The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-22
AROUND THE
 CIRCLE ON CHRISTMAS EVE
By e. F. MARKELL

graphers denominate as the Greenland
 sea This was too wide to be frozen
 clear across and Il would require too much time for the reindeer to swim it.,
 even if they possessed the ability so
 to do. Consequently Santa Claus must
 start eastward upon his journey Of
 course he could not travel In a straight | line for the east shores of the Arctic
 Circle. my atlas showed, were jagged
 and scallopped with many inlets and
 bays. Nor did he desire to travel as the crow flies for he had many homes to visit in Europe and eother countries besides my own, but his course was eastward. aIn eagcrness I followed my pencil as it mapped out that Christmas eve journey. On he scudded his rein deer crossing Norway, Sweden, Russia
 and Siberia. It did not take him long to four Siberia I allowed fer his
 animals we're fleet and there were not
 many homes to be visited in that deso-
 late country To my great delight I found that the old fellow had gotten
 more than half way around his circle when he struck his first real snag water. This was Rering Strait but it
 was so far north and the season was that of winter that I at once determined it was frozen over and the deer team crossed upon the ice. This difficulty overcome, on sped
 Santa, his team traversing Alaska, Brit ish America and tho land just north Of
 my own country. He had to make detours to be sure, but that was to his
 purpose and he was all the time travel ing eastward. After he had left my country, he struck another snag, but it was such little one that it scarcely counted This was Robeson Channel little body of water separating British America from Greenland, but it, too, must be frozen over at that season of the year. and Santa then only had Greenland to cross. On the extreme east coast of that country he again
 encountered the Greenland sea or Arctic ocean and had to retrace his steps way
 back to the North Cape. I often won
 dered if he reached home before morn- ing and then I remembered that in the winter time there is no day in that
 region and fancied that Santa had se- lected that very spot for his home so that he could make a journey on Christmas night that Was 24 hours long. In following Santa Claus I had im- proved my Knowledge of geography and
 was so much the wiser.
 Let my readers for a moment consider
 some of the strange phenomena of this arctic circle. Let us enter 1t on the
 Greenwich meridian. I select this meri- dian for several reasons. 1t would prob
 ably be more fiattering to us Americans to select the Washington meridian but national vanity has created many me ridians as that of Paris, etc, and as England is a sea fearing nation and
 Greenwich has long been exclusively rec ognzed by the maratime world it is pre- ferable to accept it. Again the Green
 wich meridian enters the arctic circle in about the middle of the largest body of
 water which pierces that circle. Of course when this meridian is extended beyond the pole it becomes the 1S0th meridian for reasons which are obvious and thus re- qure no explanation. Equally true is it that having reached the north pole, no matter in which direction the visitor
 gazed he would be looking south, but
 for the purpose of convenience let us consider the direction in which he was travelling before he reached the pole as the north and thus gazing north, what anomoles would he encounter? If he wished to continue his journey in a straight line he would eventually reach
 Auckland in New Zealand, or nearly so. If Memphis, Tenn, was his objective
 point he would turn squarely to his lett, and start out, while if he desired to visit Calcutta, he would turn equally squarely to the right. In other words, if two 1n- dividuals were to start due northward, one from Greenwich and the other from Memphis, they would meet each other at right angles when they arrived at the pole. Again, the traveller from Cal cutta and the traveller from Memphis, they would meet each other at right an- gles when they arrived at the pole. Again. the traveller from Calcutta and the traveller from Memphis though
 both starting on parallel lines, and in the same direction, would be nov
 ing in opposite courses when they met
 at the pole The traveller from Auckland I tar hot n
 right angles, the one coming from his
 left the other from his right at their
 polar juncture. This animalie has given
 rise to the add query that if one were
 to start out in a true northeastwardly
 course and continue In thas direction,
 where would he eventually halt? Can any
 of my readers say?
 Using the same cardinal points that
 we employed in our starting out, there lies northwest of the pole great uneS- plored region and though I have never
 been there in person I have often rfav>
 ersed it in my imagination Here surely is the home of Santa Claus for what re- zion is more fitting for his abode than
 this It's isolation protects him from the prying eyes of the children the annoy ances of the curious; it is typical, it is ideal
 Ii is opportune this week to inquire l who St. Nicholas, of which Santa Claus is variant is. The real Saint was born in Asia Minor and upon Is natal
 day he stood up in his bath and thanKed
 God for his birth.
 He heard of poor nobleman of Myra who with three handsome daughters
 was distracted as to provide means for their subsistence. and for three sue cessive nights the Saint would stealthi-
 ly cast bag of gold through their win
 dow This is the origin of our making gifts on Christmas and in a manner
 which conceals the Identity of the donor.
 wicked host once offered him some I salted children to eat, but Nicholas per- ceived the wickedness of the man and ! going to the tub which contained the
 remains of the little ones. made over | it the sign of the cross which brought | the children to life and health.
 But the Santa Claus of today is only l is.A i..