The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-12-18

nh over the earth IN a single night? AS
the answer is not apparent Oh the sur
face We VIII take another legend and see
what we can make out OF That
ST.. Nicholas was travelling through his
dioC csc at period when great famine
had driven the people 90 the verge OF
starvation. one night he put up at an inn
kept boy q certain man who was % hend
incarnate. This l0athy parsonage. find
Ing beef and mutton scarce and hish
priced. conceived the idea OF rcplenishing
bis ardcr with the nice. juicy c0rpscS or
children whom he kidnapped. killed ana
served uD TO his guests ia all varieties Of
succulcut dishes. no one had penetrated
the mystery of how hc alone OF all the
ucishbcring bonifaccs could keep his table
well supplied with rOasts and boiled
meats, steWs hashc5 and savory soups.
Eut 900 sooner had a. dish of childs meat
been served up 10 the saint than Zee dis
covered the horrible truth. lie lcapcd
10 his feet and poured out torrent or
righteous abuse upon the ciNsmg ana
lawning landlord and when the latter
would deny hs guilt. 81. Nlcholas went
to the Tub where the children were aMted
down. All that IL was necessary for him
10 do was TO make the sign of the cross
over the remains AID 10, three children
who had been missing for days arose.
alive and whole. Al the people were
struck dumb at this miracle. The emil
drcn were restored 10 their mother Who
was II widow. AS 10 the landlord, he was
taken out and stoned 60 death, as he
richly deserved to DE.
This story, it viii be seen, does not
aid us very materially. IL is simply one
Of q whole group OF legends ia Wnch d.
Nicholas appears as the friend ana Dene-
factor of children, and in this respect only
he resembles our Santa Claus. In all
the characteristics which modern painters
and story telcrs in England, in America
and in Germany have bestowed upon the
rubicund representative OF Christmas he
differs I'm toto from the slender and even
emaciated Nicholas clad in full episcopal
robes. with mitre and crOsier, whom the
medieval painters were FOND CT depict
ing. So the legends Of St. Nicholas ahord
but a meagre clew to the identity of Santa
Claus, alike indeed ia name, but SO totally
unlike in other particulars.
Let us try elsewhere. IN these days
Kriss Knngle is looked upon as an al
tentative name for Santa Claus. But, i'm
fact. he is, etymologicauy and historically,
q totally different being. though the two
personages have been welded into one in
the popular imagination. A very small
knowledge of German reveals the toct
that l<riss Kungle is simply corruption
of the word "ChristHndiein' or Christ
child. whose connection with the Christ
mas festival is too obvious to need eX-
PLANTATION. But what seems ineXplicabie
is how the Christ child Of the past the
Holy one. whose nativity is the subject
of commemOrauon in that feast which we
can Christmas, should have evolved into
the white haired, white bearded. merry
hearted and kindly old pagan Wnom we
call indihereutly Kriss Kringle or santa
Claus Yet at the very moment when we
have come face TO face with this appa-
renuy insoluble paradox we have reached
the solution which seemed Impossible
when we strove TO understand the much
less startling transcription OF 81. Memo
las into Santa Claus We remember thaI
the Christmas festival of to-day is
Gradual evolution from times that long
antedated the Christian period, that
though il celebrates the mishtlest TACT
in me history Of Christendom it was
overlaid upon heather festivals, and many
of its attendant observances are mere
adaptations OF pagan TO Christian cere-
monial This was no mere accideht' IL
was necessary measure al uine "heh
the new religion was forced on a peeply
eupersuuous population. IN ordeI 10
reconcile heather converts 10 the new
faith and to make the wrenching Of the
old ties as painless as possible these
relics Of paganism were preserved under
modified eXternals. exactly as the antique
columns were transferred from ancient
temples to adOrn the Christian baslucas'
The very time finally settled upon for
the Christmas celebration was 0OmprO-
mise with pagauism. There is no biblical
reason why the 9th of December should
be chosen as the date of the Nativity.
The early Christians had rather leaned 20
the idea that the event had occurred