The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-23
GOOD OLD ST. NICHOLAS.
lie Really and Truly Lived on This
HOIIy-Entwincd Planet.
From the Philade.phla Record.

tFcm the Fhllade .phia Record.
1t is the week for jolly Santa Claus in
all his sp,endor, and il does not take away
one jot of our enjoyment to recall that
Saint Nicholas was really a live man, a
bishop of the fourth century, whose gen
crosby and great love for children led to
the association of his name with Christ
mas.
lie was born at Patara, in Asia Minor
and was such a marvelousIy good child
that all sorts of legends have come to us
about him, one of which says that even
when babe he refused to
TAKE ,I. nourishment on fast days!
Like all other saints plenty
of his stories are very mythical but the
one that gives the origin of the stocking
hanging at this season is Vouched for as
quite true. 1t CHANGED, they say. that a
poor nob.eman of Patara wished very
much to marry his three daughters. but
lacked money TO give them a portion and
was so desperate about it that he became
quite melancholy.
However, the good Bishop of Myra
(Which Office Saint Nicholas then heidi
heard of his distress and one night after
the old gentleman had hung his cloth
stockings in the wide chimney to drv the
generous friend clambered to the roof and
dropped a purse filled with gold plump into
the middle of the hose.
VI course, there was great rejoicing and
wedding, but when the second and third
daughters We're anxious to be married
there was the same distress. But again
the anxious father hung up his hose and
again the purse was found in the nornine,
When it happened the third time the
old gentlemen and his daughters kent
watch, caught the jolly saint in the act
and blessed him and loved him until bis
death. His gifts were countless and ele-
CANT, too, as he was very wealthy and
50 II happened that even before his death
the people who loved him would keep his
birthday the 9th of December. as a fes-
dyab when they would give each other
sweetmeats and gifts
After the gentle bishop died the custom
became general, and little maids in The
converts always hung silk stocking ont
side their doors on the eve of the day of
SAINT Nicholas and prayed him to fiji
them. The devout sisters answered these
prayers and the stockings were never
found empty. All the same time. that is
IN December, the pagan peoples had long
been accustomed to celebrate the passing
oil the shortest day and to give one an
other gifts as emblematic of the return
ing sun. Therefore, when Christianity he
gan TO spread over the world and Dec d
was the great Christian festival. the low
ers of Saint Nicholas, and also the pa
gans, Joined their holidays until gradu-
ally Christmas day was the day of Saint
Nicholas as well.
SO great and good and generous and
loving was this saint that England nam
ed 272 churches after him: Germany has
SCI; France, 20 Italy, 1872 and Russia.
S.l76. Russia adopted him as the patron
saint of the entire empire, and as Ger
many originated many modern customs,
she also gave him the name Of Pelznichol
or Nicholas with the furs.
AS the good bishop once made some
robbers restore stolen goods, and as he
punished wickedness whenever he could
the Pelznichol of later times took his os-
pecial Office from that part of the char
acter of Saint Nicholas and is still in
volzed to bring naughty boys and girls
to terms
Whether known as Kris Kringle. Santa
Claus or Saint Nicholas, his merry gen
erous nature is still the same and his
name is a synonym for all holiness and
generosity. and now that the annual feasl
is close at hand again, the influence OF
the good old bishop is a work in its dear
old fashion, and many a silk and wooler
stocking is fairly quiyering to be hung In
it's place.