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ANTA CLAUS, as most children
and all grown-ups know, is a nick
name for St. Nicholas. And St.
Nicholas was not a German
saint —that will please all good
Americans. The saint of children
has not come to us from the
people who so wantonly abused
the children of France and Belgium. When we
call St. Nicholas “Santa Claus” we are merely
saying in our own way “San Nicolaas,” as the peo
ple of Holland say it. For the Hollanders, who
settled in New York and New Jersey 300 years
ago at the very beginning of our country, brought
San Nicolaas with them, and it was not long be
fore Americans were saying “Santa Claus.”
Why, St. Nicholas belongs to all the world.
Hundreds of churches in England bear his name.
There are more than a hundred St. Nicholas
churches in Belgium. Thousands of such churches
are scattered all over Europe.
The queer thing about it is that St. Nicholas
was really born in Asia Minor, in Panthera, in the
province of Lycia, in the sixth century. St. Nicho
las of Bari, he is'oftenest called by Europeans, but
only the bones of St, Nicholas reposing for eight
centuries in the crypt of a handsome cathedral at
Bari, Italy, have given him that title. He never
lived in Bari. Italian sea traders, who worshiped
him as their especial protector, stole his body
from its resting place in Myra in the twelfth cen
tury and brought it to the Italian seaport. Since
that time the celebration held there in-the saint’s
honor is unique.
The eastern world knew and loved him first, but
it is from western Europe that we learn of many
of the quaint customs-connected with the celebra
tion of his birth. In Lyda he lived to a good old
age, filling his days even in childhood by doing
good de-Js and giving lavishly to the poor of the
fortune he inherited. It was Christlike to give,
so, as a steward of God, his wealth belonged to
God’s children, Nicholas believed. Finally he was
made bishop of Myra, where he went to live after
a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
It was not strange that after such a life of
charity he should become a saint of the common
people, even as St. George was a saint of knight
hood. He was invoked by the. laborer toiling for
his daily bread, by mariners, by merchants. He
was protector of the weak against the strong, the
floor against the rich, the captive, the prisoner,
the slave. He was especial'guardian of maidens,
schoolboys, the orphan poor. Throughout most of
Europe children are taught to reverence him. and
to believe if they are docile and attentive to their
duties he will fill the cap or stocking with dain
ties; if they are naughty or idle, he certainly has
a rod in pickle to bring along for them.
Here is what the Encyclopedia Britannica has
to say about St. Nicholas;
“St. Nicholas, bishop of Myra, in Lycia, a saint
honored by the Greeks and the Latins on the
sixth of December. His cult is as celebrated as
his history is obscure. All the accounts that have
come down to us are of a purely legendary char
acter, and it is impossible to find any single in
cident confirmed historically. The main facts of
his life are usually given as follows:
“He was bishop of Myra at the time of the
# Emperor Diocletian, was persecuted, tortured for
the faith, and kept in prison until the more tol
erant reign of Constantine, and was present at
the council of Nicaea. It should be observed that
this last circumstance is ignored by all histor
ians and that St. Athanasius, who knew all the
notable bishops of the period, never mentions
Nicholas, bishop of Myra. The oldest known
monument of the cult of St. Nicholas seems to be
the Church of Sts. Phlscus and Nicholas built at
Constantinople by the Emperor Justinian. In the
West, the name of St. Nicholas appears in the
ninth century martyrologies, and churches dedi
cated to him are to be found at the beginning of
the eleventh century.
It is more especially, however, from the time
of the removal of his body to Bari, in Apulia, that
his cult became popular. The inhabitants of Bari
organized an expedition, seized his remains by
means of a ruse, and transported them to Bari,
where they were received in triumph on the ninth
of May, 1087, and where the foundations were laid
of a new basilica in his honor. This was the
origin of a famous and still popular pilgrimage.
“There are nearly 400 churches In England dedi
cated to St. Nicholas. He is the patron saint of
Russia; the special protector of children, schol
ars, merchants and sailors; and is invoked by
travelers against robbers. In art St. Nicholas is
represented wit£ various attributes, being most
commonly depicted with three children standing
in a tub by bis side. Os the various interpreta
tions of this, none is absolutely certain. One ex
planation has been sought in the legend of St.
