Evening journal., 1898-12-19
SAXONYS SANTA CLAUS
HANS RUPERT WALKS ALL THE WAY
From RUSSIA.


Santa Claus Of Saxony given by the
simple pious peasantry. "Hans Rup-
pert will arrive tonightl'' the children
Of Saxony cry all along the dear, dark
ening twilight of Christmas eve as they
hatten their little Saxon noses against
the cottage window panes, peering out
along the winter roads for "our Hans
Rupert" "Hans Rupert is coming
tonightl" say the simple hearted grown
up folk 10 one another, a 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 "a
Slav. Hans Rupert is not the ira
ditional Santa Claus of the Teuton
land-a jolly old man with curly beard
and winking smile. CLANS Rupert is
a tall, brawny, peasant looking fell
low" say the good Saxony folk with
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 Asiatio Russland and, at
every step he takes toward the Caucasus
chain, at every stride up and up, still
up the ledges of its rock and bluff and
brae, across its brawling streams, now
down on the other side of its stern
shoulder shadowed 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 mur-
mur and the golden voice above the
Lorelei rock, and at last at the gates Of
Berlin sees the mighty gleam of the
army of the vaterland the Hans Rup-
perish boots are up to the loins. cuiras-
sier fashion, accordion wrinkled and
mirror in their mighty polish the very
"Sword of My Illustrious GRANDPA
ther" And Hans Rupert stands a
grenadier, one Of the sacred bodyguard
around an emperor, stands with star on
breast and double headed eagle on he'll
met, stands a 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 q pack Of good things.
Thou hast no Christmas tree within
that mighty bundle, Hansl Tho peasant
children have made tho tree all ready
for Hans in the diligent purchase from
their little Saxon pfennige on the mar
lset 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
own brawny hands. Here are the can
dies, the Christ child's eyes, and the
toys and the gifts, 1.-THE blessings that
drop from the hands of Baby Jesus"
And now the procession forms at
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 and yellowed cheeks
glistens the gentle tear of age. Then
follow the father and the mother and
J the unwedded uncles and aunts, anC
now the children, according to age ant
, size, who are awed in anticipation o.
, "our Hans Rupert" on the other sid'
= 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 mutterchen, witt
a solid Saxon cuff on the unwilling ear
Zach, mutterchen, it's beilige Nacht 7
pleads tho father, and mother moder
$ ates Here are the servants Of the house
. hold, wearing their good Christina
$ starch,of check apron stiffness. How
s stands,out in its buokram beauty If j
= were possible-whioh the dear Her
Gardener of us all forfend-the appl
cheeks,of the good house girl glow wit
Il a more,fruity glisten as she gazes dow
upon the spheric circumference O
y starch. Tho housemaid's S smile is laun
dered, too, and it never leaves her lip
y until ehat mysterious door off there
= opened by grandfather trembling oil
3 hand, and now some one in the Christ
: mas procession has struck the sweet
n resonant, prolonging chords of the zith
I er and the hymn rises as one ''pur
% concert" along the whole of the house
r hold heart:
,r o heilige Nachti
m Stille Nachtl
ir The door is thrown open, and onl
II the stalwart spirits-the Erdgeiste VIII
guard the scallops and volutes of th
a, Teutonio verb-can comprehend th
e, meander and the meaning Of the fan
D. ily's exclamations now. Hans Ruppel
le has done it ell Hans Rupert has don
it ALL Tho tree glistens into graciou
u charm. 1t is the aurora of the Divir
as Child.
s. And then the good Saxon muscles ia
to, and fall, too, on supper. Now, I'll
supper is a sweet feature of this gres
A. evening, 1897. For only once a yet
~ does the marzipan come round-marz
H. pan. that dear cake, crusted with pov
dered almonds Only once a year dot
u "stoken" come round, that dearest cal
with raisins-raisins plucked by Han