TH E STORY OF SANTA KLA! S

TOLD FOR CHILDREN O F ALL ' AGES FROM SIX TO SIXTY

A WILLI AM S . W L SH

AND IL L! STRATED BY ARTISTS OF ALL AGES FROM FRA ANGELICO TO HENRY H! TT

NEW YORK MOFFAT YARD A , ND COMPANY 1909 Co ri t 1909 by py g h , ,

WILLI AM S . WALSH

NEW YORK

is ed O to er 1909 Publ h c b , W ES ?M

CONTENTS

C HAP TER WH O I S N S I . SA TA KLAU ’ N G V N S OF H IN S B Y II . STRA E AD E TURE T E SA T OD

H IS - K INK N H IS - K IN IN III . C R T LE A D C R T DLE

H E V I N OF H IS M S IV . T E OLUT O C R T A

I N S R N H V. S LE U , SATU , T OR A TERRIB LE CHRISTMAS IN O L D FRAN C E

TH IS M S I L G N VII . E CHR T A TREE N E E D

M Y VIII . THE CHRIST AS TREE IN HI STOR

H C H IS M S IN E P IX . T E R T A TREE URO E

M G M R X . THE CHRIST AS TREE IN EN LAND AND A E I C A

Y O F G XI . THE STOR THE THREE KIN S

M W F G M XII . SO E T EL TH NI HT CUSTO S

. I C H S IN EN G N XIII . ST N OLA LA D

XI F H H I S M S N IS MI Y V. AT ER C R T A A D H FA L P M M P P XV . ANTO I E IN THE AST AND RESENT

C R P XVI . SAINT NI HOLAS IN EU O E

C M C XVII . SAINT NI HOLAS IN A ERI A

L I ST OF I L L! STRA TIONS

Merry Christmas to all !

o a the a ron ai n of ren St. Nich l s p t s t child

of a The Consecration St. Nichol s

o a and th r e n St. Nich l s e th e m aide s

o a re a n th o St. Nich l s suscit ti g e sch olboys Bishop Nichola s

o a of ar St. Nich l s B i ’ H eads of the Christ child The Christ child surrounde d by angels

‘ Sufl e r little children to come unto me Christ the giver Christmas pre sents

a rn the God of T me S tu , i Silenus and F auns S anta Claus and his young C arrying home the Christma s dinner The Fe ast of the P a ssover The Adoration of the Lamb Luther and the Christmas tree Christmas tre e of the E nglish royal family On the way to B ethlehem The Three Kings v isit Herod The J ourney of the Three Kings The Arriva l o f the Three Kings The Adoration of the Magi ( 1) The Adoration of the Magi ( 2 ) T H E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

The Adoration of the Three Kings ’ The Child s Twelfth Night Dre am Father Christma s Father Christmas ( anothe r conception ) The Old and the New Christma s B rm gm g ln Old Christma s The Christmas Waits J ongleurs announ cing the birth of our L ord Going to the P antomime Mute a dmiration S anta Klaus comes to grief on an automobile ’ No on e eve in ou an more , I d t b li y y S anta Klaus S anta Klaus up in a b alloon ’ ’ New Year s gifts in a F rench workingman s family F rench children going up the chimney for gifts Silenus and B a cchus The bambino ’ S anta Klaus on New Ye ar s ev e The investigating committ ee

o a e St. Nich l s unv ils TH E STO RY O F SANTA KLA! S

CH APTER I

WH O I S SANTA KLAUS ?

IF you go to England you will find many people

/ there who have never heard of Santa Klaus . Only the other day a leading London paper confessed that it could not understand why a magazine for chil dren should be called St . Nicholas .

Now if you were asked the question which heads . this chapter do you think you could answer it so as to make an Englishman understand who Santa Klaus is ? Could you also explain what connection Saint Nicholas has with childr en ? Of course you might glibly reply “ Santa Klaus is the Dutch diminutive (or pet for n i name) Sai t Nicholas , and Saint Nicholas s the patron saint of boys and girls . But the Englishman might want to know more t o to han this . Perhaps you yourself w uld be glad know more . It is for the purpose of supplying you 13 14 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

with in formation that I have prepared this little book . Let us begin with the legends which concern this a holy m an and see what help they will give us . I s y let us begin with the legends , because history itself tells us little or nothing about the saint beyond the fact that he was Bishop of a town called Myra in

A sia Minor and that he died about the year 342 . Legend fills out these meagre details with many a pretty story which throws a kindly light upon the

character of good S aint Nicholas . Y ou know what a legend is ? It means a story which was not put into writing by historians at the i t me when the thing is said to have happened, but which has been handed down from father to son for i o hundreds and somet mes for th usands of years . It may or may not have had some basis of truth at the o t beginning . But after passing from m uth o mouth in this fashion it is v ery likely to lose what truth it

o . i once p ssessed Still , even if the facts are not g ven in just the manner in which they happened there is nearly always some useful moral wrapped up in the o o fiction that has gr wn ar und the facts . That is why wise and learned men are glad to collect these legends from the lips of the peasants and other sim ple minded folk who have learned them at their ’

o all . m thers knee, and who believe that they are true These legends are called by the general name of

- o folk l re . a a he a ron o f ren . St. Nichol s s t p t child

I a an r n t li p i t .

WH O I S L ? I Z SANTA K AUS / ,

Two brothers of the name of Grimm once collected

oo olk- o o into a b k the f l re of their native c untry, Ger ’ o is k to ou i many. This bo k nown y as Grimm s Fa ry An o o Tales . Hans Christian dersen also f und am ng the legends of Denmark some of the prettiest and m/ost . fanciful of his tales . Now stories concerning Saint Nicholas abound in al o n ahn ost m st every cou try of Europe, for every country except Great Britain is interested in his name of and fame . He may, indeed, be called the busiest all the saints . In the first place legend makes him the o no patron saint of children all over the w rld, matter of what sex or COlor or station in life /Ever childlike “ um so o and h ble , we are told by a quaint old auth r, he keepeth the name of a child, for he chose to keep the virtues of meekn ess and simpleness . Thus he lived all ’ i rt his l fe in vi ues with this child s name, and therefore ” o i childr en d him worsh p before all other saints . ’ One might think that to be a patron of the world s h ul c ildren wo d keep one saint pretty busy, even if it ot o did not exhaust his energies . N s with Saint Nich o i las . He occupies h s spare moments as the protector a the o of the weak ag inst strong, of the p or against the

rich, of the servant and the slave against the master . he once calmed a storm he is the patron of

s and sailors and of many seaport towns . B e a gang of robbers and ma de them restore their booty to the men they had robbed / }8 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

indl he is still thought to retain a k y interest in thieves . Moreover he is the patron of the largest of all Eur o

i of . pean countries , the emp re Russia Now we will make our promised examination o f the legends which have gathered around this saint and i given h m a fame so widespread. Saint Nicholas is said to hav/e been born in a town Potara A i " o called in s a Minor. T the great wonder o f his nurses he stood up in a tub on the day of his birth with his hands clasped together and his eyes raised to heaven and gave thanks to God for havin g o i n br ught him nto the world . It is added that o Wed nesda o a y and Fridays , (b th f st days in the early Church) he would refuse to take milk until the going of down the sun .

His parents died when he was very young . As they were wealthy they left him well provided with ’ the world s goods . But he would not accept them for

himself. Instead he used them for the good of the oo p r and of the Church . When he was old enough he studied for the priest hood in the town of Myra and was ordained as soon ’ as he had reached man s estate . He at once s et sail on a voyage to the Holy Land to visit the tomb of

a Jesus Christ in Jerus lem . On the way a dreadful o o st rm ar se . The winds howled and whistled, the a a oo gre t w ves sh k the v essel from stem to stem . The captain and the sailors who had been used to The on e ra on of o a . c s c ti St. Nich l s Old pr int

WH O IS SANTA KLA! S ? 21 bad weather pretty much all their lives declared t hat this was the worst storm they had ever known . I n deed they had given up all hope when the youn g o Nicholas bade them be of g od cheer . H is prayers soon calmed the wind and the waves, so that the ship reached Alexandria safe and sound. There the saint landed and made the greater part o f the j ourney from Alexandria to Jerusalem on foot . sea o o i Returning by , he wished t g stra ght back

. i u o his to Myra The capta n, however, wo ld not bey o to r rders and tried make the po t of Alexandria . Then Saint Nicholas prayed again and another great storm arose . And the captain was so frightened by ’ this evidence of the saint s powers that he gladly lis tened to his request and headed the Ship towards

Myra. ar325 o In the ye Nich las, then still a young man , was elected Bishop of Myra/On the day o f his con secration to that office a woman brought into the church a child which had fallen into the fire and been badly burned. Nicholas made the Sign of the cross o ver the child and straightway restored it to health . That is the first of his miracles which showed the oo interest that he t k in children . Two other miracles which are still more famous are thought to foreshadow the fame he has won Since his death as the patron of children and the bearer of gifts to them at the holy Christmas season. TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

Am ong the members of his flock so runs the first story) there was a certain nobleman who had thr ee youn g daughters . From being rich he became

oo —so o ffo p r, poor that he c uld not a rd to support his daughters nor supply the dowry which would en

Off . For o able him to marry them in th se days , as in n even now in many countries Europe, you g men expected that a bride should bring with her a sum of money from her parents with which the young couple could start housekeepin g . This is called the dowry . Over and over the thought came into the noble ’ man s mind to tell his daughters that they must go away from home and seek their own living as servants

a or in even meaner ways . Sh me and sorrow alone hi s o i held him dumb . Meanw le the maiden wept c nt n not o to a n o nally, kn wing what do, and h vi g n bread to eat . So their father grew more and more desper ate . A t last the matter came to the ears of Saint Nich o olas . That kindly s ul thought it a Shame that such i o a O th ngs sh uld h ppen in a Christian country . S one night when the maidens were asleep and their

sat i an i i father alone, watch ng d weeping, Sa nt N ch olas took a handful of gold and tying it up in a or as o sa n handkerchief, s me y placi g it in a purse, ’ set out for the nobleman s house . He considered how he might best bestow the money without making himself known . While he stood hes

WH O IS SANTA KLAUS ? 25

t n and ita i g the moon came up from behind a cloud, O e showed him an pen window. He threw the purs containing the gold in through the window and it fell at the feet of the father . Greatly reJoiced was the old gentleman when the money plumped down beside him. Picking up the purse he gave thanks to God and presented it to his o she eldest daughter as her d wry . Thus was enabled to o n o she o marry the y u g man wh m l ved . Not long afterwards Saint Nicholas collected to gether another purse of money and threw it into the ’ nobleman s hou se/j u st as he had done before . Thus

o o a a d wry was provided for the sec nd d ughter .

An d now was the curiosity of the nobleman excited . He greatly desired to know who it was that had come

so o . . gener usly/t, o his aid So he determined to watch When the good saint came for a third time and made to o i i o ready thr w in the th rd purse, he was d sc vered, for the nobleman seized him by the skirt of his robe i and flung h mself at his feet, crying “ to Oh, Nicholas, servant of God, why seek hide thyself ? ’ An d he kissed the holy man s feet and hands . But Saint Nicholas made him promise that he would tell no one what had occurred .

The Second legend is much more wonderful . It tells how Saint Nicholas was once travelling through his diocese at a time when the people had been driven 26 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

to the verge of starvation . One night he put up at inn man an kept by a very cruel and very wicked , though nobody in the neighborhood yet suspected his guilt . fin min This monster, ding that the fa e had made beef and mutton extremely scarce and greatly raised

had i of fill his t their price, conceived the dea ing pan ry with the fat juicy corpses of children whom he kid

a to all n pped, killed and served up his guests in varieties of nicely cooked dishes and under all sorts

O f fancy names . Nobody could guess how he alone of all the inn keepers in that neighborhood could maintain a table so l i i a o o wel suppl ed w th me ts , b iled and r asted, and i t stews and hashes and n ce tas y soups . But no sooner had a dish of this hum an flesh been served up to the saint than he discovered the horrible truth . Leaping to his feet be poured out his anger in o bitter but righte us words . Vainly the lan dlord fawned and cringed and protested that he was inno cent . Saint Nicholas Simply walked over to the tub o i i where the b d es of the ch ldren had been salted down . All he had to do was to make the Sign of the cross o 10 ! h o w o ver the tub, and t ree little b ys , h had been li i missing for days, arose a ve and well, and, com ng out of the tub , knelt at the feet of the saint . . o a re a n the oo St Nich l s suscit ti g sch lboys .

Old Nea o an r i n p lit p t .

WH O I S SANTA KLAUS ? 29

' All the other guests of the inn were struck dumb o at the mi racle . The children were rest red to their

who i o . A s to a lo mother, was a w d w the l nd rd, he

a a de w s taken out and stoned to de th , as he richly served to be. ’ o o A n ther of St . Nich las miracles shows that he had a kind heart for grown- ups as well as for the

o . o in o in young f lk A rev lt hav g br ken out Phrygia, Emperor Constantine sent a number of his tribunes

to . M o quell it When they had reached yra, the bish p invited them to his table so that they would not quar o oo ill ter themselves n p rer citizens , who might be able to afford their keep .

A grand banquet was served up to them . A S host to sit and guests were preparing down, news was brought into the hall that the prefect of the city had o mn h o c nde ed t ree men to death, on a false accusati n to that they were rebels . They had just been led execution and the whole city was in a ferment of ex citement over this terrible act of injustice .

Nicholas rose at once from the table . Followed by his guests he ran to the place of execution . There o he found the three men kneeling on the gr und, their n io eyes bou d with bandages , and the execut ner stand ing over them wavin g his bared sword in the air .

Nicholas snatched the sword out of his hand . Then he ordered the men to be unbound . No one dared 30 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

o his k to disobey him . Even the prefect fell up n nees o hi and humbly craved f rgiveness, w ch was granted with some reluctance . o Meanwhile the tribunes , l oking on at the scene ,

fi o a i . too were lled with w nder and admir t on They, , cast themselves at the feet of the holy man and be

. n a fill sought his blessing Then, havi g fe sted their

a o on the banquet th t had been pr vided for them, o the tribunes continued their j urney to Phrygia .