Nicholas miraculously restoring to life three rich
youths, who had been murdered, cut up, and con
cealed In a salting tub by a thievish innkeeper
or butcher, in whose house they had taken lodg
ing-
“A legend of his surreptitious bestowal Os dow
ries upon the three daughters of an impoverished
citizen is said to have originated the old custom
of giving presents in secret on the eve;of St. Nich
olas, subsequently transferred to Christmas day.
Hence the association of Christmas with. ‘Santa
Claus,’ and American corruption of the Dutch
form, ‘San Nicolaas,’ the custom being brought
to America by the early Dutch colonists.”
Many wonder tales are told of St. Nicholas.
Here are three famous adventures of the saint:
Rescue of the Stolen Boy.
There was a rich merchant who was a Christian.
He lived near the border of a heathen land. One
day his only son was stolen by some wicked
neighbors, who sold him to a heathen king. The
boy was handsome, so the king made him the
royal cup-bearer.
It happened that the king was giving a great
banquet. And as the boy was presenting the cup
full of wine he suddenly remembered that it was
* the Feast of St. Nicholas, and that his family—
father, mother, and sisters—were happily cele
brating the day. Thinking about this, the boy
burst into tears.
“Why do you cry?” asked the king angrily.
“Do you not see that your tears aA? falling into
my cup and spoiling my wine?”
“This is the Feast of St. Nicholas,” answered
the boy, sobbing, “and every one at home Is eat
ing and Is merry I And, alas 11 am not there!”
“Great may be your St. Nicholas,” replied the
king scornfully, “but he cannot save you from my
hand!”
Scarcely had the king spoken these words when
a violent whirlwind tore around outside the palace,
and a flash of lightning illuminated the hall, and
loud thunder roared. And, 10l St. Nicholas him
self, dressed in his bishop’s robes, and wearing his
mitre, stood before the throne. He caught the boy
by the locks, and flying with him through the dome
of the hall, whirled h|m rapidly through the air.
In a few minutes he set him down In the midst of
his astonished family, who were keeping the feast
of the good St Nicholas.
The Terrified Robbers.
After St. Nicholas was dead, he still cared to
help people. Once there was a man who. would
not become a Christian. He heard how many kind
things St. Nicholas did for his followers,'-’so he
stole an image of the saint. He placed the
image in the best room of his house, which was
filled with treasures. The next morning, before
he left the house, he said to the image: “Guard
my treasures I If, when I return, I find anything
gone. I’ll beat you well!” So saying, he went
away.
He had not been gone long when robbers broke
into the house and stole all the treasures, and
carried them off to their den. The man came
back and saw what had happened. He was filled
with fury. He took a whip and beat and hacked
the Image without mercy.
That very night St. Nicholas himself appeared
to the robbers. He showed them his bruised and
bleeding form, and comtcanded them to restore
the treasure they had stolen. They were terrified,
and gathering together all the stuff, carried it
back to Its owner. They told him what had hap
pened, and he was so astonished that he Immedi
ately became a Christian.
The Boy and the Cup.
Once there was a rich man who had no son to
be heir to his wealth. He made a vow to St.
Nicholas that if a son were born to him he would
THE BULLCTIN, IRWINTX
give the saint a cup of gold. Time went by, and a
beautiful boy was born. Immediately the father
had a cup made of pure gold. It was very heavy
and wrought all over- with figures. In fact, the
cup was. so elegant that when the goldsmith had
finished it the father decided to keep it for him
self, and have a silver one made for the good
saint.
When the silver cup was finished, the father
took his little son, who was old enough to walk,
and set out- for the shrine of St. Nicholas. On
the way, feeling thirsty, he stopped near a river,
and giving the cup of gold to the boy, told him to
fetch some water. The child went to do so, but
stooping over, slipped on the bank and fell into
the river. And he was seen no more.
The father, weeping with grief and repentance,
hastened to the shrine and laid »the silver cup
on the altar. But the^up rolled to the floor. Once,
twice, thrice, did the man place it on the altar,
blit every time it fell to the ground. And while
all the people who stood by marveled to see this
.wonder, suddenly the little boy himself stood on
the altar steps, holding the cup of gold in his
hand. St. Nicholas had saved him! Full of joy
the father took the cup of gold and placed it with
the silver one upon the altar. Then thanking St.
