup up of gold to the boy told him to fetch some water The child went to do so so but S stooping over over slipped on the hank bank and fell Int Into th river And he was seen no more The father weeping with grief and r repentance p e hastened l to the shrine and laid the silver cup cupon cupon cupon on the altar But the cup rolled to the floor On Once e twice thrice did the man place It on the altar but every ery time It fell tell to the ground round And while all the pe people who ho stood b by marveled to see this won wonder er suddenly the little boy himself stood on n the altar steps step holding tile the cup of gold l In his hand St. St Nicholas had saved him I Full of joy th the father took tool the cup of gold and placed It with the sliver silver o one one- e upon the altar Then thanking St. St Nicholas he lie took his son SOil and carried him safely home S SAs As the We Christmas legend came down own the tiie ages ages' It gathered to itself the m myths of all the faiths and what more natural and right than that the religion of the brotherhood of man mun should contain contains s something of er e every ideal and every fonn form of worship worship wor wor- ship of man since the lie human race began And last but somehow most conspicuous now among all 1111 the traditions the legend of ot St. St Nicholas Nicho Niche las or Santa Claus straight from Holland I celebrate Christmas most heartily Tho Thio Star of Bethlehem as seen In Holland Is the of Christmas n a huge Illuminated star which Is curried carried through the silent dark Dutch streets street shining upon ullon th the crowding crO people antI and typical of the star which once guided the wise vise men of the east emit The rho young oung men of or a n Dut Dutch h town carry this star the streets as the signal that Christmas Christ maR inns luis has come again They gather money moncy for the iho poor from the crowds crowds' who come conic out ont to welcome the symbol of or peace and having done this for tin till good ot those whom fortune lu has s not befriended the they betake them to the hea head burgomaster of th the town who is Is' hound bound to set down the youths who S form the Ue star company to a 1 very comfortable table meal macal Fis a great grat Institution the Star of Bethle foible hem heUl In many Dutch towns and cities Christmas Is celebrated In Holland as a n time line for sugar plums an and candles candiea and antI gifts Toward dusk the story g goes es a white sheet Is spread ll Inside inside In in- sll side e the door and the time family attired In III their best and aIl bravest await the saint Presently ho he arrives arrives ar ar- ar rives clad In embroidered robes with gems gem Jeweled jewS Jew jew- S l glov gloves s and antI golden miter miter and and In his arms either gifts or sweets or the dreaded birch ro rod for forthe forthe forthe children n according to til their lr various arIO the deserts And these the with w-Ith a n little speech of scolding or 1 approval ap op pro n lie drops upon the sheet Lefore before he vanishes again ln Into the tIme night Such Is the kindly l saint who came to the Island of ot Manhattan with the first Dutch settlers and still lives s among amons us is changed only In Jn name and costume costume like like all nil the rest of the time Immigrants |