The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1927-12-15
THEINTERESTING STORYOF
SANTA CLAUS RECORDED

The true story of Santa Claus is
told by John Macy in the December
"Bookman."
According to Mr.. Macy, the name
Santa Claus, is merely of the Dutch
San Nicholas which is, of course
Saint Nicholas. American children
he thinks, are probably the only ones
in the world who say it just that way
Nicholas, writes Mr.. Macy, twas
an actual person. He was bishop OF
Myra, in Lycia, Asia Minor, in the
first part of the fourth century OF
the Christian era. He was the
youngest bishop in the history of the
church. From the day of his birth
Nicholas revealed his piety and grace
He refused on fast-days to take the
natural nourishment of a child. But
Nicholas was not a barefoot recluse
vowed to poverty. His father was a
wealthy merchant, and his riches, in
herited by the magic wand which
fairy-godfathers WELD, enabled him
to be dispenser of the good things of
life, as earthly representatives of the
Supreme Giver of gifts.
The most famous episode in his
long career of benevolence," continues
the writer in "The Bookman," "is his
rescue of the three dowerless maidens
by secretly giving them purses of
gold. Thus Nicholas became not only
the generous giver but the special
patron saint of maidenhood and was
so known and celebrated throughout
the Middle Ages. The bankers and
brokers wished to give sancity and
dignity to their business and also
adopted the generous Nicholas as
their heavenly protector. He was
adopted besides, by thieves and
pirates. In addition Nicholas was
the patron of all who went down to
the sea in ships, whether bound on a
predatory cruise or military expedi-
ton or an errand of peaceful trade.
He was in fact the most popular saint
in the calendar"
The feast of Saint Nicholas was
originally celebrated on the sixth of
December points out Mr.. Macy. But
when the Catholic church and the
Protestants in the late Middle Ages
tried to suppress for one reason or
another the festivities which grew up
around the Boy Saint day, the chill
dren refused to give him up and
gradually his festival was assimula-
ted with Christmas Day. "In Bel
GUM and Holland" he continues,
''the festival of the saint is still
observed on his birthday, December
sixth, and the jollities and excite
ment are much the same as those that
we enjoy at Christmas, with some
charming local variations. Saint Mich
olas is not the merry fellow with a
chubby face and twinkling eye, but
retains the gravity appropriate to a
venerable bishop. He rides a horse Or
an ass instead of driving a team of
reindeer.
"Where did Santa Claus get his
reindeer" asks Mr.. Macy. "And how
did the grave saint become that gnome
like fat fellow, with nothing ecclesias-
tic about him? Sanity Claus, the merry
elf, is not Christmas at all, but pagan,
coming down from times earlier than
the Christian era or at least earlier
than the times when the Teutonic
people were Christianized. He be-
longs to popular fairyland, the land of
elves, gnomes, spirits, hobgoblins. In
countless fairy tales there are good
spirits and evil spirits. The evil spir-
its haunt the woods and modest inno-
cent people. The good spirits aid the
poor, bring gifts in the night, rescue
princesses in distress and so on. AS
ISOLATED with these stories are popu-
lar festivals and ceremonies. As
Christianity developed, the church en-
couraged all the popular customs, or
many of them, took them over and as
ISOLATED them with Christian holidays.
"The reindeer Of our Sanity Claus
concludes the writer in "The Book
man." "came from Lapland, and Sanity
is an arctic explorer, exploring the
other way. Among the Germans or
Dutch who came to this country there
must have been legend of Scan
dinavian Sanity"