They, too, it was decreed were to fall under the

a ban of a f lse accusation . During their absence ’ o a o mi fr m Const ntinople, C nstantine s nd had been edi poisoned against them by their enemies . I mm ately on their return he cast them into prison . They were tried and condemned to death as traitors . From the dun geon into which they had been cast to await the carrying out of this sentence they sent out a piteous

i a o prayer to St . Nicholas for ass st nce . Th ugh he

s was hundred of miles away, he heard them. An d that same night he appeared to Constantine

a in him to in a dream, comm nd g release these men

to o — i him and declare them inn cent, threaten ng at the on same time with the wrath of God if he refused . C ’ t nti o s a ne did not refuse . He took the saint s w rd for their innocence, pardoned them, and set them free . Next morning he despatched them to Myra to thank Saint Nicholas in person for their hap ' A s a thank offering they bore him

WH O IS SANTA KLAUS ? 33

o in gospels, written in letters of gold, and b und a

cover embossed with pearls and precious stones . ’ Nor did the saint s miracles end with his life . Even after death he listened from his high place in heaven to the prayers of the humblest and gladly hastened to their assistance when they asked for help in the right spirit and at the right time . Here are three legends which have been especially popular in literature and art. ' a n of l A Jew of Cal bria, heari g the wonderfu had o i i o a miracles which been perf rmed by Sa nt N ch l s , stole his image out of the parish chur ch and bore it

o . away to his h me . There he placed it in his parlor And da out when, next y, he had made ready to go for the morning he commended all his treasur es to i r the care of the saint, mpudently th eatening that his image would The soundly thrashed if he failed in his ’

. No o ew s trust s oner was the J back turned, how o off ever, than robbers br ke into the house and carried ’ ew all its treasures . Great was the J s wrath when he

oa returned . Bitter were the repr ches he hurled at fi be the saint . Many and erce were the whacks he

on the image . ht g Saint Nicholas, all bruised and o o m to the r bbers, and c m anded

to restore what they had taken . col ion they leaped to their feet , ’ and brought it back to the Jew s 34 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

so t house . The Jew was as onished at the mir acle that

o to i a t he was easily c nverted Chr sti ni y and baptized .

was i There a wealthy man who, though marr ed, had no son to inh erit his estate . This man vowed that if S aint Nicholas would provide him with an heir ’ he would present a cup of gold to the saint s altar

. a o a at Myra S int Nich l s heard the prayer and ,

o o h l man thr ugh his intercessi n, God sent the c i dless

t o o a son . A once the father ordered the cup f g ld

to . was fi o it be prepared When it nished, h wever, seemed so beautiful in his eyes that he decided to keep it for himself and offer the saint a meaner one

of . too fini made silver When this , , was shed, the mer chant with his son set out to make the presentation . On the j ourney he stopped by a river to quench his o t o so thirst . Taking u the g lden cup he bade the n fetch him some water . In obeying the child fell into the river and was drowned . Weepin g bitter tears of repentance the merchant appeared in the church of Saint Nicholas and there made his offering of the silver cup . But the cup

not a . w ri would st y where it was put Once, t ice , th ce, it fell off the altar o w be While all the pe ple stared ith astonishment, bo o — hold the drowned y appeared bef re them, stand ing on the steps of the altar with the golden cup in

. ul of his hand F l of joy and gratitude, the father o a of B ar St. Nich l s i. Old Itali an pr i nt

WH O I S SANTA KLAUS ? 37

fered both the cups to the saint and bore his son home

with thanksgivings to God and to H is saint . A i h certain rich merchant, h mself a C ristian, dwelt o of u t on the b rders a heathen co n ry . He cultivated his a special devotion to Saint Nicholas . One day only son was taken captive by some of the wicked neighbors across the boundary line and sold into slavery. The lad fin ally became the property of the

- and as his . pagan king, served him cup bearer fi in o di One day, while ll g the r yal cup at nner he a 6 suddenly remembered th t it was December , and the feast of S aint Nicholas . He burst into tears at the thought that his family were even then gathered o around the dinner table in hon r of their patron . “ ? ” Why weepest thou testily asked the kin g . Seest thou not that thy tears fall into my cup and ” Spoil my win e ? An d the boy answered through his sobs “ This is the day when my parents and my kindr ed are met together in great j oy to honor our good Saint

o ! am . Nich las ! and I , alas far away from them Then the pagan blasphemer swore a good round oath and said : “ o Great as is thy Saint Nicholas , he cann t save thee from my hand ! Hardly were the words out of his mouth when a

Whirlwind Shook the palace . A flash of lightning 38 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS was followed by a loud pea] of thunder and 10 ! Saint Nicholas hims elf stood in the mids t of the affrighted hi feasters . He caught the youth up by the hair of s head so suddenly that he had no time to drop the royal

i him ro di io cup , and wh rled th ugh the air at a pro g us speed until, a few moments later, he landed him in i a his home . The fam ly were g thered in the dining oo — r m when saint and boy made their appearance, the father being even then engaged in distributing the o h n tu banquet to the po r, beseec i g in re rn that they would offer up their prayers in behalf of his cap tive son.

”TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS“

In fact pilgrims from various parts of the world came in crowds to the shrine at Myra . AS the fame of Saint Nicholas in creased so did the value of his t m n fi relics . A various ti es duri g the rst Six centuries a fter his bur ial attempts were made to carry off his body by force or by fraud . of su ul un None these attempts was ccessf til , in the

4 a a it of i year 108 , cert in merch nts from the c y Bar , in o a find s utheastern Italy, l nded at Myra to that the entire countryside had been laid waste by an invasion o had of the Turks . All the men wh could bear arms gathered together and were now gone in pursuit of

hr e onk had the invaders . T e m s only been left behind to stand guard over the Shrine of S aint Nicholas . It was an easy task for the merchants of B ari to o o o fi verp wer these monks , break open the c f n which contained the body and bear it away with them to their own city. fine Here it was received with great j oy. A new church was built on the site of an old one which had been dedicated to S aint Stephen and which was now

o o o i torn d wn to make r om f r its successor . Th s was to serve as a shrin e for the stolen body. The new church is still standing and though it is now old it is still magnificent . In a crypt or vault un der its high altar lies all that was mortal of the one - time

- o . o r al Bish p of Myra On the very day f the re bu i , so is ir it said, no less than th ty people who attended

’ ADVENTURE S OF TH E SAINT S BODY 4§

o the ceremony were cured f their various ailments .

Such is the story that is generally accepted . But another story was and is told by the people of Venice . too s o of a They, , claim that they posses the b dy S int and a o Nicholas , insist th t it was taken fr m Myra by

1100 . Venetian merchants in the year , and reburied in

Venice by the citizens . They do not accept the story told by the Bari mer off chants , but declare that the latter carried from o S i of another Spot the b dy of another aint, poss bly

a off o the s me name, which they palmed up n their fellow citizens as/ the body of the former Bishop of

Myra .

i li to- The true body, they cla m, is that which es day,

for of . i as it has lain centuries , in the church St N ch o a olas on the Lido . The Lid is a bank of s nd which om o a out proj ects, pr ont ry f shion, of the Grand Canal A in Venice into the driatic Sea. The fame of a holy man so closely connected with two great trading ports o f the Middle A ges was sure to Spread wider and wider among the nations o f

. And find r Europe , indeed, we that eve ywhere sail ors acknowledged him as their special guide and pro tector and sang his praises wherever they landed . Both at Bari and at Venice the churches dedicated o o in his h n r stand close to the mouth of the harbor . Venetian crews on their way out to sea would land L at the ido and proceed to the church of St . Nicholas, 44/ TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

in on o there to ask for a bless g their v yage . There also they would stop on their home - coming to give lo of a thanks for a safe return . Sai rs B ri would in the same way honor the shrine in which lay what they claimed was the true body of Saint Nicholas . of o o i Many tales miracul us escapes fr m Sh pwreck,

to io of o due the intercess n their patr n, were related

a ll not by se men and trave ers , only at home, but at o o so the vari us p rts where they stopped, that the name and fame of the good S aint Nicholas grew more resplendent every year. Churches erected in his honor abound in the fishing villages and harbors of o Eur pe . o o In England alone, before the Ref rmati n, there

a were 37 6 churches which bore hi s name . The l rgest o parish church in the entire land is that o f St . Nich las o i at Yarm uth, which was bu lt in the twelfth century i and reta ns that name to the present day. S ome of

a i the other churches were reb pt zed by the Protestants . The churches dedicated to S aint Nicholas in Cath olic countries are especially dear to people who make

t o an their living ou of the sea . Sail rs d fis hermen w o hen ash re frequent them, and if they have j us t escaped from any of the perils of the deep they Show gratitude to their p atron by hangin g up on the church a are a o walls wh t known s v tive pictures . These are of either prints the saint or sketches , rudely dr awn by il local artists, which represent the danger that the sa ’ ADVE NTURE S OF TH E SAINT S BODY 45 ors had run and the manner in which they had escaped. Often a figure of Saint Nicholas appears in the dark ened heavens to calm the fears of the imperilled mariners .

It is fishermen and sailors also who ? take the chief part in the great festival in honor of S aint Nicholas that is celebrated at B ari on the fifth and sixth of

e e ber x in D c m every year . to r Bari, it may be well explain, is a ve y old and still a very important seaport on the eastern coast of a southern Italy. It is situated on a sm ll peninsula o proj ecting into the A driatic. Fr m very early days the city has been the official seat of an archbishop and a a dr hence possesses a gr nd old c the al . as s Grand, however, is thi cathedral, it is eclipsed both in beauty and in popular regard by the church of S aint Nicholas which I have alr eady mentioned

‘ a o ai as cont ining the bones f the s nt . These repose in o a a sepulchre, or huge t mb, th t stands in a mag ficen o ni t crypt s me twenty feet beneath the high altar. Water trickles out through the native rock which fOrms the tomb . It is collected by the priests on

e o o a spong attached to a reed, is squeezed int b ttles , “ and sold or given away under the name of Manna ” a of Saint Nicholas s a cure for many ailments . ’ o Da On the eve of Saint Nich las y, that is on the day before it (December 5th ) the city of Bari is overrun by hosts of pilgrims from the neighborin “ g TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

l o o o cities, as we l as thers fr m the furthest c rners of Italy and even from Mediterranean France and A ll i Spain and A driatic A ustria . / Cathol c mariners whose ships happen to be lying in port at the time o are sure to j oin the thr ng . ’ il rinis a stafl s a m The p g c rry decorated with olive , p l o ff a w or pine branches . Fr m each sta depends ater

o to fi n of a n b ttle, which is be lled with the man a S i t

Nicholas /M ost of the pilgrims are barefoot . A ll ’ are clad in the picturesque costumes in use in their o native places on h liday occasions .

On entering the church the pilgrims may, if they o i o o n choose , make a c mplete circu t of it , m ving ar u d on their knees with their foreheads pressed every now it and then against the marble pavement . Often a l tle child leads them by means of a string or handker

e in o o f i i . chi/f, one end being held the m uth the p lgr m 6th — tu of a Next day, December , the ac al feast S int — o seafar Nicholas, is celebrated by a processi n of the i in ing men of Bari . R s g at daybreak they enter the

in o ni . i who a church early the m r ng The pr ests , h ve ow o assembled to greet them, take d n fr m the altar a o i a of i o a wo den m ge Saint N ch l s, clad in the robes o of of a bish p . This is handed over to the care the

i s paraders for the rest of the day . The pr est may accompany the image only as far as the outer gate of

. o i the church The pr cession, with the mage in the fil n and hands of its leaders , es out i to the street , fol

’ ADVENTURES OF TH E SAINT S B ODY 49

o lowed by the p pulace, visits the cathedral and other

o i a sacred r publ c places . Then the le ders take S aint o out t e Nich las o s a in a boat . Hundreds of other o o m o b ats acc m date their fellow paraders , as also such i a ffo of the cit zens s can a rd the lux ury, and follow

Saint Nicholas over the waves . The shore meanwhile is lined with the bulk of the populace of Bari and the pilgrim Visitors who eagerly i B onfires await the return of the image at n ghtfall . o o of are then burned, r ckets are sh t , everybody who possesses a candle or torch lights it and the people fall in line with the paraders to restore the sacred image to ts i guardians at the church . CH AP TER III

CHRIST - K INK LE AND CHRIST - KI NDLEIN

I HAVE now told you all that is known of the story of Saint N/icholas during his lifetime and even after ot his death . I think you will agree that we have n

o far n a yet g ne very in identifyi g Sant Klaus , the o o m dern Saint Nich las , with the historic saint who was once Bishop of Myra . It is true that some learned men have thought to find in the legend of the three maidens an answer to a couple of problems that bother the inquiring

o First they explain that the three purses of g ld, old i a fi r e which , in pictures by the Ital an m sters , gu as o and hi oo o as three g lden balls , w ch were l ked up n the special symbol or Sign of the charitable Saint Nich o a o of o h e a l l s , are the rigin th se t r e gilt b l s which ’ swin g over a p awnbroker s She p in token of that well Spring of human kindness which has earned for him “ ” the affectionate title of uncle . If you have a fin e sense of humor you will see that A n ou the last sentence is sarcasm. d if y have small ’ love for clever explanations that don t explain, you 50 Suffer little children to come unto me .

n i B o k or s . Pai t ng by . Pl c h t

CHRIST- KINKLE AND CHRIST- KINDLEIN £3 will rej ect this theory of the origin of the pawn ’ broker s Sign and prefer to believe that it sprang from the gilt pills which a dorned the shield o f the a di great Medici f mily o f Italy. Me ci means doc tors . Both the name and the shield were reminders that the family earned their first fame as physicians many years before they became the greatest princes o o and m ney changers of Eur pe .

o o ? o But the ther the ry, what of that The ther theory is more to the point . It assum es that the Saint Nicholas who was Bishop o f Myra is the S anta

o n a o —fi red Klaus of m der Christm s, wh m he pre gu in the fact that he appeared in the night - time and secretly made valuable presents to the children of a certain household.

Here is some appearance of truth . In the fir st place there can be no doubt that S anta Klaus a nd

a Saint Nicholas are the same n me . Indeed to this day our Christmas saint is known either as Santa “ or i a in in o Klaus Saint N cholas , Kl us Dutch be g sh rt ” for Nicholaus as and sweet , and, such, the same as our Nick for Nicholas . all to But , after , there seems be little likeness in other respects between the saint of the legend and the

a modern p atron of the Christmas season . Wh t con

ection of a n is there between a single case ch rity, per t wi di formed a no particular time, th the Splen d and t ever widespread generosi y of Santa Klaus , who v 54 TH E T R OF K , S O Y SANTA LAUS

Christmas eve loads himself down with presents for o fi s the little ones he l ves, and nds mean to distribute them all over the land in a single night ? A s s the answer is not apparent on the urface, let

co us turn to the other legend . We shall have to n fess however that the story of the thr ee school boys miraculously restored to life after they had been cut a o n o the up and s lted d w , helps us even less than d es

o o st ry of the three purses . It is Simply one of a wh le group of stories wherein Saint Nicholas appears as

a o dr i re the friend and benef ct r of chil en . In th s spect only does he resemble our Santa Klaus . In all the characteristics which modern painters in Am l and story tellers , erica, in Hol and and in Ger o i of many, have bestowed upon the j lly sa nt the Christmas season he differs entirely from the Slender

o o of a and even emaciated Nich las , clad in the r bes

o in bish p , with a mitre on his head and a crozier his

o of . hand, whom the early painters were f nd depicting S o the legends of Saint Nicholas afford but a slight

o i — in clew to the rig n of Santa Klaus , alike, indeed , name but so unlike in all other respects .

Let us turn elsewhere . In Germany and to a cer tain extent in Am erica the name Chr ist - Kinkle or Kriss - Kin gle is looked upon as another name for

a Santa Klaus . But in fact history te ches us that

far ff is a di erent Being, though the two have been welded into one in the popular imagination .

