Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1908-12-25
SANTA HAS BUSY DAY
Fills Rush Orders For Good Will In
Churches and Schools of
Dallas.

Postal clerks and storekeepers
driven all day under the pressure of
the eleventh hour" Christmas busi-
ness may have had something to say
about the rush, but the person who
really had the best license to complain
(but he never said word was Santa
Claus, the patron saint Of the hustling,
bustling season Of good will to men.
The reverend saint must have been
absolutely tireless and possessed Of at
least triple personality, for nothing
else can adequately explain the almost
miraculous feats which he performed
| in his annual mission Of dispensing
| Christmas cheer throughout the length /
and breadth of the world. In Dallas |
alone, he is on record as having made .
at least three simultaneous appear
ances in widely separated places, /
while rumors are aflOat of several Il
other appearances in private homes.
If his record in other cities was sus-
tained proportiOnately, he is either the
iIJOOI eltttNC PCloOu dOl DdAl dL lillo sea-
son, or else there may be some found
alton to the oft recurring doubts Of
childhood as to whether he is real or a
brother creature to the fable1 sea SER
pent.
The ministrations of the gentle T.
saint began Thursday afternoon IN
The public school rooms even before
The eleventh hour" shoppers had
'airly started their raid upon the long
suffering merchants of the city. The
work at the schools was, however,
delegated to the teachers, the saint
reserving his best energies
or the supreme effort in the evening.
'hort Christmas programs were given
" the pupils Of the various grades
nd the exercises were closed with
'holesale distribution Of candies, nuts
nd other Christmas dainties to all.
In the evening the tour of the
hurches of the city was begun and
lere was where the jolly saint who
resides over the holiday began to
now up In his best form.
At the Methodist church he appeared
the leading role in beautiful little
hristmas cantata, Santa Claus
ure," given by the members of the
unday School. After its close, the
ig fir trees that flanked the stage
ere stripped oftheir load of Christmas
'uit and the evening ended in the
Oyous distribution OF gifts.
Unable in his rush, to stop at the
vangelical church, he left a we'll
Iden tree with his best regards and
tier an appropriate program, certain
his deputies attended to the gather
g Of the burden of gifts from the
den branches.
AT the Presbyterian Church he came :
1wn the chimney Of specially pre-
ired log cabin 10 a truly dramatic
amer and rewarded the ones who
ld given the program with an abun-
ince OF gifts taken from two we'll
led ladders that had been used in
e decoration scheme
His work at the Baptist Church was geo.
ven into the hands Of deputies as at
G Evangelical Church, while the
erworked saint sped on to fill other
sh orders for the peace and good ~
II he was dispensing. Here a short 20 ",
ogram was given by the children of
Sunday School and nuts and vi,
ndies we're distributed. olo
A series Of beautiful tabeleaux re- -"
esenting scenes from the life of De
lrist, interspersed with appropriate .u'
d beautiful musical selections, con- ins
tuted the program at the Christian "'i'
urch and at its close Santa appeared 'ii'
little out of breath perhaps, but still
ady to superintend the giving of the -
IT'S in suitable manner. Oo'