Smyrna times., 1856-12-31
The Legend of Santa Claus.

LUIS popular name OI tne sdlnb sWho pISeiu0S
over Christmas and the toy gifts of that well
come season, is derived from Saint Nicholas.
The legend of his appearance is an Italian one.
According to this: A shoemaker named Gil
raldi, who lived in Ferrara, was so miserably
poor, that his labor from day to day barely kept |
his family from starvation, and he was unable
to give even small dowery to his three pretty |
daughters. twas not thought proper to marry
without dowery; and thus the young girls, |
though each had an admirer, were compelled
to remain single, Their father, however, went
every morning tothe shrine to pray to his pat
ron saint, st. Nicholas, that he would work a
miracle to relieve'him from his distress. '...
One This nearest neighbors, rich merchant,
who chanced one day to overhear his simple
petition. .rdculed the idea of his expecting the
saint to take care of his daughters, recommend
him to choose patron saint who would be able
to do something for him. anime he said, sis
the Jew Buonajuto; he lends money at oper
cent a month and if you know how, to man.
age, you may make four with it. He is not SO
deaf as Saint Nicholas" '-
The poor man was shocked at this impious
speech, and assured the merchant that his re-
ligious faith could never be shaken. He went
every day to church, notwithstanding the others
mockery.
1t was now Christmas day, when the mer-
chant and the Jew settled up their yearly ac-
counts; Buonaiuto found he owed his friend
three hundred dlcats, and wishing to give him
an agreeable surprise, he ordered one of the
ducks he had carefully fattened, to be killed
and roasted, and then with his own hands in
troduce the three hundred gold pieces into
the inside, and sewed them up. He then
sent the duck to the merchant as a Christmas
present.
The merchants wife, who shared the common
prejudices against Jews, declared she would not
tough the duck, and the rich man resolved to
sell it. When Giraldi passed on his way from
church, his neighbor, as usual, bantered him on
his devotion, showed him the Christmas gift
his patron Saint had sent him, and taunted him
with the stoIidity of Saint Nicholas, who could
not even send him piece of bread. Finally,
he offered TO sell the duck for dollar, and to
wait for payment, as he knew Giraldi to be
strictly honest. The shoemaker carried the
duck home, and when he carved it for his famL
ly's Christmas dinner, and the three hundred
ducats fell out, his first exclamation was
"Praise to Saint Nicholas" ">A~ II
When he recovered from his surprise, he
would ave taken the money back, but his wife
~ - [ L H. III d,,ol
it was rshtfully his own. He therefore diVi-
ded the sum between the two suitofs for his two
eldest daughters. . 80 - -.. s'e 7'a 'e'i. -
: The merchant, after some days, discovered
his loss of the three hundred ducats, and wen
10 the shoemaker TO demand the money, which
was refused The case came before the magis
lrate, who was pous' man, and heard with IN
dignaton how cruelty the poor man had beer
ridicuied about his religion. His sentence wa
that Giraldi should keep the money, and thu
the merchant and the Jew should, besides, pa!
a fine for their usurious dealings, of one hun
i dred and fifty d1cats, to be given as a dowr.
, for the shoemaker's youngest daughter.
q The meaning Of this legend is, that a benefi
. cent Providence watches over, and takes car
of the poor who are honest, religious and truth
q nL The tradition runs that sihce that tim
. st. Nicholas pays visit, every Christmas nigh
= to all whom he thinks worthy of his favors.-
"a He is known altogether by the nafne-+Sant
Claus '''>'q IL 7''-ss.E J. "'-a ~ "'''
---f'-V--z5-~7s~ .-y--------77- ....... IS
Z The MORALS OF WALL STREET.-The trl'
I'd of Huntingdon, the forger, in New York, d.
as veops sad sia;e Of morals among brokers al
G, men Of business. The Mirror says it leal
out in The course of the Investigations that Il
~ confidential, personal and business friends
or the dashing forger knew of his criminal tran
ii, actions, aud yet were 'Shbnd and glove wi
x hun ii in the street and in the house They
III socc3ia,ed with him openly; drank his wine; e
We his dinners; drove his fast horses; admired h
III pictures and pretty women, knot6ing all 1
as while that he had committed forgeries enouI
le- to send hundred men TO Sing Sing! On. I
hc principle that the receiver Of stolen goods is
ay bad as The thief. there are certain parties W
IN hold their heads high on Change, that .
ic- cheating the. State out Of convict labor eve
nd day they are permitted outside Of the prs
ofl IL EEI'D nuF Sal .sJs.l liah hit@ aag C.,
he s'Ii el 1z21iLs %. go - a4A4-1- adi iss1u.
ey i iCHRrsrMAs ON THuRsRAE.--A corresponds
ev ofithe New Jersey DOltqr Newspaper referri
= to the fact that CHRISTMAS this. year fell
rrnn.. Thursday, transcrbes the following prophe
pcs from an old poem fpundin the British Museu
DIS ees sIf Christmas day on Thursday bes ,sl,,
ic- A windy winter you shall see; /,
fnart in aain