CHRIST- KINKLE AND CHRIST - KINDLEIN 57

A very small knowledge of German reve als the fact “ ” that Christ - Kinkle 18 Simply a corruption or mis taken pronunciation of the German word Christ C Kindlein which in English means hrist child . Now the connection of the Christ child with the gift =giving season is obvious enough . In the first place He is the hero of Christmas day itself. B orn a human child H e ever preserved a great love for young people . “ ff r a Su er little child en to come unto me , He s id, ’3’ for of such is the kingdom of Heaven The old masters were fond of painting Him as a dr o child among chil en . In nearly all the fam us pic a of i tures which R phael, the greatest Ital an artists, painted of the Holy Family or of the Madonn a and

is o a n Child, the infant Jesus acc mp nied by the i fant

Saint John as friend and playmate . CH AP TER I n

TH E EVOL! TION OF CHRISTM AS

Now I must own that at fir st sight it is difficult ’ to explain how the Christ-eh ld of tlge paj c— the Holy fl i fi m One whose birth is remembered and honored in that e l o l f ast which we ca l Christmas, sh u d a ually have h - r d M v g ” fi p ’w - h ' Isa H aifafi éd mto the y Vhi te - r -be arded g hai ed, white , ’ ' merry-hearted arid IiindlyiOI d pagan whom we some

‘ th es call Christ - Kinkle but more frequently Santa

Klaus . Yet at the very moment when we come face to face with this difficult problem we have reached the ex pla nation which seemed impossible when we strove to understand the much less startling transformati on of o o o Saint Nich las , Bish p of Myra, int Santa Kl o patron of the Christmas seas n . We remember that the Christmas festival Of to - d is a gradual evolution from times that long antedat the Christian period . We remember that though celebrates the mightiest event in the history

o a estiv Christendom, it was overlaid up n he then f and many of its Observances are only adaptations o pagan to Christian cerem nial. 5 8

TH E EVOL! TION OF CHRISTMAS 61/

s This wa no mere accident . It was a necessary measure at a time when the new religion was forcmg itself upon a deeply superstitious people . In order o to to reconcile fresh c nverts the new faith, and to

‘ of as ainless o make the breaking old ties p as p ssible, these relics of paganism were retained under modified

o n f rms, in the same way that antique colum s , trans b ferred from pagan temples, ecame parts of the new churches built by Christians in honor of their God and his saints . Thus we find that when Pepe Gregory sent Saint Augustine as a/missionary to convert An glo - Saxon England he directed that so far as possible the saint should accommodate the new and strange Christian rites to the heathen ones with which the natives had

amilia . For ad been f rf rom their birth example, he vised Saint A ugustine to allow his converts on certain festivals to eat and kill a great number of oxen to o God the gl ry of the Father, as formerly they had

e . Al don this in honor of the devil l pagan gods, it a should be explained, were looked upon s devils by the early Christians . On the very Christmas after his arrival in England Saint Augustine baptized many thousands of con verts and permitted their usual December celebration e under the new nam and with the new meaning . He forbade only the mingling together of Christians and pagans in the dances. 62 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

From these early pagan - Christian ceremonies are derived many of the English holiday customs that have survived to our day . Now get clearly into your head one very important t fact . Although at the time when A ugus ine visited England the date of Chr istmas had been fix ed upon as December 25 there is no biblical reason why this o sa sh uld be so . The gospels y nothing about the season of the year when Christ was born . On the other hand they do tell us that shepherds were then guarding their flocks in the open air . Hence many of the early fathers of the Church considered it most likely that the Nativity took place either in the late oi of t summer or the early fall . The p nt was no grea o to u o m ment them, as the early Ch rch made m re fuss over the death day of a great or holy person than

i a o over his birthday . The b rthd y is nly the day when o o man is b rn into mortality, the deathday chr nicles o o his birth int imm rtality. The important fact then which I have asked you to get clearly into your head is that the fixin g of the date as December 25th was a compromise with pagan

i sm. For countless centuries before the Chr istian era o o i eo pagan Europe, thr ugh all its vari us tr bes and p t o a i ples , had been accustomed celebr te its ch ef fes tival of o i at the time the winter s lstice, the turn ng it has point when winter, having reached s apogee,

TH E EVOLUTION OF CHRISTMAS 65 also reached the point when it must begin to decline again towards spring .

The last sentence requires further explanation. I shall try to put it into words as sim ple as possible . You must be aware of the fact that the Shortest day in the year is December 2 1st . Therefore that is the day when winter reaches its height . It was on or about December 2 l st that the an cient Greeks celebrated what are known to us as ! ono of the Bacchanalia or festivities in h r Bacchus , t o the god of wine . In these festivi ies the pe ple gave t on s themselves up gs g , dances and other revels which frquently passed the limits of decency and order . in In ancient Rome the Saturnalia, or festivals u the od of i honor of Sat rn, g t me, began on Decem

17th o a . ber and/ c ntinued for seven d ys These also o o ften ended in riot and disorder. Hence the w rds Bacchanalia and Saturnalia acquired an evil reputa o ' ti n in later times . We are most interested in the festivals o f the an cient Teutonic (or German) tribes because they are m0st closely linked with Christmas as we ourselves celebrate it . The pagan feast of the Twelve Nights was relig iously kept by them from December 25th to January

! B a hu the Lat n name f h d The Greek nam cc s is i or t is Go . e was

D on so . Th fest val there fore is more ro er th e D on s a feast i y s is i p p ly i y i c , but the habit of calling Greek Gods by their R om an names is so general amon us a it as el t t to a hus and B a hanalia g th t is w l o s ick B cc cc . 66 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

6th k o k , the latter day being n wn, as it is still nown

a as i . to their descend nts , Twelfth N ght The Teu o o ifi o of t nic mind pers n ed the active f rces nature, to a as in n that is s y it pictured them liv g bei gs . The conflicts between these forces were represented as battles between gods and giants .

for - i - r Winter, example, was the Ice g ant, c uel, o o i boisterous, unruly, the destr yer f l fe, the enemy

! i of o . di on his al ke g ds and men Ri ng steed, the all ff o ims sti ening N rth Wind, he built up for h elf great castles of ice . Darkness and death followed in his wake .

- ol But the Sun god and the South Wind, symb s

to - A t of light and life , gave battle the Ice giant . od of he di last Thor, the g t Thunderstorm, ri ng on o f his n o the wings the air, hurled thu derb lt at the o winter castle, and dem lished it . Then Freij a, the o o g ddess of fruits and flowers, resumed her f rmer sway . All of which is only a poetical way o f saying that after the Ice - giant had conquered in winter he

- was in his turn overthrown by the Sun god in spring . -first o Now the twenty day f December, the depth

o - was of winter, marked the peri d when the Ice giant in the full flush of his triumph and also marked the beginning of his overthrow. It was the turning

o i o u o - p int in the confl ct f nat ral f rces . The Sun god o having reached the g al of the winter solstice, now wheeled aroun d his fiery steeds and became the sure TH E EVOLUTION OF CHRISTMAS 67 herald of the coming victory of light and life over of o darkness and death spring ver winter . A thousand indications point to the fact that Christmas has incorporated into itself all these fes tiv als , Greek, Roman and German, and given them

‘

n . s of a i a new meani g The wild revel the B cchanal a, the Saturnalia and the Twelve Nights survive in a milder form in the merriment and j ollity which mark

to - the season of Christmas day . Christmas gifts themselves remind us of the pres

' ents that were exchanged in Rome during the Satur

a a . o i n li In R me, it m ght be added, the presents usu ’ ‘ o orrfi — ally to k the f of wax tapers and dolls, the latter being in their turn a survival of the human sacrifices ff once o ered to Saturn . It is a queer thought that in our Christmas presents we are preserving under another form one of the most savage customs of our barbarian ancestors ! “ ” The shouts of Bona Saturnalia ! which t he R o man people exchanged among themselves are the pre “ ” cursors of our Merry Christmas ! The decorations and illuminations of our Christian churches recall the of i temples Saturn, rad ant with burning tapers and resplendent with garlands . The masks and mum

ries hi me w ch still survive here and there, even in the

of to- ll o Am erica day, and which were especia y pr m

ent A o in in the Middle ges , were pr minent also in the

Saturnalian revels . 68 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

An d a large number of the legends , superstitions and ceremonials which have crystallized aroun d the Christian festival in Europe and Am erica are more di o n of or less st rted remi iscences the legends , super stitions and ceremonials of the Twelve Nights of ancient Germany . CH A P TER j /

SILEN! S, SAT! RN, THOR

AN D to now you may be tempted ask , What bear ing has all this stuff about the pagan festivals upon the question of the identity of our old friend Santa Klaus ? to r e I am coming that . In eve y one of these f s tivals di fi ol the lea ng gure was an d man, with a lot ' o bear nd i f white d a wh te hair rimming his face . In the Bacchanalia the representative god was not the young Bacchus , but the aged, cheery and decid edl i y d sreputable Silenus , the chief of the Satyrs and the god of drunkards . i tu ifi In the Saturnal a it was Sa rn, a dign ed and — Venerable old gentleman the god of Time . o of In the Germanic feasts it was Th r, a person

to o . patriarchal aspect, and a warrior b ot Now fi o f a , although the central gure the Christi n festival was the child-god— the Christ- Kindlein none the less the influence of long pagan antecedents was too strong within the breast of the newly Chris o tianized World to be readily dismissed . The traditi n o f hoary age as the true representative of the holiday 69 7& TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

o a i i peri d, tradition, it w ll be seen, in wh ch all pagan

a r ill e i o in nations g eed, st r ma ned sm ulder g under the o a a ashes of the past . It burst int fl me gain when the past was too far back to be looked upon with dis did like or disquietude by the Church . No longer there seem to be any danger of a relapse into the religious errors of that past . A t first the more dignified representative was chosen as more in keeping with a solemn season . i l un Saturn was preferred to S lenus, and was a most

o io a i a a i o c nsc usly reb pt zed s S int N ch las , the latter being the greatest saint whose festival was celebrated in December and the one who in other respects was most nearly in accord with the dim traditions of S a turn as the hero of the Saturnalia. If you look at the pictures printed in this book you will see that in face and figure the Saint Nicholas o f the early painters was not unlike the ancient idea of

Saturn . An d o i it was many, many years bef re Sa nt Nich olas had ousted the Christ- child from the first place

. l in the Christmas festivities Indeed, as we sha l see , he often accompanied his Master on H is Christmas

a so rounds . It may be added th t he still does in certain country places in Eur ope where the modern spirit has been least felt . o of i dl i In c urse t me, as the idea of worl y merr ment at the Chr istmas season prevailed over that of

E 1 SIL NUS, SATURN, THOR 7

nk prayer and tha sgiving, the name Saint Nicholas gradually merged in to the affectionate diminutive of a Santa Klaus . ! nder the new n me the old saint lost

his i . H e o i o all auster ty became ruddier, j ll er, m re

In - rubicund aspect, while the Christ Kindlein faded o o m re and more into the backgr und, until at last the ff very name of the latter, under the slightly di erent

o - was n his suc f rm of Kris Kinkle, tra sferred to cessor. A nd now compare the pictures of Santa Klaus

‘ which are scattered through this book with that o f I Silenus . S it not evident that the one is a revival o a n i of the ther, ch nged, i deed, in certain tra ts of char a fi a cter, sobered up , washed and puri ed, cl d in warm garments that are more suited to the wintry season i od which he has made his own , but st ll the g of good

' " ellows — thé hu f , representative of good health, good mor and good cheer ?

Extremes meet once more . The most modern hero of the season of merrim ent is a return to the most

- ancient . The Santa Klaus of to day is the Silenus o of an unkn wn antiquity. o Let us learn a little m re about Silenus. He was the tutor of Bacchus and seems to have had so much respect for his pupil that his life after the invention of wine was one long spree . It was a merry and

- oo u . m g d nat red spree, however Silenus never beca e maudlin or quarrelsome in his cups . He was the most E2 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

j ovial of tipplers . His outlook upon life was as rosy o as his nose . A cheery laugh beamed ver his large

li bead fat face, the ght of humor twinkled in his v

his u his eyes, rot nd stomach spoke of good cheer, smile

' of unruffled dis osition beamed assurance an p . Am o ass a ng all the brute creation he chose an , th t

o his . caricature of the h rse, as favorite charger He always appeared with a troupe of laughing fauns and o satyrs ar und him, and his advent was everywhere the

signal for quips and cranks and wreathed smiles . a to Now Saint Nichol s, also, in former times used

a o ll in ride br ad on an ass , and sti continues to do so

o of . certain p rtions Europe In fact, as already all of i noted, the genial traits S lenus , save only that n o in a a — of drunke ness , are repr duced S nta Kl us , the jolly p agan who is to - day the personification of

Christmas . But though a modernized pagan god holds this o in t i important p sition our festival, every h ng that could be offensive in the old pagan way of celebrating

it has been abolished . o It was not always s . The Church which so wisely to old o n sought retain the heathen forms, f u d it often

very hard, and sometimes impossible , to subdue the o i heathen spirit . In spite of the pr tests of pr ests and o of o n the anathemas of p pes , in spite the c ndem ation

o f oo r ia all wise and g d men, Ch ist ns in the early days frequently reproduced all the worst follies and vices r n Santa Claus and his youn g f ie ds . ’ F r om Thomas Nas t s Ch r i s tmas Drawm g s for th e Human Rac e r r n B ro rs Copyr ight 1 8 99 by Ha p e a d the .

LE 5 SI NUS, SATURN, THOR 7

th of the Bacchanalia and e Saturnalia . Even the io A clergy were for a per d whirled into the vortex . io special celebrat n, called the Feast of Fools , was i Vi instituted in the r behalf with a ew, said the doctors “ i of the Church, that the folly wh ch is natural to and born with us might exhale at least once a year . The intention was excellent . But in practice the liberty i o e so accorded speed ly degenerated int licens . Early in the history of the Church excesses were so great that a council of bishops held at A uxerre

wa to e . s moved inquire into the matt r Gerson, the

o o o o i m st n ted the lg an of the day, made an immense “ sensation by declaring that if all the devils in hell had put their hea ds together to devise a feast that

o sh uld utterly scandalize Christianity, they could not ” o have improved up n this one . If even among the clergy heathen traditions sur vived so o strenu usly, what wonder that they survived o ? v i of am ng the laity The wild re els , ndeed, the i O m o Christmas per od in lden times al st stagger belief . no a b No amount of drunkenness , bl sphemy, no o scenity was frowned upon . License was carried to the utmost limits o f licentiousness . Even in the seventeenth century, when the revels had been slightly

a toned down, M ster William Prynne discovered in them those vestiges of paganism which are apparent

- enough to the historian of to day . “ ” ' H istrio-M as tzm If we compare, he says in his , TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS ’ our Bacchanalian Christmas and New Year s tides

t a with these Sa urnalia and feasts of Janus , we sh ll

find ffi o a such near a nity between them, b th in reg rd — o in of time, they being b th the end of December and the first of Janu ary— and in their manner of sol emnizin — h in i g bot being spent revelling, epicur sm,

i - wantonness , idleness, dancing, dr nking, stage plays , masques and carnal pomp and j ollity— that we must conclude the one to be but the ape, or issue, of the ” other . The very excesses of the Christmas period proved their own eventual cure . In England the Puritans revolted so bitterly that they for a period put an end to o ur o Christmas alt gether. In E pe the revolution was more gradual . But everywhere a change of man ners and of morals has purified the festival over which a i Santa Klaus presides, and Santa Kl us h ms elf, even o o as of if we lo k up n him a revival the pagan Silenus , is a Silenus freed from all the offensive features of who s paganism, a Silenus with hi new baptismal name ha taken on a new character.

It must be remembered, however, that Santa Klaus does not rule all over the Christian world. There is even a wide difference between our Santa Klaus and the Saint Nicholas of Southern France and Germany .

The latter, grave, sedate, severe, preserves more of tu the Saturn than the Silenus type . He is Sa rn christianized and dignified with episcopal robes . He

E ! 9 SIL N S, SATURN, THOR 37

i distributes gifts l ke our Santa Klaus , but in addition for i o to gifts good l ttle b ys and girls, he carries a

- o o birch rod for bad nes . In the m re primitive s ec

o o ti ns, such as certain parts of L rraine, the Tyrol,

o mi so on i s i B he a and , he attended by an evil Sp rit Who oo o i called Ruprecht l ks after bad b ys and g rls . It 1S also frequently the custom on Christmas D ay for a couple or more of maskers to dress themselves n o up as Sai t Nicholas and Ruprecht, and ther

- d o . attendants , such as the Christ chil r St Peter or not — l at who , these additiona char c ers varying with o o the locality. They go fr m h use to house rewarding oo dr n the g d chil en and pu ishing the bad .

