The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-12-24

up out of the picked pork alive and
whole. The happy fellows began t.
sing praise to st. Nicholas, but he, good
soul, would not listen to it. He told
them to worship none but God. The
boys, at once recovering their posses
sions, went on their way rejoicing.
and st. Nicholas was regarded as the
special protector of boys and students
from that hour.
Most of the old pictures represent
three boys in the picking tub, all with
uplifted hands, praising good st. Nicho-
las. We suspect that three boys in the
tub, instead of two, better suited the
fancy of the old artists. 1t did not make
great deal of difference in point OF fact,
and it certainly made better picture
"But how came st. Nicholas to be the
patron of Christmas gifts and the par
ticular saint of the Christmas holi-
days."
After st. Nicholas was made Arch
bishop at Myra, he became very rich,
and because he despised money for his
own sake, he spent good portion of his
time in giving away his money to others,
and in such way that none should know
from whom il came. 1t CHANGED that
there was very poor nobleman in Myra,
who had three lovely daughters. Know
ing that they could have no marriage
portion, st. Nicholas, considerate soul,
felt pity for them, and one moonlight
night he took purse, round as
ball with gold, and throwing il into an
open window at the feet OF the eldest
daughter, he hid himself from view
The eldest daughter could now marry.
What good saint st. Nicholas WIS, and
what pity he died so long ago! After
while the saint visited the nobleman's
premises again, and did the same mys-
terious 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: "Oh, st. Nicholas, servant
of God, why seek to hide thyself from
u.s."
st. Nicholas made the nobleman prom
Use never TO tell the discovery he had
made; but the secret escaped in some un-
"SOOuAuopAO WY oiiNA uAtSA W. -fASiiOAee7
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 invoking the
liberal aid of good st. Nicholas. In the
morning the stocking would be found
full of presents.
In the meantime, as you know, chill
dren began TO initiate this custom, es-
pecially at Christmas.
st. Nicholas used annually to be hon
ored in the old English churches by the
election of a boy Bishop, whom the whole
church were accustomed to obey for
short time, because st. Nicholas was the
patron of boys. Heis still honored with
grand festival at Bari, on the Adriatic,
is the patron saint of Russia and of the
mariners on the great winter seas, and
his name is borne by the Russian Cars.
He also is the patron saint of New York
city, which, you know, was settled by
the Dutch, and of all saints he is most
reverenced in Holland. But there the
young folks do him honor on St. Nicho-
las Day, which comes on the 9th of No
vember. keeping it very much as we do
the Christmas holidays.