Los Angeles herald., 1906-12-23
CHRISTMAS. ST. NICHOLAS DAY
rrom the chIeago Reeord-tIerald.

, Record Herald.
and is an important part Of the Christ
mas ceremony. For a long time in
some places in Austria, a st. Nicholas
procession passed from house to house
on the eve of December g. 1t was COM
posed of men and boys, some dressed
as angels and others as creatures quite
the opposite of angelic. These entered
each village house and the children
therein wee catechised as to their sins
and virtues. If they had been good
the angels rewarded them, but if
naughty they were threatened with
punishment dire by the others, and
left without gifts.
So mothers tell their children these
days that Santa Claus will bring bad
little boys nothing at Christmas time
unless they mend their naughty ways
The legend on which the good
saints gift-making disposition is based
has 1t that a poor citizen of the time
of st. Nicholas mad three daughters to
whom he could give no marriage por-
tion st. Nicholas wishing to relieve
them Of their poverty went secretly
and on three successive nights threw
into their window purse of gold, one
for each, which no doubt secured for
each worthy husband. From this in
cident he became the gift -bringer and
was also made the patron saint of the
maidens The story is cited by some
as the origin of the use of three golden
balls as the symbol of the pawn-b broker
who, for gratuity, relieves the neces-
stiles of the poor, though more COM
monty the symbolic device is con-
nected with the Medici family. Nicho-
las was also the special saint of sea-
faring men and parish clerks, and
queerly enough, robbers are called st.
Nicholas clerks, though the other St.
Nick may be the one referred to.
From his guardianship and care of
children there sprang up in the middle
ages a most curious custom, that of
electing boy bishop who served as
such from December until Innocents'
day, which falls on December 2S.
The boy bishop of Salisbury became
especially noted and held sway each
year until the custom was abrogated
by Henry VIII in a special proclama-
tion.
The boy bishop was elected from
among the choristers, who, appareled
in the episcopal vestments, with miter
and crosier, bore the title and state
of bishop and exacted ceremonial
obedience from his fellows, who were
dressed like priests. He went into the
pulpit to preach and if he died during
the period of his short bishopric was
buried with the honors of his office,
as is shown in a monument in Salisv
bury cathedral, in which one of these
is depicted accoutered in his episcopal
robes.
Even after the kings proclamation,
issued because of the levity and alb
surdity of the pageant, had taken from
the mummery it's more serious aspect
before the boy bishops of Salisbury
had the power of dispensing of such
prebends as fell vacant between the
9th and 2Sth of December-the game
of electing a bishop and appointing
priests to serve him was long kept
up at many of the English boys
schools.
Their exactions of money, called the
bishops subsidy, became such nui-
sance that in more than one place
the people complained bitterly and
asked that they be relieved from the
molestations of these quaint and mis-
chievous little clericals.
Another curious practice, long kept
up in English schools, marked the
saint as the patron of boyhood When
hard pressed in any game demanding
activity boy perceived his antagonist
gaining ground upon him. cried out
"Nicholas!" on which he was entitled
to a suspension of the play for mo-
ment; and on any occasion of not be-