More of this, however, in a future chapter. CH AP TER VI

A TERRIBLE CHRISTM AS I N OLD FRANCE

FOREVER memorable as an illustration of the man ners of the French court in the fourteenth century stands a terrible accident that happened in Paris on the Christmas eve of 1393. All through the Christ m as ceremonies of the preceding week riot had run r o unchecked . The wildest spi its of the French c urt 0 1 had been given a free rein . One mad prank had f o it a lowed an ther, until might seem that im gination had been exhausted in the effort at inventing new follies . But this would have been reckoning without Sir u i a u onin o H u gonin de G s y . Sir H g was kn wn as the maddest of the mad . The reckless and the un godly loved and admired him as much as the Sober and the godly hated and despised him . From his height as a nobleman of the French court he looked “ w o o o do n with c ntempt on the comm n pe ple, tradesmen, mechanics, laborers and servants . He found a cruel pleasure in accosting harmless folk of o i k n is this s rt in the publ c streets , pric i g them with h s purs, lashing them with his whip , and ordering them 80 The Fe ast Of the P assov er . Pai nti ng by Di edr ich B out s

A TE RRIBLE CHRISTMAS I N OLD FRANCE 83

to creep on their hands and feet in the gutters . “ !” Bark, dog, bark he would cry as he cracked his whip in the air . T o please him the Victims had to bow-wow and growl like curs ere this polite and pleasant gentleman would allow them to rise from their degraded posi tion . On this particular Christmas Eve Sir H ugonin

to . a o had a proposal make He suggested th t, in rder i to continue the festiv ties , a mock marriage should be celebrated between a gentleman and a lady of the

o wa of court. The prop sal s accepted with shouts o o o joy. A y ung c uple were ch sen to stand up before o o o of a pretended priest, and to g thr ugh the f rm the i wedd ng service . Just as the ceremony was nearmg its end Sir H u onin his o g asked the king and four of c urtiers , madcaps all of them and all of them members of the — proudest families in France, to withdraw with him

fo . r a moment He had a fresh prOposal to make . It happened that at this time all Paris had “ gone wild over the dancing bears brought into the capital by ’ strolling performers . H ugonin s plan was that he o o di and the king, and the f ur courtiers , Sh uld sguise themselves as dancing bears . A pot of tar and a

‘ quantity of tow were ready at hand to t ransform ’ them into fair imitations of the bears in the players b ooths . Then the fiv e courtiers were to be bound 84 T H E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

oul together with a silk rope . The king himself w d lead them into the hall . “ ” u t Excellent ! cried the king and all the co r iers , save only Sir Evan de Foix . Sir Evan seems to have been the one man of the party who had preserved a glimm er of common sens e . He pointed out that they were about to rush into a

of . n no room full lights Being all bou d together, t one could say what disaster might no befall . “ “ of Sire, he pleaded, it is certain that if one us fire i in catches , the whole number, nclud g your Ma

ll so a o t . jesty, wi be as m ny r ast ches nuts o l H u o W ho Then up sp ke the reck ess Sir g nin . ? ” “ is to set us on fire he asked . Where is there the traitor that would not be careful when the safety of ” the kin g is at stake ? ’ Sir Evan s fears could not be set at rest . But when he found that the counsels of Sir H ugonin were bound to prevail he suggested that at least all due ul precautions sho d be taken . “ Let His Maj esty be prevailed up on at least to give o rders that nobody bearing a torch shall approach ” us .

a I n That shall be done at once, s id Charles . stantly sending for the chief ofli cer in charge of the hall he gave instructions that all the torch bearers

o on i of oo sh uld be collected together one s de the r m, and that under no pretence should any of them ap

86 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS his elbows and the torch he held in his hand was brought into sudden contact with the tarry tow that did duty as a bearskin . In one moment Sir Evan was blazing from head to foot . In another moment o o o a i the wh le gr up f knights were fl ame . The r fran tic struggles served only to draw them more closely o o t gether within the silken r pe that boun d them . Luckily for the king he had detached hims elf from

on his o ds to the group , having stopped r un to talk

fir w the Duchess de Berri . When st the alarm as

o o a io given he w uld have rushed to help his c mp n ns , i i but the duchess , guess ng it was the king under th s him o disguise, threw her arms around and f rcibly detained him . “ ” She do not see o com Sire , said, you that y ur o to i ul pani ns are burning death , and that noth ng co d save you if you went near them in that dress ? a i one him Me nwh le , of the maskers had wrenched o u self free from his c mpanions . This was the yo ng o of o o for i L rd Nant uillet, fam us strength, ag lity and of o o of ow presence mind, p ssessed, more ver, a p erful jaw and a splendid set of teeth . He bit through him off the silken rope that enmeshed , wrenched it , o hi and then rushed thr ugh the hall and flung mself, i i o o o o l ke a blaz ng c met, thr ugh a wind w that pened o o i int the yard bel w . Luck ly he had remembered that underneath the window stood a cistern full of water . Plunging headlong into this impromptu bathtub

A TERRIBLE CHRISTMAS IN OLD FRANCE 89

a he emerged, bl ck, burnt and sizzling, but saved . A s for his o o e c mpani ns, they wer now whirling hither and thither through a horrified mob of specta who a o o e tors , tr mpled ver each th r in their eagerness

to o . i escape c ntact with the blaze Shrieking, pray ng, o o cursing, the do med four f ught with the flames and

o a with one another . W men f inted ! men who had never faltered in the fiercest battle sickened at the frightful Spectacle . Eager as they would have been

too to assist their friends, the men knew only well that no human arm could offer assistance . All o now Paris had, been ar used by the tumult and a A t crowded aroun d the palace g tes . last the flames o burned out . The f ur maskers lay, a charred and

- a o of a . writhing he p , upon the fl or the d nce hall One

A o i . was a mere cinder. n ther survived unt l daybreak , o Still another died at noon the next day . The f urth ir lived on through three days of agony . This was S u onin H g himself. Small pity did he get from the mechanics and tradesmen of Paris ! “ ” do a ! Bark, g , b rk was the cry with which they greeted the charred and mangled corpse when it was borne through the streets to its final resting place in the cemetery . CH AP TER VII

T H E CHRISTM AS TREE I N LEGEND

WE have seen that most of the ceremonies that have attended or still attend the season of Christmas may be traced back to a period long before the birt h of Christ . hi The Christmas tree is no exception to t s rule . I not i o has t is pagan, Christian in its orig n, th ugh it been adapted to Christian uses . It came down to us o o i on fr m the pagan Teut ns and Scandinav ans, and the way it was Christianized in Germany and H ol in o n o o land, Sweden, N rway and De mark, l ng bef re it had been made holy in the same manner among

- the English speakin g peoples . Myth and history have both busied thems elves with

at o n . i guesses its rigi Let us beg n with myth . A very old legend makes Saint Win fred the in i o v entor of the Chr stmas tree . Winfred (please n te that this is the masculine form of which Winifred is the feminine) was one of the early missionaries to N orway who helped to wean the ancient S candin a vians from their pagan beliefs and practices . 90 ‘ TH E CHRISTMAS TREE I N LEGE ND 91

' e i H found that the r priests, the Druids, had taught t o i o them o w rship trees as if they were liv ng g ds . So he set himself the task of showing to his Christian converts that the obj ects of their former worship were — o and o o . not g ds but trees , trees n thing m re On

o a. Christmas eve, theref re, he hewed down mighty o f o oak in presence of a great crowd men, w men and children . o A miracle indeed f llowed . But it was a Chris all i n tian miracle , and as such was the more conv nci g to these simple people that their old- time faiths had i been m splaced .

This is how " the miracle is described by an ancient historian : “ ’ A s the bright blade circled around Winfred s of f o head, and the flakes wood flew r m the deepening the b od a gash in y of the tree, a whirling wind p ssed o oa over the f rest . It gripped the k from its foun o dations . Backward it fell like a tower, gr aning as o r ut it split asunder in f ur pieces . B just behind it nh fir e and u armed by the ruin , stood a young tre pointing a green spire towards the stars . “ Winfred let the axe drop and turned to speak to the people . ‘ un This little tree, a yo g child of the forest, shall

- to . o of be your holy tree night It is the w od peace, for your houses are built of the fir . It is a Sign of 92 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

for its are . endless life , leaves ever green See how it points upward to heaven . Let this be called the

of - i a o not in tree the Christ ch ld ! g ther ab ut it, the w o o l ildwood, but in y ur own h mes ! there it wi l shelter no o i deeds of bl od, but loving g fts and rites of kind ’ ness . There is another old legend that is told by the o o on pe ple around Strassburg, a fam us old city the

wa i Rhine. Half y between th s city and the neigh boring town of Drusenh eim there are still to be seen

o a the ruin s of an old castle . It pr bably dates b ck

a to the seventh century. Its chief fe ture is a massive

a . in o o g te Deep sunk the st ne arch ab ve this gate , and as clearly and sharply defined as if it had been o i i carved nly yesterday, s the mpress of a small and to delicate hand. A nd this is the story that is told account for the presence of the hand . One of the early lords of the castle was Count Otto

o a n o von Gorgas, a hands me and d shi g y uth, whose n i S o great delight was hu t ng big game . devoted, wa to o indeed, s he the sho ting of deer and the spear ing o f wild boars that love could fin d no e ntrance i did in into h s heart. In vain the fairest maidens the land sigh for a soft speech or a tender glance i hI others k of from this w ld huntsman . on both ban s the river Rhine had abandoned in desp air all hope of him as fo i securing a match r their daughters, wh le

94! TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

u Sure enough, when he p lled his hand out of the water the ring was gone !

o a o Th ugh nn yed by his loss, the count decided that

ha o the ring d accidentally Slipped fr m his finger. There was no opportunity for any further search that for sun day, the well was very deep and the had already set . S o Otto remounted his horse and rode back to the ’ i a castle, resolv ng th t in the morning he would have ’ i t r i the Fairy s Well empt ed ou by his se vants . L ttle doubt had he but that the ring would easily be foun d at the bottom . o A s a rule Count Otto was a g od Sleeper . That

o a to l . L night, h wever, he tried in v in c ose his eyes y ing restlessly awake he listened feverishly to the hoarse baying of the watch - dog in the court -yard until near m on midnight . Suddenly he raised hi self his elbows . What was that unusual noise he heard outside ?

a He strain ed his e rs . Distinctly he again heard the creaking of the dr awbridge as it was bein g low

a o o ered . A few minutes l ter there foll wed s unds as of the pattering of many feet up the stone stairs and into the chamber next to his own . Then a wild

o f i a a o i strain mus c c me flo ting on the air, Sho t ng a “ ” sweet mysterious thrill even into his stony heart .

o o o Rising s ftly fr m his bed, Ott hastily dressed

o . H i oo himself. A little bell s unded s chamber d r was suddenly flung open . He accepted what seemed T H E CHRISTMAS TRE E IN LEGE ND 95

l a o like a word ess invit ti n . Crossmg the threshold o oo of int the next r m, he found himself in the midst an assemblage of rather small but very lovely looking

t a o who a s r ngers of b th sexes, laughed, chatted, d nced

and sang without seeming in the least to notice him . In the middle of the room stood a splendid Christ mas tree from which a great number of many- col ored lamps shed a flood of light throughout the apart ment . Now this was the first Christmas tree that had ever in a or o been seen those p rts , indeed by any m rtal a folk in any portion of the world . An d it w s a / ' Christmas tree Of a sort that never again has been seen by any mortal folk in any portion of the o w rld . For surely never again has a Christmas tree borne ” o o a i such fruits . Instead f t ys and c nd es the branches

a o a and o e were hung with di m nd st rs cr sses , p arl neck

a i of i i l ces , a grettes rub es and sapph res , baldricks em

o a a and a o br idered with Orient l pe rls , d ggers m unted

‘ in gold and studded with the rarest gems . o not n Lost in wonder at a scene he c uld u derstand, the count gazed without the power of utterin g a

a a Single word . There w s a sudden movement t the o o i end of the hall . The c mpany st pped danc ng and

fell back to make way for a newcomer . Then in the of bright rays the Christmas lights, a dazzling vision o t st od in front of Count Ot o . 96 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

i o ni i o It was a pr ncess f asto sh ng beauty . Th ugh

in she m in . o only a girl size, was a wo an age Th ugh

i o . she small, her body was exquis tely f rmed There

o ifi for a . A di st od, magn cently dressed as ball adem

a i i o sp rkled am d her raven black locks , r ch p int lace o o of nly half veiled her snowy bos m, and her dress

o - o o i sat o fi li r se c l red s lk cl se to her slender gure , fal ng in folds just so low as to reveal the neatest feet and o o ankles in the w rld, while her Sleeves were sh rt enough to display beautiful arms of dazzling white ness . The charming stranger Showed no awkward timid

. o a a she ity On the c ntr ry, fter a short pause walked

a to a o str ight up the count, c ught him by b th hands , and ai in o s d, the sweetest of v ices “

a to tu o . De r Otto, I am come re rn y ur call A t the same time she raised her right hand t o his i ol o o a l ps . Forgetting all his d c ldness t w rds the female sex he gallantly kissed it without making any

o . a i a l o n . ther reply Indeed, he felt f sc n ted, spe lb u d He gladly let the beautiful stranger dr aw him to a o she r o c uch where sat he self d wn besides him . Her lips met his and before he could think about kissing o them, he had d ne so . “ ” o his My dear friend, whispered the lady int ear ,

v a I am the fairy Ernestine . I ha e brought you

Christmas present . That which you lost and hardly ”

find i ! . hoped to aga n, see I fetch it back to you TH E CHRISTMAS T REE I N LEGEND 97

And o o set , drawing from her b s m a little casket

she a o f . with diamonds , placed it in the h nds the count

He eagerly opened it . Not entirely unexpectedly (for had not her words forewarned him ?) he found

ha within it the ring that he d lost in the forest well . Carried away by a feelin g as strange as it was ir i o res stible , C unt Otto pressed the casket and then the lovely Ernestine to his breast . “ ” i ul Del ghtf , murmured the maiden, who as you

ee not so co may s , was y as are many maidens of the everyday world . In brief the two had fallen in love with each other

fi i . Before for o at rst s ght they parted the night, Ott ’ a on i n to o h d w the fa ry s co sent bec me his wife .

o he a o One thing nly s dem nded f him . He must “ ” a of o a never m ke use the w rd de th in her presence . Fairies are immortal ! she did not wish to be reminded

a he o o a a th t s was b und to a m rt l husb nd .

o for him to It was easy en ugh make this promise, o o o o and n d ubt he th ught it w uld be easy to keep it .

da o v on o a Next y C unt Otto G rg s and Ernestine ,

a the Queen of the Fairies , were m rried with great pomp and ceremony. They lived happily together for some years in the grand old castle . One day it chanced that the young couple were to i o assist at a great tourney in the ne ghb rhood . The ’ Lady Ernestine s horse stood in waiting for her at the castle gate . Being greatly occupied in adjusting a 98 TH E ST ORY OF SANTA KLAUS new headdr ess which her milliner had just brought l home, she kept her husband waiting unti his patience was worn out . “ Fair dame, he pettishly exclaimed when she at last appeared in the great hall where for half an hour he had been striding up and down in his uncomfort “ a o ou so oul able rm r, y are long making ready, you w d be a good messenger to send for Death . Scarcely had he uttered the fatal word than with a wild scream the lady disappeared. She left no trace

t a o behind her, except the print of her lit le h nd ab ve

a a . ow the c stle g te Every Christmas eve, h ever, she returns and fiits about the ruins with loud lamenta

o n ti ns , crying at i tervals “ Death ! Death ! Death ! A s to Count Otto he went the way of all flesh and was gathered to his fathers not long after he had lost

o . i a his sp use But every Chr stm s Eve , while his life o in lasted, he w uld set up a lighted tree the hall where

had fi — in 0 he rst met the lady Ernestine , the vain h pe

of oo to his a . A nd ai w ing her back rms this , it is s d o o of in Strasburg and its neighborho d, was the rigin ! the Christmas tree .

! Lon on I u trate Ne s D ecember 95 1858. S chulzer : Le en s of d ll s d w , , g d he h ne t R i . CHA PTER VIII

T H E C H RI ST M A S T REE IN H I STORY

T H E stories I have just told you are pretty enough now and m ay amuse an idle half hour . But we must pass from the region of myth into that of history and science . My sexagenaria n readers will not need to be in

cl c a o a o o troduced to the s en e c lled c mpar tive myth l gy . But for the sake of the 31x year olds it may be well to ’ as I few words explain, Simply as can in a , that com parativ e mytho logy is a branch of human knowledge which compares the myths and legends of one age and one people with the myths and legends of another

and o o to o how age an ther people , the bject being Sh w

a o a o or how the l ter myths descend fr m the e rlier nes , all the myths g o back to s ome parent germ in the

- - far a way past . of By the aid, then , of the science comparative mythology let us seek to study the historical growth of the idea that is n ow embodied in the Christmas

we of o . tree . Here, indeed, are in a whirl pr blems Comparative mythology is one of the most interest ing and also one of the most difficult of sciences . In 99 100 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS the present case it must take accoun t of the fact that

a n we English spe ki g peoples of the present day, and Am o e o mi especially we ericans , are a h dg p dge xture of many races and many religions . Somewhere in our brains we preserve dim memories of a thousand conflicting myths of the past which without kn owing o o it we have inh erited from our ancest rs . In ther parts of our brain we retain the facts and fictions o to or hi which have been t ld us by our elders , w ch we have learned from books . Now in all times and in all countries we fin d records

o i o io of the w rsh p , at s me former per d, of a tree as — di in o . a vinity, other w rds as a god Greatest and most famous of all these sacred trees was a quite ima ginary one which the Scandinavians

- called the ash tree Yggdrasil . Nobody had ever seen

o a o i a be it, but everyb dy m ng these imag n tive people liev ed in its existence . It was supposed to be a tree so big that you could o a i not possibly picture it to y ur f ncy, wh ch eucom passed the entire universe of sun and moon and stars

. An d o on e one and earth it had three ro ts , in heaven,

l and in he l one on earth . The serpent who gnaws the roots of Yggdrasil o was of course a heathen idea . Yet you cann t help seeing in him some likeness to the serpent o f Genesis

who o v . is held to be a symb l of Satan, or the de il

Like Satan he seeks the destruction of the universe .

