Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1904-12-24
SANTA CLAUS TABLE.
The Pleasantest ard Best Of All the
Fairy Stories in Which Child
hood Believes.

IL more peasant than that of Santa
Claus. The origin of the custom is as
little known by the grown-up folks who
have played the part of Santa Claus
many time as the mystery how he, 50
| far and big, with his bulky bag of pres
ents, could enter through the narrow
chimney, was comprehensive 10 our child
| iSh 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 Iycia,
who tiourished in the Fourth century,
and died on December 6, 343 4. ID, He
was widely famed for his piety and char
| lily, and on his death became the patron
saint of many classes-of children, and
more particularly of school boys and girls.
| parish clerks, sailors, travellers, mer-
chants and of Muscovites in general OF
all these classes, St. Nicholas is best
| known as the guardian of children. Ac-
cording to one legend, his piety when
still chlid--even as a babe at his moth
er's breast, he tasted on Wednesdays and
tridays-was regarded as specially fit,
| ting him for the protectorship of children.
The fame of his piety spread far and
| wide, and an eastern lord, on sending
| his two sons to be educated at Athens,
| bade them call at Myra to receive Il bless
| ing from st. Nicholas. Arriving there
late one night, the youths put up at an
inn, intending to visit the bishop the
! following morning. But, attracted by
the wealth of his guests, the landlord
murdered them during the night, and cut
| ting their bodies into small pieces, threw
them into his ork-pickling tub, intend
| ing to dispose of the whole of its con
tents as pork. BY this means he thought
TO XIII two birds with one stone, not
only getting rid of his victims bodies,
| but also increasing his stock of bacon
But the cruel deed was revealed to st.
| Nicholas, and the next morning he visit
ed the inn and accused the landlord OF
the murder. Perceiying that his deed
had been 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 forgiveness, but to prove it COM
manded the dead bodies of the murdered
youths to come to life again. Immedi-
ately 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 picking. In remembrance of this
deed st. Nicholas is usually depicted as
standing, arrayed in his episcopal robes.
beside tub in which kneel two naked
youths.
Another story proves the love and pro-
NSNtiliS pONtI VI 81 NlCHOIdS IOT young
maidens, and it is from this that the
custom of Santa Claus arose. The saint
heard that poor gentleman, with three
porlonlesS daughters. was about to COM
NIT a crime in order to provide his
daughters with dowries Seized with
pity for the three unhappy maidenS.
Nicholas visited their house by night and
threw well-tilled purse into the fathers
room through the open window, thus en-
aiding him to portion his eldest daughter
On the next night he threw a second
| purse for the second daughter, and on
the third night repeated the action. But,
watching to discover the donor of the
| two purses, the father saw St. Nicholas
| throw the third, and burst forth into loud
praises of the bishops generosity. Find
| ing that his secret had been discovered,
| Nicholas commanded the man on no ac-
count to tell anyone from whom the
purses had come.
These and other instances of Nicholas
care and affection for children. parents
used to relate to their boys and girls in
| order to induce them to rely upon him
for guidance and protection. On the
| eve of St Nicholas day, December 6,
parents used to secretly give presents 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 on this night
! Travelled up and down the earth and en-
/ ~ ms uLioCCh anu uHHtdEu lHEOuSu me
! windows, used to gives presents to all
good children.
| In convent schools the love and care
| that st. Nicholas bore to all maideEs
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 saints patron
age and protection. The nuns took upon
| themselves the duty of acting as his
| deputies, and filled the expcctant stock
| lngS with sweetmeats and other tritles
and in this manner 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 chidrens stockings or
| Christmas eve. How the custom was
transferred from st. Nicholas day de
cember @ to Christmas day is not known.
| but that the custom is one and the same
there is no doubt whatever Probably
| 1t arose about the time of the Reformn-
| ton, when the worship of saints was
| forbidden; but this is not a wholly salts
! factory reason, as in Roman Catholic
| France the custom is observed 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 he
| heavy expense to parents. and so the
custom was observed on Christmas eve.
ana the parents took the double form OF
st. Nicholas gifts and Christmas boxes.
The Reformation put IN end to ST.
Nicholas in England. and Santa Claus
was only introduced there within the
| present century from America. withef
Dutch emigrants had carried it, Like
most Christmas customs, the mysterious
gifts of Santa Claus have no connection
with the festival of Christ's birth.
The appearance of Santa Claus. with
| his stout figure warmly clad in furS ana
woolens. his CHEEKY old face with white
beard and hair, his large bag Of pres
ents slung over his back. is familiar to
| every one. In America he is depicted
as travelling in IA sledge drawn by rein
deer from his home in the snowy north
In England children hang their stock
ings at the foot of their beds. In Amer
lea the whole family suspend their stock
ings from the mantelpiece of the sitting
roam IN CLAUS trOUblp