The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1875-12-25
THE PACIFIC
Commercial A0Oertlstr.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER p.
A Christmas Story for the Children.

4 wealthy gentleman in Asia, the story runs,
sent bis two sons to Athens 10 be educated. He
charged the boys at parting to stop at Myra on
their way and pay their respects to his reverence,
the bishop. The boys reached the city ~aknight,
and took lodgings in an inn, intending TO make
the promised call in the morning. Now the
landlord was a very wicked man. and when he
saw the boys rich store Of baggage he resolved
to rob and murder them. So when the poor boys
were asleep, he crept up to their room and dis
patched them and TO conceal his terrible deed,
he cut up their bodies and packed them in a
pickling-tub with some pork, intending 10 sell
the whole to some ship in the Adriatic. Now
good St. Nicholas that night saw il all in n
dream, and IN the morning he put on his pontif-
cal robes flor be was now an archbishop and.
with his crozier in his hand, went in holy indig-
nation to the inn. The landlord was greatly
frightened when he saw the archbishop, and upon
being accused, fell upon his knees and confessed
his crime. St. Nicholas next went to the tub i'm
all his pontiticals and he passed his hands over
the boys, who at once hoped up out of the
picked pork, alive and whole. The happy fell
lows began to sing praises to st. Nicholas, but
he, good soul, would not listen to it. He told
them to worship none but God. The bows. at
once recovering their possessions, went on their
way rejoicing, and st. Nicholas was regarded as
the special protector Of boys and students from
that hour.
But how came st. Nicholas to be the patron
of Christmas gifts and the particular saint of the
Christmas holidays? 2"
After St. Nicholas was made archbishop at
Myra, he became very rich, and because he des-
pissed money for his own sake he spent a good
portion of his time in giving away his money to
others, and in such away that none should know
from whom it came. 1t CHANGED that there was
a very poor nObleman in Myra, who had three
lovely daughters. Knowing that they could have
no marriage portion, St. Nicholas, considerate
soul, felt pity for them, and one moonlight night
ha E-cIr n Y,rca rouDl nc n La11 v.sNE -.ll -
throwing it into the open window at the feet of
the eldest daughter, he hid himself from view.
The eldest daughter could not marry. What q
good saint st. Nicholas was, and what q pity he
died so long ago! After a while the saint visited
the nobleman's premises again, and did the same
mysterious kindness to the second daughter. The
nObleman now began to keep watch at night in
order to discover whence his sudden good fortune
came. As good St. Nicholas was about to throw
another rounded purse at the feet of the third
daughter he was discovered by the grateful father,
who threw himself at his feet, saying, go, St.
Nicholas, servant of God; why seek to hide thy
self?'' st. Nicholas made the nobleman promise
never to tell the discovery he had made. But the
secret escaped in some unaccountable way, and
after St. Nicholas died the nuns of the converts
in the east used to initiate him on certain holi-
days in making secret gifts to their friends.
They used to put silk stockings at the door of the
abbess at night, and label them with a paper in
voking the liberal aid of good st. Nicholas. In
the morning the stocking would be found full of
presents. In time, as you know, children began
TO initiate this custom, especially at Christmas.
st. Nicholas used annually to be honored in the
old English churches by the election of q boy
bishop, whom the whole church were accustomed
to obey for a short time, because st. Nicholas
was the patron of boys. He is still honored
with a grand festival at Bari on the Adriatic, is
the patron saint of Russia, and of the mariners
Of the great winter seas, and his name is borne
by the Russian cars. He is also the patron
saint of New York city (and of Honolulu, too,
for that m%atter), which, you know, was settled
by the Dutch, and of all saints he is the most
revereneed in Holland. But there the young
folks do him honor on st. Nicholas day, which
comes on the 9th of November, keeping it very
much rs we do the Christmas holidays.