TH E CHRISTMAS T REE IN HISTORY 103

When the roots of Yggdrasil are eaten through the tree will fall over and the end of all things will have

arrived. Now among the An glo - Saxons or early inhabitants

of who in a England, were p rt descended from the

i a i lo Scand n vians , Yggdras l survived in the Yule g , u is which they sed to burn on Christmas Eve, as it

a to— still burned in m ny an English home day. A nd this is how the pagan tree was transformed into the Christian Yule log The missionaries to the An glo - Saxons denounced i the Yggdrasil superstition . They made the r con verts hack to pi eces all carved figures representing

o a the id l trous symbol, and then cast the pieces into the flames as a token that the Christ - child had de i stroyed heathen sm. Am o the o ng Germans and the Norsemen, h wever, the sanctity of the Yggdrasil myth could not be de

stroyed. It had to be transformed, and transferred to Christian uses by identifying it with some Chris tian or Jewish symbol like the tree of life in Genesis o r the cross of Christ in the New Testament . Compare the great tree Yggdrasil and its three roots with the description which a certain writer of A o f the early middle ages , called leima, gives the

T ree of Life . “ ’ I t s Alcima 1s position, says , such that the upper 1041 T H E ST ORY OF SANTA KLAUS

ll portion touches the earth, the root reaches to he , ” and the branches extend to all parts of the earth . Evidently Alcima had been infl uenced by Scandi u navian legend as well as by biblical lore . Of co rse you will understand that he was speaking not of the o a actual cross, but of the cr ss s a symbol of Chris tianity. Let us extend our researches a little further into the region of comparative mythology . You will find A dam and Eve commemorated in o t hi old calendars under date f December 24 h. T s our is the eve of Christmas . The symbol of first par ents is the tree of the knowledge of good and ev il . a o o Christm s itself is the day of Christ, wh se symb l

a is the tree of life or the cross . It is easy to see th t when the minds of men were escaping from p aganism into Christianity the tree of the old mythology grew to be associated with the birthday of Christ and thus with the cross . S o the lights of the Chanu ckah Fes tiv al of the Hebrews were borrowed to a dorn the

- a sacred tree, and the seven br nched candlestick, as fi of as n a gure that tree, w even introduced i to the churches . esentation —so common among the early painters and especially the painters of Italy— o f the serpent squattin g at the foot of the cross had of cour se in its its Christian mean g, but adoption into Christian

106 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

tian uses . Shepherd and Sheep were retained as

o . A s our symbols f Christ and his flock you know, Lord is frequently alluded to as the good shepherd o and is so represented in religi us paintings . The sigillaria of the old Romans were also turned t o a

se w fi ur new u , the d ith g es of saints and o A few pages back told that the day before Christmas is the day which our pious forefathers

to a . ou ill re dedicated A d m and Eve Hence , y w

fi of our fi a at member, gures rst parents appe red the of w i foot the tree, while a serpent ent ined tself w around the roots or the trunk . This as the serpent o a al a n f the Old Testament , but I h ve re dy explai ed how it was also a Christian adaptation of the serpent

- r of the great ash tree Yggd asil . I m a a ll y add, right here, th t the serpent sti makes its appearance at the b ase of a Christmas tre e in many parts of rural Germany where old customs still sur i o n u t v t7f in their rigi al p ri y . An d now by grouping all these facts together we (1 that long before the coming of Christ there was

( scattered all over the world an idea that an illuminated

o f o was o l tree was a symb l o holin ess . Theref re it n y natural that it came at last to be associated with the birthday of Christ and with the period of the winter solstice which the followers of Christ had rescued from pagan practices and pagan superstitions and TH E CH RI STMAS TRE E I N H I STORY 107 adapted to the religion which He had founded This association was made all the more natural because the candles that twinkle on the Christmas tree were anticipated in the candles lit by the Jews on their o i ha u c ah l Chanuckah or Feast f L ghts . C n k is sti l celebrated among them with all the old forms . It -fifth i falls on the twenty day of Kislev, or n nth month a i o o of the Jewish c lendar, wh ch r ughly c rresponds o with our December or twelfth m nth .

a 165 o On th t day, in the year bef re Christ, the tem ple in Jerusalem, which had been desecrated by a An o fi Roman army under ti chus, had been puri ed and " io rededicated by Judas Maccabeus . An t chus had put out the lights of the seven -branched candelabra that had been kept burning ever since the temple had

fini . A oil been shed j ar of sacred , sealed with the

H . ring of the igh Priest, was discovered untouched There seemed to be only enough for one day but when it was poured into the lamp it lasted for a i full week. Th s miracle happened just in the nick of

ul to time, for it wo d have taken seven days obtain a fresh supply of oil . It was then decreed that the week beginning with the twenty - fifth day of Kislev should be celebrated as a festival forever . A ccordingly on that day in every year the Jews li o on ght a candle in every h me, the next day, two, o i and s on, unt l the seventh and last day of the feast

s dl n o when even can es twi kle in every h me . 108 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

Now if Christ was born on the twenty -fifth day of December he probably came into the world at a time when every house in Bethlehem and Jerusalem was ablaze with lights . In this conn ection it may be added that one of the German names for Christmas is W einacht or Night o o of Dedication, as th ugh it were s mehow associated in the popular mind with the Jewish Chanuckah . An other curious fact which bears out the same theory is that the Catholics of the Greek Church call Chr ist of mas the Feast Lights . With another Jewish festival Chr istmas has a ver

o a o bal link . This is the feast f the P ss ver when a lamb is killed and eaten . Christ is often symbol

ized . ti as a lamb Saint John the Bap st , you remem “ ber, greeted him as the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world.

110 TH E STORY OES ANTA KLAUS that if a grown person who had all his life gone to bed with the setting sun and got up with the rising who had one, and , therefore, never seen the moon or e a mi the stars, wer suddenly to be aw kened at dnight, he would be overwhelmed by the glorious mystery o a who o f the spectacle overhe d . We are accust med to the sight from our cra dles can hardly realize the shock of such a surprise . Because we hav e seen the moon and stars ever since we could remember

how o how a i we forget w nderful they are , and be ut ful is the scene they present . We take them as a matter of o c urse . Now Martin Luther was a poet as well as a preacher . One great difference between a poet and an ordin ary person of slower imagination is that he adds to the wisdom of manhood the freshness and o sim plicity of childhood. He retains the y ung heart

i . A s a w th the mature brain Carlyle, a gre t modern o m o n writer, has said, he sees the w rld rim ed ar u d ”

. li BI artin with wonder Carlyle being, ke Luther, a o i poet, even though he rarely put his th ughts nto of o verse and rhyme, never lost the sense w nder and awe towards the manifestations of God in the uni verse . oo r n God is everywhere, though we p r, pu bli d folk only now and then catch glimpses of H im . If we could clear away the mists that have gathered roun d our eyes during our progress through the world Christmas tre e of the E nglish roya l family .

ro th e I s ra ed London New s D e e er 18 4 2 . F m llu t t , c mb ,

114 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

in in England . The tree is described at some length m o the chronicles of the ti e, but it is evident fr m these descriptions that it lacked the chief featur e Of the of one . It was not a bearer presents .

r as it is possible to gather from history, the n d fi Christmas tree, as we k ow it to ay, made its rst appearance in Strassburgh. This is interesting in view of the fact that one of the earliest legends in o explanation of the cust m finds its home in that city. More authentic witness is afforded by an old manu in r script still preserved a library at Friedbu g, Ger a of Strassbur h many, which was written by citizen g i in the year 1608 . Th s manuscript speaks of a tree all alight with candles and bedecked with presents as being a regular feature of the Christmas festivities of that tirne. Therefore we are sure that the Christ mas tree had come into common use in this region by the beginning of the seventeenth century. Fur - i ther than that there is no certa nty. The custom appears to have spread from Strass burgh to the neighboring cities along the Rhine and to have flourished in that limited district for fully two hundred years . nin Suddenly, about the begin g of the nineteenth century, it made its appearance outside of the Rhen o fi had ish towns in ther nearby localities, until nally it invaded the whole of Germany . Fifty years later h it had conquered nearly all C ristendom . TH E CHRISTMAS TREE IN EUROPE 115

1825 i In the year the Engl sh poet, Samuel Taylor i v Coler dge, isited Germany to spend the winter months in that coun try. One of his letters written in the following January speaks of the Christmas tree as somethin g entirely unknown to his fellow coun try men . “

is a . There Christmas custom here, he says, which pleased and interested me . The children make little presents to their p arents and to each other and the parents to their children . For three or four months before Christmas the girls are all busy and the boys save up their pocket money to buy these i presents . What the present is to be is caut ously kept secret ! and the girls have a world of contrivances to conceal it— such as working when they are out on visits, and the others are not with them ! getting up

mornifi i so o . in the g before dayl ght and f rth Then, on the evening before Christmas day, one of the r parlors is lighted up by the child en, into which the parents must not go ! a great yew-bough is fastened di o on the table at a little stance fr m the wall, a multi fi tude of little tapers are xed in the bough, but not so as l to burn it ti l they are nearly consumed, and

o . col red paper, etc , hangs and flutters from the twigs . “ hi o hi ! nder t s b ugh the c ldren lay out, in great order, the presents they mean for their parents, still concealing in their pockets what they intend for each other. Then the parents are introduced and each 116 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS presents his little gift ! they then bring out the re mainder o , one by one, from their p ckets, and present them with kisses and embraces . Where I witnessed i r this scene, there were eight or n ne child en, and the oldest daughter and the mother wept aloud for joy and tenderness ! and the tears ran down the face of il so the father, and he clasped all his ch dren tight to fl his breast, it seemed as if he did it to sti e the sob that was rising within it . I was very much

a o o its affected . The sh dow f the b ugh and append On on ilin a ages the wall, and arching over the ce g, m de a pretty picture ! and then the raptu res of the very lit and be tle ones , when at last the twigs their needles gan to take fire and snap— O ! it was a delight to them ! “ On the next day (Christmas day) in the great parlor, the parents lay out on the table the presents for the children ! a scene of more sober joy succeeds ! Old o o as on this day, after an cust m, the m ther says privately to each of her daughters and the father to o is his sons , that which he has bserved most pra e worthy and that which was most faulty in their con duct . e Continuing, Coleridg tells us that formerly, and still in all the smaller towns and villages throughout

North Germany, these presents were sent by all the o n who in i s parents to some y u g fellows , , h gh buskin , a white robe, a mask, and an enormous flax wig per

CHAPTER X

TH E CH RI STM AS TREE I N EN GLAND AND AM ERI CA

’ was Coleridge s letter, as we have seen, written in 182 n January 6. In the succeedi g December the English people were to Obtain a nearer view of the A Christmas tree . great German lady, the Princess L for o ieven, who had taken up her residence a seas n in London brought many German customs with her . “ ill On Christmas , says Henry Grev e, an amusing “ di r wa his gossip whose a y s published after death, the Princess Lieven got up a little fete such as is cus

tomar o . o y all ver Germany Three trees, in great p ts , were put upon a long table covered with pink linen . Each tree was illuminated with three circular tiers — o dl red . of c lored wax can es, blue, green, and white

Before each tree was displayed a quantity of toys ,

- gloves, pocket handkerchiefs, work boxes, books and various articles— presents made to the owner of the

. H nl tree . It was very pretty ere it was o y for the t s children . I n Germany the custom ex end to persons ” of all ages . did us Not yet, however, the c tom pass over to

England. The people who saw the tree in the parlor 118 TH E CHRISTMAS TREE IN ENGLAND 119 of the Princess Lieven or who heard about it from who o those had there seen it, made no attempt to c py s it in their own homes . A dozen years were to pas fir before the tree took m roots in English soil . It was the marriage of Queen Victoria to a German prince— Albert of Saxe - Coburg— that brought about this result . The first child was a daughter (named Victoria after her mother) who became Empress of Germany and the mother of the present Emperor

. was on now William The second child a s , who is

King Edward VI I of England. When the Princess Victoria was abou t five years old Prince Albert set up a Christmas tree, German fashion, in the royal nursery at Windsor Castle . ' ' A writer in the Cornhzll M agazzne places the date of the introduction of the Christmas tree into Eng c 1841 land as De ember . He remembers, he says , when his parents, who had spent many winters in

fi o -five Germany, rst introduced it, some f rty years o ago int England, what astonishment it created, what ” o surprised delight it aff rded . This writer gives a little too much credit to his par O o ents . N mere subjects of the queen c uld have made o o i other people foll w s read ly in their footsteps . The

o ffi . ! royal example, h wever, was su cient Once a u in s Christmas tree had been Set p Wind or Castle, you may be sure that Christmas trees blazed and twinkled in every British household that could afford 120 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

one . It has remained ever since just what it is with — u s . , the centre of all the Christmas festivities L ondon News 1848 From the for December, , I have taken a picture which represents the Winds or Castle Christmas tree with the English royal family o o f that date gr uped around it . It is interesting to note how this English paper deals with the novelty recently brought over from Germany.

