The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1898-12-13
SAXONY SANTA CLAUS
HANS RUPERT WALKS ALL THE WAY
FROM RUSSIA.

Il
FROM RUSSIA.
A Great, Gallant Figure, With Top
Boots and Mighty Pnck-Christmas
Customs of the Fatherland Pro-
cession on Christmas Eve.
Hans Rupert is the name of the
Santa Claus of Saxony given by the
simple, pious peasantry. "Hans Rup-
pert will arrive tonight!'' the children
of Saxony cry all along the dear, dark
ening twilight of Christmas eve, as they
fatten their little Saxon noses against
the cottage window panes, peefing out
along the winter roads for sour Hans
Rupert. "Hans Rupert is coming
tonight!" say the simple hearted grown
up folk to one another, people who |
have one evening in the winter twilight
of their hard, stern lives when it will |
be all glow and glamour and froth of |
fun.
Hans Rupert comes from Russia,
from its silent mysteries Of steppe
and of SHOWS. But he is not q
Slav. Hans RUPERT is not the ira
ditional Santa Claus of the Teuton
land-a jolly old man with curly beard
and winking smile. "Hans RUPERT is
a tall, brawny, peasant looking fell
low," say the good Saxony folk with a
sublime earnestness as if they had seen
him. Hans RUPERT has muscles minted
from their own brave life of gray toll.
Hans Rupert walks all the way from
afar, from the Asiatic Russland and, at
every step he takes toward the Caucasus
chain, at every stride up and up, still
up the lodges of its rock and bluff and
brae, across its brawling streams, now
down on the other side of it's stern
shoulder Swallowed in the star calm, at
every pace past the Russian villages
twinkling through the night mists like
sparklets struck off from the czar crown
way off there above the Neva, as he
foots it grandly-this great, grand, gal
liant Hans Ruppert-his top boots that
at the beginning Of the long Christmas
march reached only below the knee,
grow taller and taller, still higher-un-
til when he hears the Rhein-strom muir
muir and the golden voice above the
Lorelei rock, and at last at the gates of
Berlin sees the mighty CLEAN of the
army of the vaterland, the Hans Rup-
perish boots are upto the loins. cuiras
sier fashion, accordion wrinkled and
mirror in their mighty polish the very
"Sword of My Illustrious Grandfa
theri'' And Hans Rupert stands
grenadier, one Of the sacred bodyguard
around an emperor, stands with star on
breast and double headed eagle on he'll
met, stands mighty ghost to deal
death to the foes of vaterland-until
next Christmas.
On his back, through all his long
trudge tonight, Hans Rupert carries
his pack. 1t is pack Of good things.
Thou hast no Christmas tree within
that mighty bundle, Hans! The peasant
children have made the tree all ready
for Hans in the diligent purchase from
their little Saxon pfennige on the mar
ket day. Hans Rupert brings the gar
ments for the Christmas tree. Here in
his pack is the Christ child's hair, the
gold and silver filigree which Hans
will twist across the branches with his
i own brawny hands. Here are the can
dies, the Christ child's eyes, and the
toys and the gifts, "the blessings that
drop from the hands of Baby Jesus"
And now the procession forms at 8
o'clock on Christmas eve to go to see
what Hans Rupert has brought to the
little family. The procession begins
with grandfather and grandmother, on
whose scanned ard yellowed cheeks
glistens the gentle tear of age. Then
follow the father and the mother and
the unwedded uncles and aunts, an6
now the children, according to age and
size, who are awed in anticipation o.
"our Hans Rupert" on the other side
of that door toward which the process
sion is now moving They stand up OF
tiptoe and peer behind fathers stalwar
frame. rebuked by das muttercheu, will
a solid Saxon cuff on the unwilling ear
each, mutterchen, it's beilige Nacht Y
pleads the father, and mother moder
ates. Here are the servants of the house
hold, wearing their good Christina
starch of check apron stiffness. How j
stands out in it's buelram beauty Ii
were possible-which the dear Her
Gardener of us all forfend-the appl
cheeks of the good house girl glow wit
more fruity glisten as she gazes dow
upon the spheric circumference 9
starch. The housemaid s smile is laun
dered. too, and it never leaves her liz
until that mysterious door off there
opened by grandtather's trembling ol
hand, and now some one in the Chris
mas procession has struck the swee
;, resonant, prolonging chords Of the ziti
or. and tho hymn rises as one "pul
concert along the whole Of the house
holds heart:
O heilige Nachti
Stille Nachti
The door is thrown open, and on
r. the stalwart spirits-the Erdgeiste wi
i guard the scallops and volutes of tt
rrentonic verh-can comprehend II