Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1872-12-26
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ST. NICHOLAS,

St. NlchoiaS, as all the world KNOWS,
is the patron of children, with whom
he is the most popular saint in the call
cndar. Bishop of Myra, in Lycia, in
the time OF Constantine the Great, if
we are to credit the Roman breviary,
he supplied three destitute maidens
with dowries by secretly leaving a
marriage portion with each at their
window. Hence the popular fiction
that he is the purveyor of presents to
children on Christmas eve. Heusual-
ly makes his appearance as an old man
with a'venerable beard, and dressed as
a Bishop, either riding a white horse
or an ass, and carrying large basket
| on his arm, and bundle Of rods in his
! hand. In some parts of Bohemia he
appears dressed up in sheet instead
of surplice, with crushed pillow on
his head instead Of mitre. On his
calling out, "Wilt thou pray ?" all the
children fall upon their knees, where
upon he lets fall some fruit upon the
floor and disappears. In this manner
| he goes from. house to house, some
times ringing bell to announce his
arrival, visits the nurseries, inquiries in
to the condition of the children, prais-
es or admonishes them, as the case
may be, distributing sweetmeats or
rods accordingly.
st. Nicholas is the Santa Claus of
Holland, and the Samiklaus Of Swift
zerland, and the Sonner Klas of Hell
goland. In the Vorarlberg he is
known as Zemmiklas, who threatens
to put naughty children into his hay
sack; in Neither Austria as Niklo, or
Niglo, who is followed by masked
servant called Krampus; while in the
Tyrol he goes by the name of the ssH o.
ly Man." and shares the patronage of
his Office with st. Lucy. who distrib-
utes gifts among the girls, as he among
the boys. Sometimes he is accompa-
MED by the Christ-child.
In many parts of Switzerland, Ger
| many and the Netherlands, st. Nicho-
las still distributes his presents on st.
Nicholas eve-the 9Th Of December
instead of % Christmas eve, In the
Netherlands and adjoining provinces,
he is especially popular, and is per-
| haps the only saint who has maintain
| ed his iMll credit, even among the Pro-
testants. For days previous to his ex-
pected advent busy housewives have
| been secretly conspiring with the ba-
| kers in gliding nuts, cakes, and ginger
bread, and torturing pastry, prepared
| with -four, sugar, honey, spices and
| sweetmeats into the most fantastic
forms from which the good saint may
| from time to time replenish his sup
plies. As to the children, st. Nicho-
las or Sunder Klaas is the burden of
their prayers the staple of their dreams
and the inspiration of their songs
AS they impcrtune him to let fall from
the chimney top some pretty gift into
their little aprons, they 60 on singing
with childish fervor,
ssSunder Klaas do code Bloot!
Breng mi Moot un Zuckerbrod,
NIGHT to yeel un dich to min s,
Smiet in mine Schorten I'M"
In Belgium, on the eve of the good
bishops aererial voyage in his pastoral
visitation of his bishopric of chimney
tops, the children polish their shoes,
and after filling them with hay, oats or
carrots for the saints white horse, they
put them on table or set them in the
fireplace. The room is then careful
| ly closed and the door locked. Next
morning it is opened in presence of the
assembled household, when msrobile
dSctai the furniture is found to be
turned topsy-turvy, while the little
shoes, instead of horses forage, are
filled with sweetmeatse and toys for
tbs. good children, sind with rods for
the bad ones. In some places wooden
or China shoes, stockings, baskets,
cups and saucers, and even bundles OF
hay are placed in the chimney or by
the side of the bed, or in a corner Of
the room, as the favorite receptacies OF
st. Nicholas prcsents.-From "Christ-
mas throughout Christendom," by o.
NJ. Spencer, in Hafpers Magazine for
January.