The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-12-22

and quite by chance it was started on its road
to fame. In 1922 DR.. Clement Clarke Moore,
professor of oriental literature in the General
Theological seminary in New York city, wrote
1t as a Christmas poem for his two daughters.
1t so happened that his niece was spending
that Christmas in the Moore home. She copied
the poem in her album, from which a copy was
made by friend of hers who lived in Troy, N. Y.
On December %, 1928, the poem was printed
In the Troy Sentinel with this note from the
editor:
''We do not know to whom we are indebted
for the following description of that unwearied
patron Of chldren-that homely but delightful
personifcation Of parental kindness, Santa
Claus, his costume and his equipage as he
goes about visiting the firesides Of this happy
land laden with Christmas bounties; but, from
whomsoever 1t may have come, we give thanks
for it. There is, to our apprehension, a spirit
of cordial goodness in IT. playfulness Of fancy
and benevolent alacrity to enter into the feel
ings and promote the simple pleasures of chill
dren, which are altogether charming. We hope
our little patrons both lads and lassies will ac-
cept 1t as proof of our unfeigned good will
toward them-as token of our warmest wish
that they may have many a Merry Christmas,
that they may long retain their beautiful relish
for the unbought homebred joys which derive
their flavor from flial piety and fraternal love,
and which they may be assured are the least
alleged that time furnish them; and that
they may never part with that simplicity OF
character which is their own fairest ornament,
and for the sake of which they have been pro-
nounced, by authority which none can gainsay,
the types of such as shall inherit the Kingdom
of Heaven" ~
Other newspapers copied the poem and soon
1t had become known all over the country and
even found it's way into the school readers. But
despite its popularity, its author preferred
to remain unknown. In 1909 he had published
his monumental Hebrew and English lexicon,
the first work of its kind to be issued In this
country and a scholarly work which he hoped
would make his name famous. AS scholar he
did not want 1t known that he had composed
what he called this "sy verse" But he could
not help it becoming known that he had writ
ten 1t, for In 1887 the poem was published in
"The New York Book of Poetry" with his name
attached to it. Finally in 1862, forty years after
he had written it, he admitted its authorship
and presented to the New York Historical So
ciety an autograph copy of it. Reproduced
above)
There are several pieces of prose writing
which have some claims to being Christmas
classics and certainly Dickens christmas
Carol" with its familiar line of "'God bless US
every one said Tiny Tim, the last of ALL"
should be included In the list. But the out
standing Christmas classic in prose, like Moores
"a Visit From ST. Nicholas, made its first APP
pearance in the columns of an American news
paper. That is the famous us There Santa
Claus? editorial, written by Francis P. Church
Of the New York Sun.
Although this has been reprinted thousands
of times translated into foreign languages (even
the Chinese y and Christmas would not
complete without its being reprinted again
around Christmas time. curiousy enough IT first
appeared in type fully three months before