Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1856-12-26
MISCELLANEOUS.
THE LEGEND OF SANTA CLAUS.


ThI. popular name OF tho saiut who presides over
Christmas and the Toy gi's Ut that welcome season,
In derived from 81. Nicholas. The Legend OF his hrst
aupcarauce is An I;alian According to this: a
shosnsker named G;rG.;, who lived in Ferrara, was
40 tnls-ra5ly poor that his labor from day to day
barely kept his family from starvation and he Was
unable TO give evel small Gowry TO his three pretty
Daughters. It was no, thought proper to marry
without 4 d"wry; and thus the young girls, though
each had sdm,lrer, were compelled TO remain
ample Their father, however, went every morning
20 the shrine to pray 10 bis patron saint. st. Noho
las. that he would work u miracle to relieve him
from hi distress.
One os his neares. neishbors, rich merchant, who
chsnosd one day to overhear his simple petition, RI
dcnled the idea OF his expecting the saint to take
care Of his daughters. aud recommend him to choose
a patron saint who would bs able to do sonetaing TOT
him. mime" he sad, "is the Jew.Buons]uto; be
lends money at two psr cent. q month; aud II you
know how tn manage, you may make tour with It.
n. ia not so deaf as Saint Nicholas"
Tn. poor man WAS shocked ct his implous speech,
and assured the merchant that his religious faith
oonI never ha SHAKEN He went every day TO church,
notwithstanding the others mockery.
II .,.s nov Christmas day, wnuu tne merchant anu
the jew settled up their yearly accounts; BuonaJut0
f,und he owed his friend three hundred ducais, anc
;shinp 10 give him agreeable surprise, be ordered
one of the ducks he had caretay fattened be kill
I'D and roasted and then with his own hands intro
duced the three huuored gold pieces into the Inside,
and sewed them up. He then sent the duck to the
merchant a. Christmas present.
The merchants wife, who shared the common pre-
iud;ces against Jews declared che would not touch
III. duck and the rich man resolved to sell It. when
G,raldi passed his way from church, his neishoor
as usual, battered him On his devotion, showed Nun
ths Christmas gift las patron Saint had sent hun, and
tanned him with the tvdi;y Of Sain, Nicholas, vino
could not even send hin piece OF bread Finally,
he offered 10 sci, the duck for a doar and to wait
for payment as he knew Girad to be strictly honest
The shoemaker carried the duck home, and when be
carved il for his fumiiys Christmas dinner, and the
hundred ducais fell uur, his first exclamation was
sPraise to Saint Nicholas
Wien he recovered from his surprise, he would
have taken the money back, but his wife persuaded
hun that rs he had bought the duck It was rghttu!-
" his own. lie therefore divided the sum between
the two sui.ors for his TWO eldest daughters.
Tue merchant, SITTER some days. discovered the loss
of the Erte hu,dred ducats, and went 10 TOO snoe
maker To- demand the money, which was refused
The cause came before the magistrate, who was d
p,uu, man, aud heard with Indignation how Cruelty
The poor had been ridiculed about his religion
His sentence that Giraldi should Keep the mo
ney, and that the merchant and the Jew should, DC
sides. pay 6ns for their usurious dealings, Of one
hundred anu city duca.s, TO be given Is dowry fo
the shoensker's youngest daughter.
The meaning of tins legend IS, that bene6ceu
= Providence watches over aud tak<s care Of the poo
who are honest, religious and truthful. The tradi
zion runs that siuoe that time 81. Nicholas pays
yisi, svsry Cnristmas night to all whom be think
r,o-,hy .; HI. favors. He is known altogether b.
the nare-Ssnta Claus.-iN. Express.
THR:LLIS6 IscipgNT.-A few days ago Mr.:
Snyda,n OF Grauby, New York, hearing elrie
rom III. well. discovered her hi,le boy sinking in III
~ ter eighteen feet below the ground. She im,ned
,l cent for assistance, but before i, came descende
mo tvs well, where she caught the drowning cnil
hv IN. ann, and held him out OF the water Anoths
SE,ld, FUR and half years old, went into the hous
enp,ied the water out of the pail hooked It on "a
mol. and lowered i, into the WELL This proving OF \
~. the mother thought ste must either drop the CHI
" drown he.sslf; but making desperate effort ct
c;mhad no the slippery stones and raised bin ov'
head, when Frankly, lying down on the platform
caught his little brother by the arm, and cried on
.Ivo got him, ma; I've gOt hun" The child Or
mother were saved.