T he re em o e for i e ive r o e a the t e pl y d th s f st pu p s , s ys “ N6 20 3 is a o n fir a o ei ee i and has six ier , y u g b ut ght f t h gh , t s

of ran e . On ea ier or ran are arran e a ozen b ch s ch t , b ch, g d d w a r en en ro the ran e are e e an ra ax t p e s . P d t f m b ch s l g t t ys ,

‘ a e bonb ozmie res and ot er re e a e for ee mea o f b sk ts , , h c pt cl s sw t ts , the mo varie and ex en iv e in and of all orm o o r st d p s k d ! f s , c l u s ,

and e ree of ea . Fan a e i in er rea and d g s b uty cy c k s , g lt g g b d e e i ee mea a re a o en e v a rio ggs fill d w th sw t ts , ls susp d d by usly

o o re ri on rom the ran e . T he ree i an c l u d bb s f b ch s t , wh ch st ds

on a a e overe i i e ama is or e at the up t bl c d w th wh t d sk , supp t d

o t i e of ee of a ar er in and o and o ls r o by p l s sw ts l g k d, by t ys d l o f all e ion i e to the o an and t o the d script s , su t d y uthful f cy , several a ges of the interesting scions of R oyalty for whose gratification they are displayed . T he name of each recipient s x e to the o on on or o er msent in en e for it i affi d d ll , b b , th p t d d , s o that no difference of o pini on in the choice of da inties may

the i rio v arise to disturb the equanimity of llust us j u eniles .

mmi of the ree an the ma re of a n an el On the su t t st ds s ll figu g , ” re e Win o in in ea an a rea . with outst tch d gs , h ld g ch h d w th

an O t The tree , we are further told . was bjec of much interest to all visitors at Windsor Castle from

122 T H E ST ORY OF SANTA KLAUS

tree for the holiday times . Or if they were rich

o o - en ugh to empl y men servants, they sent out the

ot a o fo m n or the butler f r this purpose .

i o a It is sa d that a wo dsman n med Mark Carr, who was born among the foothills of the Catskill Moun i in n was ta ns the early part of the ni eteenth century, é fi to a a of the rst m ke a regul r business Christmas trees . He had heard or read of the holiday festivit Of great city New York, where churches an l mlo parlors were hung with ho ly and he ck leaves , fir i Of a pine or a tree stood in the m ddle the nursery, covered with presents for the children . It occurred to him that the youn g fir trees growing on the mountain - sides all aroun d his little coun try home might be made use of for these holiday pur o no i poses . He c uld run great risks in making tr al

o o was i oo of the idea . All he c uld l se the t me it t k him to chop the trees down and brin g them into market ’ and the cost of a few days living in New York . 1851 t In December, , he put his plan into prac ice . Early in the month he and his boys loaded a couple of great sleds with young trees cut down from the in o Of neighboring forests , and hav g hitched a y ke oxen to each sled dr ove them through the deep snow o i a il to the Huds n R ver at C tsk l, whence the father to t started with them the ci y. One Old- fashioned silver dollar secur ed the use o f a strip of sidewalk on the corner Of Greenwich and TH E CH RI STMAS TREE I N AME RI CA

Vesey streets . Here the hopeful mountaineer ar his o Nor ranged forest novelties f r Christmas buyers .

o . had he long to wait . Cust mers flocked to his corner a o Starting with moder te prices he s on raised them, his h as tree after tree left hands , to sums that e would have deemed fabulous when he first dr eamed of the experiment . Next year he returned to the same place with a “ ” a o a i sa much l rger st ck, and from th t time to th s , y “ Old o a of o i Hexamer, an hist ri n New Y rk, bus ness has continued to exist until now hundreds of thousands ’ ” o of trees are yearly sold fr m Mark Carr s old corner. A t o the present day, Christmas tree ch ppers us t e begin work about thefirst Of November . Thus h V avoid the early snow falls which are liable greatly to increase the difficulties of the business by melting and freezin g again on the trees and making their t i branches oo br ttle . Firs and pines growing in Open spaces are preferred to those in dense woodlands because they are more stocky and symmetrical . A s the trees are felled the i woodsmen p le them up beside the forest roads , where they will keep fresh and green for weeks or if neces sary for months . The balsam fir is the favorite for Christmas trees dl in the mid e and eastern states . Its leaves retain their color and elasticity longer than those Of the black spruce, of which large numbers are however shipped in o ark s urt s h t m et f her out . CHA PTER X I

T H E STORY OF T H E T H REE K I NGS

I N o a the Latin c untries , that is to say, in It ly and the southernmost edge of France, Switzerland and A ou r o o ustria, g od ld friend Santa Klaus rarely acts as the bearer of gifts at the Christmas season . Even she i o Russia, though has adopted Sa nt Nich las as her o patr n saint, and celebrates his day in her own way, gives him no special place in the festivities that attend the birthday of Christ . Indeed in all these countries it is not Christmas but i 25th 6th the Ep phany, not December but January , which is the day on which presents are exchanged among friends and relations .

n o - i Epiphany, best k wn among English speak ng

D a Of peoples as Twelfth y, is the feast the Three who fi in o as Kings , gure the New Testament st ry ou wi un the Magi or Wise Men of the East. Y ll doubtedly remember how these Wise Men were warned of the birth of Christ by the appearance of how o lo i a strange star in the heavens , and , by f l w ng its guidance they arrived at the stable in Bethlehem where the Savior had been born. 124

TH E STORY OF T H E T HREE KINGS 127

of They brought with them gifts gold, frankin cense and myrrh which they presented to the Holy

Child. It was in memory of the gift-bearing kings that Epiphany among the Latin and Russian peoples is

as a o for a celebrated the se s n exch ngin g presents . Little is said in the New Testament about these wise men . Popular legend has greatly filled out the

Biblical story. It makes them three rich and power

o — a a i of a Of ful m narchs C sp r, K ng T rsus , the land

i Of A r ia r myrrh ! Melchior, K ng ab ,whe e the land is

nd a i of ruddy with gold, a Balthas r, K ng Saba, where frankincense flOws from the trees . A ccording to some authors these kings were of the a o race of Balaam, the Old Test ment pr phet, who had prepared the Gentiles for the coming of Christ into o the world. H e had foret ld that a new star should appear in that part of the Sky under which lay the a his land of Judea, and had w rned descendants that when they saw the star they should follow it and should go to adore a great king who would be born o h In o s mew ere Judea and be L rd of the ! niverse . Of Even from the time Balaam, it is added, senti nels had been posted upon a mountain towards the oo o i east, in order that as s n as the star r se nto view they should give notice of it to the lords of the coun

o try, that the latter might go with ut delay to pay

. ha reverence to the new king This notice, as it p 128 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

of pened, was not necessary in the case Caspar, Mel chior and Balthasar . Bein g very wise and learned kings they were under the special care of the Holy i Of Sp rit, who informed them in person the appear ance of the star . Each of them at once gathered together a retinue of s o of o a o ervants , as well as tro ps h rses , c mels and dr m edaries wi , all of which were laden th the choicest of i products their respect ve countries . Then they started out in search of the new born kin g . They o ui for lo ked up to the star as their g de , it moved o o l f rward as they m ved, and they wel knew that it had been sent to show them the way .

Where the three kings met is not told, but they arrived in Jerusalem together . A s soon as they had entered the city gates the star which had guided them disappeared . i Of God Now th s was in accordance with the will , that on the failure of their starry guide the kings i i i in i of m ght make nquir es the cap tal Judea, and these means publish abroad the birth of the Son

w a God. Hence Herod and the Je s in gener l could

no for o i i have excuse ign r ng th s great event, and “ ' the care and diligence of the l\I agi would rep i ff a their negligence and ndi erence , bec use h so did Christ near them , they not s eek Him , these strangers came from distant countries fO ” cause alone .

TH E STORY OF TH E THREE KINGS 1 31

A{ nd f in act the three kings, as they rode through

of of e one : the streets Jerusalem, asked very they met “ Where is He who is born Kin g O f the Jews ? We ” have seen the star and have lost it .

o I o no None c uld give them any nformati n, for a a one in Jerus lem h d seen the star . One of the writers who tells this legend pauses to “ ” praise the holy boldness with which the Magi pub

' lished a new king in J erusalem without having fear of Hero d who might have been capable of puttin g them to death for this cause . This writer quotes with approval the words which Saint John Chrysostom

/ a inat t later addressed iii im g ion o the kings . “ Oh oo ou Tell me, g d kings , do y not know that whoever proclaims a new king in the life of a reign

i ia to a a do i i and ing k ng is l ble de th, th t you th s th ng,

a o r in i a o o thus pl ce y u selves man fest d nger fr m Her d, ” who may easily command you to be put to death ? The same writer quotes with similar approval Saint ’ John s answer to his own question “ The faith Of these kings was so great and the

o o to - o i so a l ve they b re the new b rn K ng fervent, th t even before they had seen Him they were ready to die for love Of Him. how The news of three great kings , with a vast following of servants and beasts of burden had ar

1 “ ’ I l L bro D oro. T ran ate b Mrs . France A ex an er B oston i sl d y s l d , .

L t e B ro Co. 1905 i tl wn . T H E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS rived in Jerusalem soon reached the ears of King

Herod . He was greatly troubled when he heard that they had come in quest of a new - born King of ll k o o the Jews , we n wing that the kingd m of Judea not him io or did belong to by success n by birth , but o that he had received it as a reward fr m the Romans , who had unjustly taken possession of it . The first thing he did was to call together all the

a wise and learned men of Jerus lem, and ask them what the prophets had said about the coming of the a his fir Messiah, and the place where he would m ke st appearance on earth . A nd when they answered that the babe would be born in Bethlehem he was still more troubled . He at once sent out messengers to invite the kings to his

a a for . p lace, where he prep red a great banquet them After they had feasted he advised them to continue

as i of hl their journey far as the l ttle town Bet ehem, where they might come upon the obj ect of their quest . “ If you find that the child of prophecy has been ” “ o ll b rn there, he added, hasten back and te me the ”

o a too . j yful news th t I , , may come and worship Him i o to do The k ngs pr mised as Herod bid them, little knowing the gu ile and deceit that festered in his

wi . cked heart Then they resumed their j ourney . No sooner had they issued out of the gate of Jeru in sk to salem than the star once more appeared the y ,

. F a their great joy ollowing it, they arrived t the

TH E STORY OF TH E THREE KINGS 135

d ri house where, thirteen ays before, Ch st had been born . o Here the star stood still, burning even m re brightly sa than ever, as if to y, “ Here is He whom you seek ! this is the palace o f - o O f i the new born King ! this is the c urt heaven, S nce ” here its King has His abode . Strange and complex must have been the emotions these wise men felt in their hearts when they saw what the star showed them— this chamber of the King whom o a o for s for they s ught, a pl ce m re suitable beast than men ! since not for men but for beasts had it been prepared . Within the stable the virgin mother was watching

o e S on . ver the manger, wherein lay her Divin Her quick ear caught the sound of footsteps and hoof i beats outside the door . In great alarm she l fted the Child out of the manger and encir cled H im with

a her arms . This was the ttitude in which the three

o the . kings, entering, f und the mother and Child

The scales fell from their eyes at the sight . They now realiz ed that it was in truth no human king who o n o had been b rn i t the world , but the King of Heaven who had taken upon himself a human form . Throw in h one a g t emselves upon their knees , one by they p roached o him God p him, and w rshipped as and the

Savior of man . Then they presented H im with their gifts which 136 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS ’ a had now acquired a new meanin g . Casp r s gold tes ’ tified io kin that the babe was a king, Melch r s fran ’ cense showed that he was God, and Balthasar s myrrh was a reminder that he was a man and doomed to suffer a painful death . ’ r n s For gold was kept in kings treasu ies , fra kincen e in di i h s was burnt v ne wors ip , and myrrh was u ed in embalming the bodies of the dead . The infant Jesus returned their offerin gs with gifts more precious still . For gold He gave charity for and spiritual riches, incense, faith, for myrrh, truth and meekness . That night the kings were warned in a dr eam that they should not go back by way of Jerusalem because Kin g Herod cherished evil designs against the child o o to Jesus , but that they should return by ther r ads their own kingdoms . They obeyed in all meekness and humility. “ F o old rom this arose the cust m, says the quaint

“ “ hi r ob author I have already quoted, w ch the chu ch

o io of r serves in pr cess ns , leaving the chu ch by one w road and returning to it by another. By this it ould be well that all Christians should learn from the Magi not o see i a n H im i nly to Chr st, but h vi g found aga n, o H im r iffer even th ugh they had lost , to retu n by a d ent way from the other ! because if at first they Of sin oul tu Walked in the ways , they sh d re rn to it

TH E STORY OF TH E THREE KINGS 139

by the ways of holiness ! and in this country they will ou arrive at the true c ntry, which is heaven . When Herod found that the three kings had re turned home without fulfilling their promise to him he was greatly wroth . It was then that he issued his edict commanding that all children un der the age of two

years should be put to death . He hoped that the o Messiah w uld be slaughtered among the rest . But,

us o a e as the New Testament tells , the H ly F mily r ceived a special warnmg from heaven and fled into Egypt before the emissaries of wicked King Herod

could reach them. A s to eki the thre ngs, when they had arrived, each

own i o o an at his capital, they cast aside the r r yal r bes d

abandoned their royal state . Giving all their goods to the poor they wandered about the earth annnounc

‘ ing that the Savior of man had been born in Beth lehem. Seven years after the death of Christ upon the cross the wise men were found in India by S aint

o n i fir Th mas, once the doubti g disc ple , now become m

o a . in the faith, and an ap stle to the E st Saint Thomas baptized them in the name of the Father

o too and the Son and the H ly Ghost, and they became

missionaries O f the gospel . In the end they fell mar ’ tyrs for their faith and their bodies were all buried

together outside the walls of Jerusalem . 1440 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS Three hundred years passed Saint o Of Helena, m ther the made a o i o h her f m us p lgrimage to Palestine . Th ugh s e was quite eighty years of age she was still full of i life and vigor . All her t me and energies she devoted t o the discovery of early Christian remains . She is credited with the fin ding of the cross on which Chr ist suff ered and the tomb in which He was buried . She also identified the tomb of the Three Kings and carried their with her, on her return jour ney to to re - bury them in the

a a church of S aint Sophia . L ter the rem ins were / t transferred to LIilan and later still o Cologne . in There they are still shown, a side chapel of the

a a i — i gre t C thedral, lying in a golden shr ne their gr n l i o ow and i ning skul s g rt with g lden cr ns , the r skel

o o i a et n b d es cl d in royal purple, bedecked with jewels of enormous value . This is the story Of the Three Kings as it is related n all over Europe . In the Latin cou tries and in Rus o hi w o sia, an epis de is added w ch is unkno n in ther lands . so On their way from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, this n a old added legend ru s , the three kings c me across an woman who was cleaning up her house . d She asked them whither they were goin g . A n when they told her that they were on their way to

T H E STORY OF TH E T HREE KINGS 143

— pay homage to the new born King of the Jews she prayed them to tarry until she had fin ished her task . “ ” “ i o she Fa n w uld I go with you, pleaded, and ” join in your homage . “ ” Nay, replied the kings , we have no time to — ”

o o w u s . wait . But leave your w rk and c me ith The old woman refused to leave her work until it

. too . was all fin ished Then it was late She strove, o o indeed, to f llow the kings , but they were l st to

Ever since that day she has been wandering about

for . A nd on the earth seeking/ the child Jesus the eve of the Epiphany she comes down the chimneys in i for o of the houses , leav g g fts the little nes , as the un for o l gs left gifts the infant Jesus, and h ping against hop e that she may find H lm whom she still

seeks . In Italy she is known to this day as the Befana o io of i a i for (a c rrupt n Ep phania, the It l an Epi phany) and in Russia as the B aboushka or little Old

woman. i On the eve of Epiphany, Ital an children hang

o a up their cl thes , after c refully emptying the pock

ets fi hi are o o , around the huge replaces w ch c mm n

both in palaces and in hovels . During the night the o o t e im Befana c mes d wn h ch ney, just like Santa

Klaus on Christmas eve . If the children have been 1444 TH E ST ORY OF SANTA KLAUS

' oo she t f o of di g d, s uf s their p ckets full can es and o ther presents , but if they have been bad all they get from her are charcoal ashes or birchrods . o not In Spain, h wever, it is the Befana nor the

B aboushka of h ek no , but one the t re ings , less a son i a a a a who i ndeed th n B lth z r, is the g ft b On the eve of the Epiphany children leave their and boots out in some convenient spot near the

in a ll ney, expect g B lthazar wi fill them during night . From early times he has been represented as ot blackamoor or negro . But n from the earlies In the pictures by Giotto and Fra An gelico A o a i a i a senting the d r t on of the M g , Balth zar is

i on a as a white man . In a p cture the s me su by Bernardo Luini he appears with the woolly black face and thick lips Of the negro. Somewhere between the tim e of Fra A ngelico o ui i hi s be Bernard L n , Balthazar changed skin and came a colored gentleman . alia i i is o In many It n c t es , it the cust m of shop keepers to decorate their win dows with puppets meant o i o o to represent the three kings . C nsp cu us am ng these grins the black face of Balthazar . There is a poem by the famous Dean Trench ’ which was probably suggested by L uini s picture .

Here are some of the most striking lines . They will

Show, you how closely the poem follows the

T H E STORY OF TH E TH RE E KINGS 147

From what region of the mom

Are e ome rav e - y c , thus t l worn ,

Wi o e ox e ear - em o th th s b s p l b st,

a e rare and i f s C sk ts , g fts o co t ?

W i e o r a h l y u sw rth attendants wait. ’ At the a e o er a e st bl s ut g t , ' And the camels lift their hea d H igh ab ove the lowly shed !

