The New York herald., 1873-12-25

good people, To DO this you must have plenty OF
brown stone 'front.' teemng with the rarest elabora-
tions OF the publisher and toy maker all the world
make Kriss Kringe feel he has not lived in vain.
CHRISTMAS ON LOWER SCALE
All this is perfectly compatible with great deal
means, but the elements OF which the average
Christmas IS composed are so well and so generally
at great length here. 1t is the extremes which, by
contrasting with, explain each otner. The hohday
charo-oscuro is always exceedingly picturesque. .
We have seen the lights-let US NOT forget the
shadows. These sad lines and gloomy streaks IN
the wondrous etching with which the year pre-,
sent US at It's holiday close, shall we DOT regard
them, toof The prison, the hospital. the insane
asylum, the house OF refuge, the nome ior tne
fallen--can we cease to remember that such things
OF CnristmasS Al our own tables we eat anu
drink IN comfortable security. outside % are me me
we natter ourselves that we nave won
our comforts by our deserts ana tnat
same distinction as between those who, spiritually
gloating, sit sel-crowned IN the New Jerusalem
aud them that tap disheartened at the gates OF
pearl in vain And then this labyrinth OF wretched
homes o. teeming tenement houses that forms so
bleak and dismal a background. 1t would be In
tercsting 10 hear upon what principles the rich
man defends the boundless appetite he has tor the
good things OF his Christmas table, and the very
poor appetite he has Tor the sorrows ana necessl-
ties OF the people who inhabit the block OF tene-
ment houses he owns. The very poor certainly
have no Christmas Joys worth mentioning. fhey
furnish the sombre threads to the Gobelin tapestry
OF life, bringing into relief the brilliant colors.
Doubtless much has been done for the poor this
Christmas, as much is done every Christmas.
But the TACT remains that the vast majority OF the
wealthy. and those with comfortable means, do
little in this direcJion IN comparison with
what they could do, and one OF the worst
signs OF social degeneracy would be 10 ignore al
cated with such an hour. We have touched upon
those sentiments, and now we propose to leave
mas OF the past-those old Dutch Chrstmases OF
which many interesting traditions are to be
gathered-and to compare II with the Christmas OF
Yesterday was emphatically the
CnILDRBN's DAY.
OF the children who loved st. Nicholas in the times
OF the old Dutch burghers In the old annals OF
headstrong old stuyvesant was Commander-in-
Chiefi when our now crowded broadway was
iss Sh Saaen Wa r. Maa9d
Paatje tthe Maidens' path) where the red checked,
fun Tipped Dutch maidens went 10 hang out their
nurtering clothes when the meat market was on
Bowling Green wnen the present City Hall was
public pasture out side OF the city wall; and when
the great tGSco OF this mighty metropolis was, for
the Simple people who then Inhabited 1t, the city
road between Wan street and New Haarem-a
o. was aod m St.
From the earliest days OF Manhattan Island
Christmas Eve was sacred to hlm. children as
naturally see that which Is reverential in old
memories as adults see that which Is merely
social. This is why the Dutch boys and girls
adored, with love peculiarly their own, the Jolly
rosy checked white bearded little old man, sporting
his low crowned nat; glorying in his Flemish trunk
IN MS ppe Longer ana nan
anu deserts and, in their fancies sending through
space the sharpest OF whistles to the wonderful
team that carried the wonderful sleigh. Like some OF
Christmas Eve did some Dutch little ones try to
catch st. Nick Dy sitting up to see MIN come down
the chimney with his pack on his back. But some.
how or other there never did happen to be fire
@ e y ON ne Is ass rs o e yea
The little Dutch children blamed mamma; but that
good lady would whisper, with wise shake OF the
head, that ST. Nick did not like ires-and that SET
tied the matter for good. Some would sir up,
however, until very late-one little boy, whose
story Is NOT forgotten, more stubborn than the
rest having actually been fonnd hall frozen in the
morning on the Kitchen floor. Had he been watch.
ng Yes HAD G he seen anything n on iS no ne
for the other children, but none Tor him. Tue
moral was understood to be that st. Nicholas ord
not like little boys that watch for him-a moral that
this same little Knickerb0cker, 1t Is said, never
forgot during all his lifetime.
Nicholas that explains the special reverence
paid to him among our ancestors. st. Nicholas
THE PATRON SAINT OF NEW AMSTERDAM,
just clearly as Uncle Sam is the patron saint OF
the United states, St. George OF England, ST. pspls
OF France ST. Patrick OF Ireland. 1t was his image,
which, in the orthodox costume had presided
as the fgurehead OF the Goede Vrouw, the snip
shore %n e who bis 70 The ss
church built within the walls, and whose titles were
most solemnly invoked 10 hour OF trouble by all
OF the courteous Peter Minuit, OF Wesel and the
Honorable the Director General ana Council, this
Island OF Manhattan has been dedicated to the
good SAINT whom our children still honor in these
days. Not as much, though, we say again, as the
Dutch Children: They showed n now sney Loved ed the
homage greater tnan they gave to Christmas-by
the trees they raised-by the fires they hghted-by
the tales they told-by the Jokes they cracked-by
the songs they sung-by the hopes they built up
by the eagerness with which they watched 1--WE
mean OF course. the good little ones who didn't sit
upl until sumber QIOpped like a cloud them.
for the first prancing OF the reindeer on the roof
TINS generation q oeneversmtnese ntte hncker
have no more goeden Uy0ittcs, but good mothers;
the quaint village has changed into this naughty,
1873 still keep up the devotion OF the children OF
1850 Tor st. Nicholas-only they call him
It is the same friend, however the same old, low.
built, chubby, mysterious ancient, who loves chil.
dren OF all ages and all countries, For children.
hnrrying stream, but sportful, suniit ocean,
Well said old TeuelsdrUckh; for little do Johnny
and Ada think that these holidays Of time bring
Time ana laughinply send out their cockle-boats
on what seems SO bright and sunny, telling MIN to
and little Ada Why tell them that 1t Is not sun
lit, sportiul ocean, but fierce torrent roaring its
way to the rocks? We seniors have no right to in
terfere. We have forgotten all that we ever knew
OF their country or its laws
we are tod BY the ancient chronicles Sol o. tins TINS
looked as squat and as chubby as the people VINO
made them; how they were made 30 strong that
they would last from one Christmas to another;
how they were received with delight and kept in
high state. There was song that the Dutch boys
and girls used TO sing every Christmas Eve in
honor OF ST. Nic1Olads good, hetltg nsdye-that is
St. Nicholas, good. holy man." In the old Dutch 1t
was not very elegant, but 1t was something
better-it was sincere. 1t was sung for centuries
here in city. Would the children OF to-day like
to hear II IN Engshf II SO we Will give what
Hendricks ana little Katrnas in the old days used
to sing with tneIr childish voices by the great
kitchen ireplace:-
ST. Nicholas, good, holy man,
Put your best tabbard You can
And In Ii get to Amsterdam.
From Amsterdam TO HispaDge,
Where apples bright OF orange
And those pomegranates named
Roll through the streets ell unreclaim-,
saint Nicholas my dear, good friend,
To you ever was my end;
II something viii give,
Serve you will as long as live
And serve him they did, too-through all their
lives-they and their children and children's