Arizona republican., 1900-12-25
History of Santa Claus



 have played the part of Santa Claus
 many time, as the mystery how he.
 so fat and big, with hls bulky bag of
 presents, could enter through the mar TOW chimney, was comprehensble to
 our childish minds.
 Speaking historically, Santa Claus
 has no connection with Christmas,
 though his visits are almost as old as
 that festival itself Santa Claus is the
 corruption of St. Nicholas. a bishop of
 Myra, in Lycia, who flourished in the l fourth century and died on December | 6, 343 A. D. He was widely famed for
 his piety and charity and on his death 1 became the patron saint of many | classes-of children, and more partic-
 ularly Of school boys and girls, parish | clerks, sailors, travellers, merchants and of Muscovites in general. Of all | these classes, St. Nicholas is best | known aus the guardian of children. Ac- cording to one legend his piety when | still a child-evcn as a babe at his | mothers breast, he lasted on Wednes- | days and Frfdays-was regarded as | specially fitting him for the protector | ship of children. The fame of his pi-
 city spread for and wide, and an east
 ern lord, on sending his two sons to be
 educated at Athens, bade them call at | Myra to receive blessing from St. | Nicholas. Arriving there late one | night, the youths put up at an inn. in- | tending to visit the bishop the follow | ing morning. But, attracted by the
 wealth of his guests, the landlord mur- dered them during the night, and cut | ting their bodies into small pieces, | threw them into his pork-pickling tub intending to dispose of the whole of its
 contents as pork. By this means he thought to kill two birds with one stone, not only getting rid of his vic tims' bodies, but also increasing his stock of bacon.
 But the cruel deed was revealed to St. Nicholas. and the next morning he visited the inn and accused the land lord of the murder. Perceiving that his deed had bcen miraculously made known to the bishop, the landlord fell on his knees, confessed to the murder, and besought the saints intercession on his behalf. Moved by the sincere repentance of the man, Nicholas not only assured him of divine forgivenes'j but to prove it commanded the dead bodies of the murdered youths to come to life again. Immediately he had made the sign of the cross On the brine the mangled fragments of their bodies reunited and the lads emerged from their tub alive and none the worse for their temporary decease and pickling. In remembrance of this deed St. Mich olas is usually depicted as standing. arrayed in his episcopal robes, beside a tub in which kneel two naked youths.
 Another story proves the love and protecting power of St. Nicholas fJc young maidens, and it is from this that the custom of Santa Claus arose. The saint heard that a poor gentleman, with three porticnless daughters, was about to commit a crime in order to provide his daughters with doWries. Seized with pity for the threa unhappy maid ems, Nicholas visited their house by night, and threw a well-filled purse in to the fathers room through the open window, thus enabling him to portion his eldest daughter. on the next night he threw a second purse for the second daughter, and on the third night re- peated the action. But, watching to discover the donor of the two purses, the father saw St. Nicholas throw the third, and burst forth into bud praises of the bishops generosity. Finding that his secret had ben discovered, St. Nicholas commanded the man on no account Ito tell anyone from whom the purses had come.
 These and other instances of Nicho- lass care and affection for children, parents used to relate to their boys and girls in order to induce them to rely on him for guidance and protection. On the eve of St. Nicholas day, December G. parents used to secretly give pres ents to their children as Nicholas had given the purses. The parents denied | that they gave the presents and said | they had been left by the saint, who "n this night ltraveled up and down the eargh, and entering unseen and unheard | through the widows, used to give pres | ents ito all good children.
 In convent schools the love and care | that St. Nicholas bore to all maid dsns | was proved in the same manner. On Nicholas eve the pupils were ordered | to hang up their stockings outside the | doors of their rooms, and in the hose | to place a written request for the l saints patronage and protection. The | nuns took upon themselves the duty os | acting as his deputies, and filled the | expectant stockings with sweetmeats | and other trifles, and in this mannsr l taught the reality of the saints care.
 In this is clearly seen the origin of the fable and of the custom of Santa | Claus filling childrens' stockings on i Christmas eve. How the custom was l transferred from St. Nicholas day D-- cember @ to Christmas day is not | known. but that the custom is one anu | the same there is no doubt whateve:. | Probably it arose about the time of the | Reformation, when the worship of the | saints was forbidden; but this is not l a wholly Sd atisfactory reason, as in R0- , man Catholic France the custom is ob- f served on New Years eve. Perhaps | the true reason is that of economy. | Giving presents on St. Nicholas day | and again only three weeks after at | Christmas would be a heavy expense to parents, and so the custom was ob- served on Christmas eve, and the pres cnts took the double form of St. Mich