Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1895-12-26


which we find Christmas morning in
our stockings, or on the piano, or
under the breakfast plate, are always
supposed to be from Santa CLAUSE !
will tell you. 1t wssj just because that
was Santa Claus real way OF doing
things II happened that. in the town
where he lived, there was q neighbor
who had been rich and was now
become poor. / do not know how il
came about; perhaps some one had
been tinkering with the tariff, or he
might have bought too many corner
lots, as papss will do even to this day.
But, at any rate, he was poor enough,
after having been a very rich man;
and 80 it happened that the worst Of
his sorrows fell, as they are apt to do,
upon his helpless children. There
were three daughters 10 this mournful
home, and they saw the pretty things
in their fathers house first sold, and
then the comforts 90 next, until very
ugly and bare the home seemsdindeed.
But whenever things came to the very
worst, whan the father would perhaps
be sitting sll alone at night, brooding
over his troubles and watching by the
couch Of his poor girls, he would be
startled by seeing something dropped
Toto the open window and falling at
his feet. And every time it proved to be
purse filed with gold More than
once, more than twice, was this done
before the grestful father knew that
this was from his young neighbor,
Nicholas, who fearing the gifts might
humble or shame his friend, always
brought them in the darkness Of the
night and dissppeard in the streets
before the father could open the door.
II was a lovely deed, surely, and
nearly every great painter Of the older
times used to make a picture Of it.
Frs Angelica, or Brother Angel, as his
companions called bin, made a cele-
brated picture of this, which some of
you may yet see in one Of the Italian
galleries. Others made beautiful pic
lures OF this In jewlled glass, and set
them up in the great churches. So it
came about that, when anybody re-
ceived a gift in a mysterious fashion,
the good Nicholas, for that was his
name in Greek, got the credit for it,
and does to this day.
Now the beautiful thing about St.
Nicholas (tor this is the older way Of
spelling his whole nsme) was this,
that everybody understood that he
was the helper Of the helpless aud the
friend Of the f.iendless. He did not
give gold watches, perhaps nobody
did 10 that day, to his rich nephews;
but he gave a great deal of bread to
the children Of the working people
In nearly or quite all the pictures of
him, which one sees in the old world,
he is not q fat and red-nosed old man,
with pipe and a bag of Jumping
jacks, but a young man of beardless
features, about whose knees little
children are trooping; and in his hand
he carries an open Bible, with gifts
laid upon it for the needy of Gods
people.
All over Ohristendom he has be-
come known as the patron saint Of the
orphan, the peasant, the laborer. The
richest man Of his community, he
lived life which made the poorest
his most devoted friends; and the CO.
clesiastiC (tor in later life he became
a bishop, was counted as the defender
and guardian Of the multitudes that
toiled. Blessed life, precious mem
CRY! May the day return when, in
each heir Of riches, poverty shall find
a benefactor, and in each servant of
the Church each slave of toll shall
find protector.
-ReV. DR.. II d. Jenkins, in the Interior.