Or a re een a on - ra n rain s , l g d w t ,

Win in o n iiito the ai d g d w pl n, From b elow the light- blue line

the i in i an e fine Of h lls d st c ,

ear fo o r own a e en e ar D r y u s k , wh c e Dearer for the mystery T hat is round you— on what skies

azin saw ou r t ari e G g , y fi s s , ’ T ro the ar ne a ea r ar h d k ss , th t cl st , ‘ ’ ’ iich has marshall d ou s o far VVl y ,

Ev en n o i ra en u t th s st wy t t, Dancing up the Orient ?

a we name ou in in ee Sh ll y K gs d d, Or is this our idle creed ?

‘ in o f e a i the o d K gs S b , w th g l And the incense long foretold ? Would the Gentile world by you First- fruits pay of tribute due ! ’ ’ a e ra e s catter d ra e Or h v Is l s c ,

o e no n i in - a e Fr m th ir unk w h d g pl c , S ent t o claim their p art and right I n the Child new- born to- night ? 148 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

A n older poet than Trench, the seventeenth cen

o s tury George Wither, has woven s me pretty fancie about the story of the wise men as it is told by S ainl

Matthew in the New Testament .

T a so e e ir oh hri h t thy bl ss d b th , C st,

Mi t r o the or be rea a o t gh th ugh w ld sp d b u ,

T h arre a eare in the Ea y St pp d st, Wh ereby the Gentiles found thee out ! " And Ofl rin T ee M rr n en e o , g h y h, I c s , G ld,

T h ree o flice did n o y th f ld O u f ld.

ee J e let at arre of T ine Sw t sus , th St h ,

T h ra e i ui e t o find out y G c , wh ch g d s

i hin o r ear s for ev er ine W t u h t sh , T hat T hou of us found out maist bee

o a b o r in ere ore And T h u sh lt e u K g, th f ,

r ries and ro et ev ermore . Ou P t, P ph

eare a ro e re en an e ro T s th t f m tru p t c d p ,

n ea of rr e re en i wee : I st d My h , p s t w ll

or n en e we i offer F I c s , w ll up Our Praiers and P raises unto T hee !

And rin for o ea io ee b g G ld ch p us d d,

e Which doth from sav ing faith proc e d .

And as those Wise men never went T o visit H erod any more !

S O n in T ee we il re en , fi d g h , w l p t ’ Our courses follow d heretofore

w ar ma re ire And that e homew d y t ,

e Our way by T hee we will enquir .

CHA PTER X I I

SOM E TWEL FT H NI GHT C! STOM S

s A Twelfth Night, or Epiphany, is a day dedicated to the three Wise Men of the New Testament— the three kings of popular legend— it is only natural that one or more kings Should be everywhere prominent in the celebration of the holiday .

The full trio are present in many places . Thus in o dr Milan, Italy, three y ung men ess themselves up in royal robes on Epiphany morning and mounting horses as Splendidly attired as themselves appear be fore the city , gates . They are admitted with loud o cheers , and a procession is formed . Bef re the kings marches a man bearing a large gilt star ! behind them o the citizens fall into line . A t every street c rner e new batches of citizens j oin the parade . They fil t through the streets to the cathedral . A its steps the o o kings dism unt, and, with their foll wers , march up the aisle to the high altar where a figure Of the infant one who Christ lies in a manger . Every wishes may o o leave a present in the manger . Then the pr cessi n disbands . In Madrid a bit of practical joking is still indulged 151 152 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

in on Epiphany eve . The peasants from miles around

flock into the city at that time . Many of them are very ignorant and very superstitious . The town folk think it funn y to gather together in small crowds all playin g on noisy horns and “thumping discordant

o a . drums . The m bs p ar de up and down the streets Their great delight is to fall in with some simpleton who is new to city ways . Such a man is easily made to believe that they are on their way to meet the who of three kings , are expected to arrive at one the gates some time that night . ob th The m urge e coun tryman to join them. If he consents they throw over his neck a mule collar with a string O f bells attached to it . Then a step i of ladder is thrust into his hands . T o the jingl ng his own bells the poor yokel is made to carry the of ladder through the streets . A t every one the gates of the city the mob halt and comm and their victim to Climb up the ladder and peer over the walls to see if the kings are anywhere in sight . Sometimes when he reaches the top the poor wretch Of a or is allowed to fall , at the risk a cracked he d a broken limb . If he escapes all dangers , he is led on from gate to gate until his patience or his faith is ex hausted . KI n in a England, as well as Fr nce, a single king s r he . u vives in t ceremony of the Twelfth ~Cake

SOME TWELFTH NIGHT CUSTOMS 155

i was France, wh ch probably the inventor of this eat ’ a ble, known there as the King s Cake , cherishes the

custom with especial gusto . SO let us begin with the

Galette du Roi . The Size of the cake is determined by the number of the guests for whom it is to be served . It is usually made of pastry and is baked in a round sheet like a pie .

A a r broad be n was fo merly baked into the cake, but in our day a wee little China image is usually sub o stituted f r the bean. When ready the cake is cut into Slices and the youngest child at the table directs how these slices shall be distributed to the others . There is great excitement as slice after slice is handed out and eaten. ’ At last some one s teeth come in contact with the “ ” he its . I sa su image and s p it out He, y, on the p

o it bo . p sition that is a y If it is, indeed, a boy, he is called K ing Of the Bean (le Roi Favette) and chooses a queen from among the girls . If it be a girl she becomes queen and chooses a boy as her consort . King and queen are now closely watched by their companions . When either of them drinks the whole party has to cry out “ The king drinks ” or the queen ”

. An one to drinks, as the case may be y who fails j oin in the cry has to pay a forfeit . In England the custom varies in different localities as it has varied at different dates . 156 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS What it was in London during the middle of the nineteenth century is best described by Hone in his “ ” Table B ook z “

. t First buy your cake , says this author Nex , ou look at your invitation list, and c nt the number of di s u la es you expect, and afterward the n mber of gen tle en m . “ Then you write down on slips of paper the names of as many famous characters in history, male and

i Of . A dd c female, as will cover the l st guests to ea h slip some pleasant bit of verse . o of F ld them up exactly the same size, and num ber each on the back ! taking care to make the king

O 1 NO . 2 . f N . and the queen Cause tea and co fee to be handed to your visitors as they drop in . When ’ a all are assembled and tea is over, put as many l dies characters in a reticule as there are ladies present ! ’ next put the gentlemen s characters in a hat . Then call on a gentleman to carry the reticule to the ladies as they Sit ! from which each lady is to dr aw one ticket to and to preserve it un opened . Select a lady bear

for u . the hat to the gentlemen, the same p rpose ul There will be one ticket left in the retic e, and another — i in the hat, wh ch the lady and gentleman who car

a n ll . ried each is to interchange, as h vi g fa en to each o i o i Next arrange y ur v sitors , acc rd ng to their num — No . 2 so . . 1 bers ! the king No , the queen and on The king is then to recite the verse on his ticket ! then

CHAP TER X III

I C A S I N G ST . N HOL EN LA ND

I A a - ST . N CHOL S is practic lly forgotten to day in

Protestant England . But in gthe merrie England of O o i lden times , before the Catholic religi n had g ven to was Of l way Protestantism, he one the most popu ar saints in the calendar. This is shown not only by the number of churche s m of o dedicated in his honor, but also by the nu ber b ys ich who received his name in baptism. N olases were once as comm on among the Englishmen of the past as Maries were among English women . A curious fact may be brough up in evidence . In English cat echisms , whose forms date from a very early time, the question is put to the pupil “ What is your name ? ”

An d the answer is printed thus : N . or M . Of course the pupil is expected to put his or her name in place of these initials . Now it is probable that N of stands for Nicholas and M for Mary, and the choice these initials was made not only because Nicholas was i s the patron of boys and Mary of g rls , but becau e these were the commonest names in Old England . 158 C A 159 ST . NI HOL S IN ENGLAND

.The feast of St. Nicholas used to be celebrated by

io - a ceremony known as the elect n of a B oy bishop . This custom existed to some extent on the continent ur fl o o of E ope, but it nowhere ourished so vig r usly as in England . It has been traced as far back as the thirteenth century. T o the choir boys and altar boys of English churches it was a particularly exciting time . ’ On St . Nicholas eve all the boys who sang in the o or r ch ir served at the altar met at their parish chu ch, ’ or in the great cathedral, if they belonged to a bishop s see o e , and elected n from among their number, who “ - took the title of the Boy bishop . This title with ni 28th its dig ties he retained until December , Holy ’ so is Inn ocents Day, called because it the anniversary of the Slaughter of the childr en in Palestin e by order

" of the wicked K ing Herod . The B oy- bishop was dressed in the robes of a real

. i hi bishop On his head was placed a m tre, in s right An hand a crozier . other boy was elected dean, while all dr the rest were styled canons , being essed in the robes of their Office . During the three weeks from December 5 to De cember 28 B o - ul , the y bishop co d perform all the du

of . ties a real bishop , except that of saying mass If a priest died during the period when he held Office he could appoint another to take his place in the m church left vacant . If he hi self died before Holy 160 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS ’ ’ Innocents Day he was given a bishop s grand funeral in the cathedral . hi i There is a little tomb of t s k nd, says Miss “ A w a bbie Farwell Bro n, not h lf the size of a full

r a n ow . grown one, in a great cathed al th t I k It is of white marble, grandly carved and decorated, and though it is worn and nicked by eight hundr ed years ’ Of a l ch nge, one can plainly see that it is a chi d s face ’ o among the long curls beneath the bishop s mitre . N

a o one knows his n me, nor aught ab ut him, save that he must be one of the Boy - bishops who died at Christ or ul r mas time, he wo d not be bu ied in the great ” 1 cathedral tomb . Doubtless Miss Brown has in mind the cathedral a of Salisbury, England . In the nave of that gre t u minster there is just such a tomb , with just s ch a ’ likeness carved upon it . The boy s foot rests on the ’ ’ figur e of a monster with a lion s head and a dragon s a i a tail, in llus on to the words of the ps lmist “Thou ” shalt tread on the lion and the dr agon . 6t the But to continue . On December h newly elected Boy- bishop with his dean and canons held a !grand service in the church to which they were at ’ tached a , the prayers being ch nted in the boy s sweet A o childish voice . great cr wd always thronged the Off church to gaze on so rare a sight , and the erings

- that they made were all for the Boy bishop . ’ 1 L ncott Ma az ne ippi s g i .

162 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

of o missal the c ngregation at the close of the sermon,

- the festival of the Boy bishop was at an end . When Henry VIII became a Protestant and brought over a great many of his subjects to the new faith one of his first acts was to abolish the Boy ’ a bishop and his festival . Henry s d ughter, Queen

Mary, restored both for the few years of her reign, but Queen Elizabeth, her sister and successor, put an end to the mumm ery forever . We catch our last glimpse of the Boy-bishop a lia the p ges of a historian called Wil m Strype ,

o on fi da of 1556 inf rms us that the fth y December, , “ (Queen Mary being then still alive ) a boy habited i o ontificalibus o l ke a bish p in p , went abroad in m st of n old h and parts London, si ging after the fas ion , was receiv ed by many ignorant but well disposed peo o o as as ple int their h uses , and had much good cheer was ever wont to be had before, at least in many pla ‘ ” ces .

Old customs die hard . We have come across many instances of the truth of this saying in the course of our study Of the Christmas festivals . Just as Chris tianity had to retain and remodel many Old heathen

o so o i O o a i cust ms , Pr testant sm ( ften with ut me n ng it) retained and remodeled many an Old Catholic cus i t r in tom . Just as S lenus , and Sa u n, survived a

as s o B o - i a measure Santa Claus, the y b shop , in C A 1 S T. NI HOL S IN ENGLAND 63

measure, survived as the hero of a ceremony which flourished at the school of Eton until nearly the mid of dle the nineteenth century.

was no o This k wn as Et n Montem . It was cele

brated not in o io December but in June , th ugh tradit n i tells us that the or ginal date was St . Nicholas Day and that the ceremony was instituted in the year

1440 o . , the very year when Eton was f unded Later it took place every third year on the Tuesday

i un o i a al after Wh ts day or Pentec st, wh ch usu lly f ls

a a o al in Jun e . On th t d y a pr cession of l the scholars went from the school buildings to a hill known as t Salt Hill that rises just outside Of the grounds . A

' the ca tain his their head marched p and chaplain, the a bo i s s oo one being the he d y of the h ghe t clas in sch l,

Of o . the other the head boy the sec nd class ! The chaplain waS dressed in a suit of priestly black with

a bushy wig upon his head . “ T wo boys called salt bearers with scouts dressed like Old- time footmen ran beside the proces sion beggmg from all passersby and they scattered through the roads to beg at the doors of houses for

miles around . o o l The m ney thus c l ected was put into a great bag , already sprinkled with a small quantity of salt and at the end O f the day this bag was handed over to

the captain . It was used to pay his expenses when 1644 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

he left Eton for some one of the great universities . Not infrequently it mounted up to hundreds of dol i lars and somet mes even to a thousand or more . ! p to the middle of the eighteenth century it was customary for the chaplain to read prayers on

Salt Hill . He was assisted by a clerk whom he kicked down hill at their conclusion . The irreverence of this part of the ceremony shocked Queen Caroline and at her request it was ever afterwards omitt ed . In 1847 the entire ceremony was abolished by act of Parliament, the last celebration having taken place

on 28th 1844 . June , An d thus the last vestige Of Saint Nicholas passed out Of the ceremonial life of England .

166 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

Olice tendencies . Indeed many fanatics had striven to o r suc ab lish Ch istmas altogether, and had partly ceeded o so o who in d ing , at least among the pe ple

did. s believed as they But James I , though a fooli h person in some respects was a learned man and a o great l ver of the traditions of the past . It is in allusion to the Puritan attempt to sup ’ press him altogether that Ben Jons on s F ather Chr ist mas utters these words as he makes his entrance upon the stage

en emen do ou no at o do ? H a o Why, g tl , y k w wh y u ! w uld ' you have kept m e o ut ? CHRISTM AS — Old Christmas

of on on a nd a ain hri ma ! ra o let Christmas L d , C pt C st s P y y u ’ me be brought b efo re my L ord Chamberlain ! I ll not be ’ ' ’ T z m a. hall when bea rds wa all. an ere e e . s sw d ls y , g

th ime o ave i e for me fo r a merr I have s een e t y u h w sh d , y

ri ma and now ou ave me e o not let me in : Ch st s , y h , th y w uld — I mus t c ome ano ther time ! A good j est as if I c ould come

or o e a ear Wh am no an ero er on m e than nc y . y , I d g us p s ,

am old re or and so I told my friends o f the guard . I G g y ’ ri ma i and o ome out of the o e ea Ch st s , st ll , , th ugh I c P p s H d ’ a e as oo a ro e an as an in m ari . ll y, g d P t st t y y p sh

fi i He must have been a quaint looking gure, th s cos same Father Christmas , for we are told that his tume consisted of

o in o e o e i - ro n e round hos e, l ong st ck gs , cl s d ubl t, h gh c w d ’ a roo on in ear r n eon i e rufl s hat , with b ch, l g, th b d , t u ch , l ttl , a e r C r tm a F th h is s .

r w D a n by K enn y Mea dows r o th e l I s r a ed L on don New s D e e er F l , 18 4 7 . m u t t c mb ,

170 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

King James I of England was succeeded by his o s n Charles I . During the reign of the latter un in happy monarch, the Puritan party England gath i ered so much strength that, under the lead of Ol ver ur hi Cromwell, they h led Charles from s throne and

off his his amil o cut head, sending entire f y int exile

ri s for a period of a dozen years . Father Ch stma

Of o a a shared the exile his r y l p trons , or if he dared s a was onl how his f ce in England at all , it y here and there in remote country places or behind locked doors i in the obscurer parts of the great cities . Meanwh le his absence was greatly deplored by that part of the

a o t English people who had rem in ed l yal o the crown. One Of these put forward a curious little book en “ ” o titled An Hue and Cry after Christmas . The f l lowing p aragraph shows the spirit in which the book was written : A n or k “ y man woman, that can give any nowledge, l an i of Old Old r or te l y t dings an , , ve y old grey bearded gentleman, called Christmas, who was wont to be a very familiar guest and visit all sorts of peo oo ple , both p r and rich , and used to appear in glit

o ilk r tering g ld , S and silver, in the cou t, and in all

a i ll and shapes in the the tre in Wh te Ha , had ring o o t ing, feasts and j llity in all places , b th in the ci y

o for omin — o can and the c untry, his c g wh ever tell

Of him what is become , or where he may be found, ” him bring him back again into England . a er C r ma ano e r on e on F th h ist s, th c c pti . Drawi n g by K en ny M e a dow s

1744 T H E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS to become hangers - on at the court of a Merry Mon arch” whose mirth was often bought at the expense ’ of his sub3ect s years . n The Merry Monarch , himself (that was the ame. rodi given to Charles II ) , was a p gal and a spend to thrift, who found all sorts of new ways in which squander the money raised by taxes from his subj ects . i o di He had l ttle left , theref re, to imitate the splen d pageants that distin guished the courts of Queen

Elizabeth and James I at the ancient holiday seasons . “ A famous song called The Old and Youn g ” Courtier was written shortly after Charles II had l Old regained his throne . It sad y contrasts the good times and the good Old people with the bad new times and the bad new people of the Restoration . The Old courtier is lovingly described as a wor ” a shipful old gentleman who had great estate, with Old of a lovely wife by his side, and a great band o o servants around them . Then f ll wed this verse

oo old a ion en ri ma was ome With a. g d f sh wh Ch st s c ,

nei or i a i e a nd r um T o call in all his old ghb s w th b gp p d ,

o t rni ev er room With goo d cheer en ugh o fu sh y ,

e t a e a cat a and man m And old liquor abl o m k spe k, du b ! ’ Like an old c ourtier of the queen s ’ ld e And the queen s O courti r .