Nicholas, he took his son and carried him safely
home.
As the Christmas legend came down the ages
it gathered to Itself the myths of all the faiths;
and what more natural and right than that the
religion of the brotherhood of man should contain
something of every ideal and every form of wor
ship of man, since the human race began?
And last, but somehow most conspicuous now
among all the traditions, the legend of St. Nicho
las, or Santa Claus, straight from Holland!
Hollanders celebrate Christmas most heartily.
The Star of Bethlehem, ns seep in Holland, is
the harbinger of Christmas —a huge illuminated
star which is carried through the silent, dark,
Dutch street shining upon the crowding people,
and typical of the star which once guided the wise
men of the east.
The young men of a Dutch town carry this
star through the streets as the signal that Christ
mas has come again. They gather money for the
poop, fror^ the crowds who come out to welcome
theWmbol of peac? and having done this for the
good of those whom fortune has not befriended,
they betake them to the head burgomaster of the
town, who is bound to set down the youths who
form the star company to a very comfortable
meal. ^is a.great institution, the Star of Bethle
hem, In many Dutch towns and cities.
Christmas is celebrated in Holland as a time
for sugar plums and candies and gifts. Toward
dusk, the story goes, a white sheet is spread in
side the door, and the family, attired in their best
and Bravest, await the saint. Presently he ar
rives, clad In embroidered robes, with gems, jew
eled gloves and golden miter —and luchis arms
either gifts or sweets or the dreaded birch rod for
the children according to their various deserts.
And these, with a little speech of scolding or ap
proval, he drops upon the sheet before he vanishes
again into the night.
^Such Is the kindly saint who came to the island
of Manhattan with the first Dutch settlers and
still lives among us changed only In name and
costume —like all the rest of the immigrants.
6,000,000 Christmas Trees.
It takes about 6,000,000 trees to supply the de
mand of the entire cour.try, from Canada to Mex
ico, and from coast to coast.
fer
stomach
But do not whip nW-'/,' 7:“^
tivity with harsh .7 '
What the liver and
gentle and natural
constantly be used without hmm. iw
gentlest liver and bowel tonic is “Cas
carets.” They put the liver to work
and cleanse the colon and bowels of
all waste, toxins and poisons without
griping—they never sicken or Incon
venience you like Calomel, Salts, Oil,
or Purgatives.
Twenty-five million boxes of Cas-
Carets are sold each year. They work
while you sleep. Cascarets cost so
little too.—Adv. ....
That Depends.
“Don't you adore What the poet
calls the voices of the night?”
“Not if the baby has the colic.”
“CALIFORNIA FIG SYRUP”
IS CHILD’S LAXATIVE
■ Look at tongue! Remove poisons
from stomach, liver and
bowels.
✓ \e | /IL/ Il
Accept “California” Syrup of Figs
only—look for the name California on
the package, then you are sure your
child is having the best and most harm
less laxative or physic for the little
stomach, liver and bowels. Children
love its delicious fruity taste. Full
directions for child’s dose on each bot
tle. Give it without fear.
Mother! You must say “California.”
—Adv.
' Never judge the complexion of a
man’s wife by the stray hair you find
' on his coat sleeve.
I *
GET READY
FOR “FLU”
I ■———
Keep Your Liver Active, Your
System Purified and Free From
' Colds by Taking Calotabs,
the Nausealess Calomel
Tablets, that are De
lightful, Safe and
Sure.
Physicians and Druggists are advis
ing their friends to keep their systems
purified and their organs in perfect
working order as a protection against
the return of influenza. They know
that a clogged up system and a lazy
1 liver favor colds, influenza and serious
complications.
To cut short a cold overnight and to
prevent serious complications take one
Calotab at bedtime with a swallow of
water —that’s all. No salts, no nausea,
no griping, no sickening after effects.
Next morning your cold has vanished,
your liver is active, your system is puri
fied and refreshed and you are feeling
fine with a hearty appetite for break
fast. Eat what you please —no danger.
Calotabs are sold only in* original
sealed packages, price thirty-five cents.
Every druggist is authorized to refund
your money if you are not perfectly
delighted with Calotabs. —(Adv.)
Most of us do things merely because
other people do them.
Make Baby Coo and Crow I |
Keep the little stomach regulated and bowels open, the secret I |
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