Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1858-12-25
THE LEGEND OF sANTA CLAUS.

This popular name ofthe saint who presides
over Christmas and the toy gifts of that wei
come season, is derived from st. Nicholas
The legend Of his first appearance is an Italian
one. According to this a shoemaker named
Giraldi, 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 dowry to his pretty daugh-
tiers. ltwas not thought proper to marry with.
out a dowry and thus the young girls though
each had an admirer were compelled to re-
main single. Their father, however, went
every morning to the shrine to pray to his
patron saint, st. Nicholas, that he would work
a miracle to relieve him from his distress. One
OF his nearest neghb0rs, rich merchant, who
CHANGED one day to over-hear his simple petit
ton, ridiculed the idea of his expecting the
saint to take care Of his daughters, and recon-
mended him to chose patron saint who could
be able to do something for him. "Mine" he
said, lis the jew BuonaiutO; he lends money
at two per cent. a month and if you know
how to manage, you may make four with it.
He is not so deaf as st. Nicholas" The poor
man was shocked at this impious speech, and
assured the merchant that his religious faith
could never be shaken. He went every day to
church, Notwithstanding the others mockery
1t was now Christmas day vixen the merchant
and the jew settled up their yearly accounts
BuOnajutO found he owed his friend three hun
dred ducats, and wishing to give him an agree
able surprise, he ordered one of the ducks he
mad carefully tattened to be killed and roasted
ana then with his own hands introduced the
three hundred gold pieces into the inside. and
seWed them up. He then sent the duck to the
merchant as Christmas present The mer-
chants wife, who shared the common preiudices
against Jews, declared she would not touch the
duck, and the rich man resolved to sell il.
when Glraldi passed on his way to church.
ms nelghbOr, as usual, bantered him on his
devotion, showed him the Christmas Gift his
patron saint had sent him, and tainted him
with the stoidity Of Saint Nicholas, who could
not even send him piece of bread. Finally,
he offered to sell the duck for dollar, and so
wait Tor payment, as he knew Giraldi to be
strlcty honest The shoemaker carried the
duck home, and when he carved it for his
Christmas dinner, three hundred ducats fell
out his first exclamation was "Praise to St.
Nicholas y When he recovered from his sur
prise he would have taken the money back.
but his wife persuaded him that, as he bought
the duck, 1t was Tightfully his own He
therefore divided the sum between the two
suitors for his eldest daughters. The mer-
chant, after some days, discovered his loss of
the three hundred ducats, and went to the
shoemaker to demand the money The cause
came before the magistrate, who was pious
man, and heard with indignation how cruelty
the poor man had been ridicued about his
religion. His sentence was that Giraldi should
keep the money, and that the merchant and
the jew should besides, pay fine for their
usurlous dealings, Of $50 dueats, to be given
as dowry to the shoemaker's youngest
daughter The meaning of this legend is,
mat beneficient Providence watches over
inc poor, who are honest, religious, and truth
inl. The tradition runs that since that time
ot' Nicholas paysa visit, every Christmas
nlght, to all whom he thinks worthy of his
l a ~ Heis known altogether by the name