Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1860-12-28

SAINT NICHOLAS was born in Pamra, q
CITY Of Syria, on the coast q hsia Minor, in
the carly part ofthe fourth century, and was
| Bishop Of Myra. Many miracles are related
Of him in the ancient Chronicles Of the Ro-
man Catholic Church The following IS said
to be the one which gave rise 10 the custom
of distributing secret gifts to children at
Christmas time
"In the city Of Patara there lived a man Of a
good family, who haQ three very handsome daugt-
! tcrs, cf marriage age. by various misfortuncs he
had fallen into such state Of poverty that he was
! not only unable TO endow his daughters in mar
riagc, bat could not provide them a living.
"As men ordinarily loso their rc pee, for Cod ,
/ and forget from whom their chastisement comes,
! So this wre,ched man advised his dau .htcrs 10
! gain subsistence a life of iliamy, as If God
could not have relieved them without such an or
! fence and If il were rat better q thousand
! times to starve than be guilty OF such sIl. The
condition Of this family came % the knowledge Of
ST. NICHOLAS who resolved 70 relieve then wants.
but without their knowledge from whom their
help cane, for his humanity causct him 20 avoid
all vain glory He took good sum Of money,
enclosed 1t in purse, and went at night 70 the
house where the poor gentleman lodged. lie saw
boy the Light q the moon, that the window Of the
/ rs
the purse, he withdrew as fas as possible"
In Justice to the Saints humility.we must
suppose that some bystander observed and
made known the secret act Of charity. IN
Franconia, and other countries, parents used
to supply their children with secret presents,
pretending that they came from ST. NicH-
o-As, VITO, according to them, had o fairy
ike fancy forpopping in at the closed WIN
dows, and leaving his gifts behind him. To
keep up this delusion, they would convey
the intended gifts into the children's shoes,
which had been left under the tabla to be
more ready for the reception Of whateyer
might be sent and SO eager were the young
expectants. and such strict fasts would they
at times maintain to secure the hoped-for do
nations, that the sage deluders who had led
them on TO this folly, would find 1t necessary
to interfere for their health's sake A sim
liar custom Of conveying secret gifts On this
day did prevail, and is perhaps not yet obso-
lete, IN Italy & France The boarders at certain |
would each one, upon the Eve Of 81.
place silk stocking at the Alb
bess's door, with piece of paper enclosed,
themselves 10 "Grcat 81. Nich-
O as Of her Chamber" The next day all the
votaries assembled to see how far they had
been noticed by the Saint, when they were
sure to find the stockings filed with sweet
meats and other trihas Of the same kind upon
which they afterwards made holy feast.
The learned JOIN GREGoRIE says Of St.
1T IS sayd that his fller hight EPpHANIus and
.is InotheSJ GAMMA and when be was born they
made him Chrsten, and called him NICHOLAS, that
5 a names name, but kepeth the of the
hid for be chose to kepe virtues, meknes, and
impleness, and without malice. Also We redc
While he lay in his cradle, he tasted Wednesday
nd Friday; throe days he would souke but ones
f the day, and herewith held him pleased. Thus
e lived all his life in virtues with his ohilds
ame. And therefore children done him worship
efo-e all other saints"
Our authority for the foregoing facts a I
out ST. NICHOLAS is SoANE's Neu CurlOa
es Of Literature.