' A contrast is drawn between this old courtier of the The and the N w C r m Old e h ist a s .

r o London n De 4 c . 2 1 8 8 1 F m Pu ch , , .

178 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

S ays the Old- fashioned Christmas to the N ew- fangled Christ

mas , ’ Pon m or m bo on in y w d , y y, I d t th k much of you . S ays the N ew- fangled Christma s to the Old- fashioned Chris t

ma s, ’ We i a e i e o r on o e ou do ll, w th t st s l k y u s , I d t supp s y .

For to e e ra e a ea on v er or na e rie , c l b t s s , y f tu t ly b f,

At our a e tOO - i an r i e of - n a y g , w th o g plum puddi g nd roa st

ee b f, ’ ro ne i o in a re in - o n h s as C w d w th h lly, d ss g g w ! T e thing p t all b elief “ ’ Sa ri ma i h a nod o ha s r e. ys Old Ch st s , w t , My b y, t t t u

Says the N ew- fangled Christmas to the Old- fashioned Chri

as m , ” For om oo er r t f l y like you s we have no zest . S ays the Old- fa shioned Christma s t o the New- fangled

mas,

W a now ! You t o a i e a ! We am t lk l k th t ll , I ‘ h t ‘ ’ T o-mfooler ? Wh a do o a a ll i ere y y, wh t y u c ll th s h

fa d,

en in i m ra ar s ozen a arin oo a S d g g c ck c d by d s, d uby , gl g, g d,

ba d,

- e nd at not ? Wh e een ou ou dri Nymphs wh y, b tw y , y ” friends and P o stmen ma d. “ ’ n ri ma en it s ov er e c an re . Says You g Ch st s , Wh , th y st

Says the Old- fashioned Christmas to the New- fangled Ch

mas , ’ ” Where s the ~j ollity of twenty years ago ?

182 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS abuses which gradually made distasteful the horse play that attended those revelri es . On the whole the “ new fangled Christmas has many points that show an improvement over the Old fashioned Christmas while in all essentials the two remain one and the same . ’ S ome humble members of Father Christmas fam ily still surviving to a small extent in London are the “ ” waits or wanderin g musicians who play dismal tunes un der the windows of the well- to - do in the hopes of Obtaining a few pennies . These are direct descendants from the jongleurs or minstrels who in the Middle A ges celebrated the birth of Christ on Christmas night with song and dance .

186 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS which he himself performed the part of Harlequin. “ It is s aid that he could describe to the audience by his signs and gestures as intelligibly as others could ” 1 express by words . ri David Gar ck, perhaps the greatest of all English t a o o of i a ac ors, was y unger c ntemporary R ch and fter ’ his friend s death he celebrated the silent but power ful language of Rich in these lines :

W en Lun a eare i ma e ra e and i m h pp d, w th tchl ss g c sh ,

H e av e the o er of ee to ever im g p w sp ch y l b ,

T o ma e and m e onv e e hi s i in en h ugh sk d ut , c y d qu ck t t, A nd told in frolic gestures all he meant ! B ut now th e m otley c oat and sword of w oo d

e er oo R quire a tongue to make them un d st d .

By the last lines Garrick evidently means to say that spoken words had in his time been in troduced into

SO - a o i no the called p nt m me, because actor remained who was capable of conveyin g his meanin g by nod o - r wink or gesture in the Old time manner. nin of u By the begin g the nineteenth cent ry, how

v and o of o of a o e er, all m re the riginal glories p nt mim e were brought back to the English stage by

o im i i an i J seph Gr ald , an Italian by b rth, but Engl sh man by adoption . He was the greatest clown k nown to the history of English dr ama .

’ ’ “ I D I sraeli s Cur os t e s of L terature i i i i . ann n n h r f J ongleurs ou ci g t e bi th o our Lord .

in in A F r G u et . From a pa t g by . . o g

190 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS sweet bells ! the fear of the little girl lest they should discover the person hid behind the screen ! the exul

tation o . oh of the boy when the hero c nquers But, , the rapture when the pantomime commences ! Ready to box mi i of leap out of the , they joy in the sch ef w for the clo n, laugh at the thwacks he gets his med dlin a i of o for his g , and feel no sm ll port on c ntempt ignorance in not kn owing that hot water will scald a and gunpowder explode ! while, with he d aside to o in i give fresh energy to the str kes , they r g their l ttle palms against each other in testimony of exuberant ” delight . Pantomime in the England of to - day has dwin dled for l into a mere side Show spectacu ar ballets , which are now all the fashion . Clown and Colum i n n b ne are indeed, occasionally i troduced i to these bal lets but the clown is no longer a leadin g character and Columbin e and her companions are selected more

a n for their skill in d nci g than in the art of gesture . o a n Very rarely, indeed, is a c mic m sk i troduced

a . o H ar into a Christmas piece now days F rmerly, lequin and Columbine wore little black masks the just covered the upper part of the face, while of o f s rest of the jolly crew elves , gres and bu foon were disguised in huge headpieces arranged over their shoulders .

And here comes in the point of the picture by Mr . Potter which I have reproduced from the Christmas

CHAPTER X VI

SAI NT N I CHOLA S I N E! ROPE Mu s /{M W THERE is no country in Europe where SahH Nich oiys I S more honored than In Holland.//Even before his festival arr1v es —during all the fir t five days of December— the shops in town and city put on their o r most festive array. All the people in sh p and st eet assume a brisk and bustling air . Dutch men and o o one an Dutch w men, usually silent and st lid, hail

o o . ther with n isy greetings as they meet Everybody,

oo o . in short, has his best f t forem st A ne O f hi i msterdam, o many cities w ch cla m Saint

o o . Nich las as their patr n saint, is especially wideawake ’ During the fir st week of December the confectioners shops are ablaze with all sorts Of splendors in cake

and . a candy Sugar rabbits, sugar cats and sug r mice disport themselves amid scenery of sugar and chocolate and wood shavin gs . The shavings (painted v o a vi id green) , supply the f liage for chocolate trees and candied fruits . In all shapes and sizes are fig ures of men and Women made out of crisp brown ll i i o a i gingerbread, ca ed Sa nt N ch las c ke, wh ch is specially prepared for the holiday . These figures are 194 m ra on Mute ad i ti .

B Ra on d o er y ym P tt .

198 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS to display in their win dows a life - like image of Saint o hi w Nich las, ruddy faced, w te bearded, cro ned with his mitre and clad in his bright red robe lined with o z his s ft white fur, bearing a cro ier in hand, and ’ o m unted on a fiery white horse. Behind him standsi o o . fii his negr servant Jan, or J hn M g¢w nf 1 ’ 5th sa nt On December , the eve of the i s feast, to o o dro is said ride over the ro fs of the h uses , pp

n hi . A nd n candies i to the wide c mneys i deed, i houses where children bel eve this , their faith is warded by the fact that candies and other goodies do stream down into the great open hearths and are gathered in by eager little people who have been ’ a o sin ging the saint s pr ises all thr ugh the evening . o ore e r ac In many househ lds, m oy , the saint tually presents himself to the eyes of his worshippers A oo and admirers . knock is heard at the d r ! it is a i opened, and amid the bre thless s lence of the chil fl dren, Santa Klaus , in esh and blood, and in all the

r o ewelled glo y of scarlet r be and bej mitre, steps into

o . o o his the r om He is closely f ll wed by servant Jan , who bears a basket containing all sorts of presents r for the good child en, and all sorts of unpleasant re minders for the bad ones .

Before these things are distributed, Santa Klaus one calls up the childr en by one . He praises the good ones for all the kind deeds they have done dur i ng the past year, while gently reproving any faults

202 THE STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

. A o n oun his vestments silk scarf is w u d ar d neck, n o a mitre crow s his head, a cr zier is put in his hand . He is attended by two angels and a whole troop of devils . The angels are dr essed much like the choir -boys

ou o o r y have seen in Cath lic and Episc palian chu ches, save that they also wear silken scarfs around their necks . Each carries a basket.

The devils blacken their faces , put horns upon their ’ heads and decorate their faces with pig s snouts or any other grotesque device that may suggest itself

to . All i s their fancy are g rt with chain , which they shake or rattle furiously.

B o - o e y like, it is th ught much bett r fun to play devil his o than angel, and any boy who can lay hands up n a suitable costume is at liberty to join the infernal tram . Late in the afternoon of December 5th the Boy bishop and his attendants begin their round of visits. ’ for n o It is the season you g f lks parties, and all the children of the village who are not masqueradin g as bishop or angel or imp have gathered together in a A s few of the principal hous es . t each Saint Nichola calls in its due turn . s He enters with the two angels, leaving the demon outside to indulge in any pranks they will . A great hush falls upon the assembled children as the Saint advances into the room . One by one he ’ NO I on , e e v e in ou an mor e ou ma eave the n d t b li y y , but y y l thi gs .

Dr aw m J R S v r g by ha e . Co r 1 90 8 L e l s n Co py ight by if Pub i hi g .

206 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

fill on Christmas Eve, them with hay, oats, carrots , ’ on for Santa Klaus s white horse, and put them the

set in fir . table, or them the eplace The room is then

carefully closed and the door is locked . In the morning a strange thing is found to have ! ni all -tu happened The fur ture is turned topsy rvy, the fodder has been removed from the shoes and in its place the good little children find all sorts of nice things and the bad ones only rods of birch and bits of

coal .

' little Jesus (le bon petit Jesus) who comes down the

chimney to fill all this footgear with sweetmeats .

{ Formerly this custom extended to Paris . A French j ournalist named Charton thus describes the sights that met his eye on Christmas eve in Paris in the mid dle of the nineteenth century “ L O ! what a strange thing ! B efore all the mantel l pieces of Paris are ranged, with a wonderfu sym i o e bottines metry, charming l ttle sh es , pretty littl , e ex tremities of an miniatur slippers, and, as the the f bour s ! I g , poor little sabots t will be asked, what all those tiny little boots and shoes are doin g there ? There are enough of them to cover the feet of all the

inhabitants of the vast kingdom of Lilliput . What are they doing there ? They are waiting for a bean ’ an a C au W e ! I t l s h w suppos e if I don t rem ember those ’ oor o in Wa re e e om ain to T e p b ys ll St t th y ll c pl ddy .

Drawm C J . a lor g by T y .

TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS nes (the day of presents) etrennes being a corrup ‘‘ ” strenae tion of the Latin word , the gifts exchanged S atur bout during the nalia, (a which I have written in the fourth chapter of this book .) Though S aint Nicholas is honored as the patron of children in nearly all the Catholic countries of t continental Europe, he is rarely associa ed in any way with Christmas . That day is there held sacred t to h Christ child alone . In a very few localities e i e Saint Nicholas has! appear on his own day to find out what good little boys and girls would like to have ’ on o is Christmas , or, s metimes , at New Year s , but it generally the little Jesus who is the actual gift bringer. In the Catholic portions of A ustria and Germany all of the windows are lit up on the night of December 2 4 so as to enable Him to pick H is way from house to house . Here you may again recognize a lingering memory Of the Pagan and Jewish festivals wherein li a dl h ea ghted torches, or lamps, or c n es form a c ief f ture . A nd n , i deed, one may point out right here that the Christ child supplies another link with the Old pagan

Silenus . The latter, as I have told you, was, among hi di o other t ngs , the guar an and tutor f the infant

Bacchus . Whenever picture or statue represented him in this capacity all his evil traits were dropped. He became a very different being from the grace an a C a in a a oon S t l us up b ll .

Co ri 190 8 L e s in Co py ght by if Publi h g .

CHAPTER X VII'

SAI T I CHOLAS AM RI C N N I N E A .

' Just as the Christmas tree was brought over to this country by early German immigrants so Saint Nicho l las, or Santa K aus, came here in the train of the

Dutch settlers of New York . He established him self first in the little island of Manhatt an and then n gradually spread all over the country, bei g greatly assisted by the fact that he was no stranger to the ' German settlers everywhere . But his Dutch ori gin s is shown by the very name Santa Klau , which is com mon Am alike to Holland and erica, though it is else where unknown . A t fir st he was honored on his own day with the same Observances that marked the festival in the Fath erland . o nn n Bef re the begi i g of the nineteenth century, ’

. Nicholas s o however, St day had been all but forg tten in New Amsterdam (the Dutch name for New York) ’ and we find that New Year s eve was the occasion when he made his rounds as a gift bearer to the chil dren . Later he trans ferred his activities to Christ mas .

2 18 {TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

a their special patronage . In Holland he h d been

ifi i o and . austere and dign ed, as became a b sh p a saint

Am i o o ot - In er ca he developed int the fat, j lly, p bel lied Old roysterer whom we all know and love and who

' reminds us at so many points of the fun loving

Silenus of Pagan times . o dl ! nd ubte y it was the A merican Clement C . Moore who immortalized the figure and decided the model which all succeeding poets and artists have ev er hi a n followed . T s is how S nta Klaus is described i ’ o Mr . Mo re s very popular poem entitled A Visit from S anta Klaus

a s re e all in fur rom his ea to his o o H e w d ss d f h d f t, And his clothes were all ta rnished with a shes and soot !

o o he ha d fl n on his a A bundle f t ys u g b ck ,

e a e ar o enin his a And he look d like p dl j ust p g p ck, H is eyes how they twinkled ! his dimples how merry !

i e ro his n e ike a err H is cheeks were l k ses , os l ch y .

s i e mo was r a n i e a bow H i droll l ttl uth d w up l k ,

ear on his in wa s a s i e a s the n And the b d ch wh t s ow .

m of a i e he e i in his ee T he stu p p p h ld t ght t th , And the smoke it encircled his hea d like a wreath H e had a broa d fa ce and a little roun d belly

T a oo en he a e i e a o l o f e h t sh k , wh l ugh d, l k b wlfu j lly , H e wa s chubby and plump a right j olly o ld elf

a e en saw him in i e f s And I l ugh d wh I , sp t o my e

Year by year the funny men of the pencil the p! en do their best to add to his eccentricities yet always

222 TH E STORY OF SANTA KLAUS

Mr. Henry Hutt has kindly lent me for reproduction i o ms1st s in this l ttle bo k, and if you on an an wer which will rob you of the of ignorance, perhaps you find it there ! Sile nus and B acchus .

n r Roman s ta tue of th e four th c e tu y .