The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-12-15

MAJ make Christmas-why, what does that
GTHa mean? There was only one man who
Ell IS made Christmas and he was born near
NsaT ly 1000 years ago."
GYTs True! If it had not been for the
HhQ birth of Jesus Christ, there would be
MN no occasion for celebrating December
wv Is as Christmas day. And If that cele-
~ bratfon had been kept to its original
form, there would be no occasion for
writing an article such as this.
But the fact is that there has grown up around
the celebration of Christmas great variety OF
customs traditions and practices which we now
regard as essential parts of that observance even
though they may have departed from its original
meaning. Some of these have had such gradual
evolution that it would be impossible to ascribe
them definitely to any one person. But there are
others which we can trace directly to one or
more Observation-Disclosures the theme of "men who
helped make Christmas" what it is now in this
article.
Certainly Santa Claus seems to be an essen
tial part of the Christmas celebration. Speak of
him and there rises to mind picture of plump,
elf-like little who radates laughter and
good cheer. Why should he be that sort of per-
son instead of the stern, gaunt, rather formid-
able figure, solemn and majestic in trailing robes
carrying in one hand a basket of presents and
in the other birch rod, as awful warning to
naughty children, such as he was when he was
known as Sinterkass, or the Bishop-Saint Mich
olas by the first Dutch settlers in this country!
The answer to that question is the names of
three writers-James K Pauding, Washington
Irving and DIR. Clement G. Moore-and an I'M
known American artist. 1t was Washington Irv-
ing who, in his "Knickerbockers History Of New
York" in 1909 wrote the first description of the
new type of Santa Claus and made Sinterklass
or st. Nicholas, the patron saint of the Dutch
colonists of New Amsterdam the archetype OF
all Of those jovial many-breeched. long pipe
smoking burghers. According to irving he wore
low broad-brimmed hat and a huge pair OF
Flemish trunk hose as he rode JOLLY over the
rooftops In little wagon dropping fine presents
down the chimneys Of his favortes.
The next writer to paint word portrait OF
Santa Claus was Irving's friend and collaboration
James Kirke Paulding who in his Book of st.
Nicholas" first published in 1927 said Santa
Claus was "as gallant little Dutchman as ever
smoked his way through the world. pipe fore
most St Nicholas scorns to follow the pestient
fashions of modern times, but ever appears in
the ancient dress of the Holland patriarchs."
But it remained for DR.. Clement Clark Moore
in his poem, "a Visit from ST. Nicholas" to give
a more definite word portrait of st. Nicholas and
for some unknown illustrator of that poem to
translate Moores words into pictorial FORM The
story of how Moore came to write his immortal
Christmas poem, how 1t was first published in
the Troy IN. ~ Sentinel on December %, 1928,
and how it caught the popular fancy and has
been reprinted and recited thousands and thou
sands of times is too well known to need repeti-
ton here.
I How much Moore drew upon Irving and Pauld-
ing for his description ig not known but there
is curious parallelsm in some of his words
and some of theirs, although Moore, himself, 40
years later said that "a pOrtly rubicund Dutch
man living In the neighborhood of his fathers
country seat Chelsea" near New York city sug-
gested to him the idea of making st. Nicholas the
hero of his Christmas piece for his children.
Then in 1889 book called 1.-THE Poets of
America" edited by John Reese. was published
1t contained Moore's poem and the illustration
for that was picture of Santa Claus. (Repro-
duced above) Who the painter or the engraver
was is unknown but it is believed that this was
the first time picture of Santa Claus was ever
printed Since that time various changes have
been made in pictorial representations of Santa
Claus costume by succeeding generations OF
artists but his essential characteristics have re-
NAMED the same. So Washington Irving James
K Paulding, Clement c. Moore and the unknown
illustrator of Keese's 'Poets of America" helped
make" Christmas by giving us our present idea
of the patron saint of the holiday.
hymns and Christmas carols? And what song
has been more often sung on Christmas Eve or
is more beloved than "Silent Night, Holy Night?
It was on December "a of the year 1918 that Jo-
SET Mohr, assistant pastor of the newly estab-
lished St Nicholas parish church in the little
village of Oberndorf, near Salzburg, Austria,
handed to Franz Gruber, schoolmaster of Arms
dorf who was organst for the church, poem
with the request that he write for 1t a suitable
melody arranged for two solo voices, chorus and
a guitar accompanimeDt-ther reason for the lat
ter being that the organ In the little church had
broken down. as
So Franz Gruber sat down at his grandfather's
desk Immediately, wrote simple melody for the
poem and that night Christmas Eve, in st.
Nicholas parish church for the first time
sung "Stille Nacht, Hei1ige Nacht.'
To the fact that the little organ In Oberndorf
had broken down Is due the widespread popu-
larfty of the hymn. The organ builder, Karl Man
racher of Fugen in Zillertal had been sent for to
make the necessary repairs. He heard the air
and hummed 1t In his native country. where it
became very popular in a short time.
There were four brothers, by name Strafer,
who went to the big German markets every year