Evening star., 1934-12-23


I sprang from our bed to see what was the
matter,
Away to the window flew like flash,
Tore open the shutters, and threw up the sash.
The moon, on the breast of the new-fallen snow,
Gave a lustre of midday to objects below;
When what to my wondering eyes should appear
But a miniature sleigh. and eight tiny reindeer,
With q little old driver, so lively and quick
knew in moment 1t must be st. Nick
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whiStled, and shouted, and called them
by name:
Now. Dasher; now Dancer! now, Prancer now,
Vixen!
On, Comet! on, Cupid! on Dunder and Blitzen!-
To the top of the porch, to the top of the WALL
Now dash away. dash away. dash away an!'
AS dry leaves before the wild hurricane fly
When they meet with obstacle, mount to the
sky,
So up to the house-top the coursers they f1ew
With the sleigh full of toys, and St Nicholas.
And then in a twinkle heard on the roof
The prancing and paving of each little hoof
AS drew in my head and turning around,
Down the chimney ST. Nicholas with
bound.
He was dressed all in fur from his head to his
foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes
and SCOT;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back.
And he looked like peddler just opening his
pack
His eyes how they twinkled! His dimples how
merry
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like cherry:
His dron little mouth drawn up like bow,
And the beard on his chin was white as the
snow.
The stump of pipe he held tight in his teeth.
And the smoke, it encrced his head like q
wreath.
He had broad face and little round belly
That shook when he laughed, like bowlful Of
jelly.
He was chubby and pump-a right jolly old
And I laughed when saw him. in spite of
myself.
A wink of his eye and twist of his head
Soon gave me to know had nothing to dread.
He spoke not word, but went straight to his
work.
And filled all the stockings: then turned with
jerk
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving nod up the chimney he rose
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a
whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of
thistle:
But heard him exclaim ere he drove out of
sight,
Happy Christmas to all, and to all good
night!"
TO MANY the author of poem means but
little, just to some the name of the
creator of a famous painting, or the architect
of notable building means substantially noth-
ing And, so although this poem was as we'll
known The Star Spangled Banner
Home, Sweet Home few could mention the
writer of it today without being told first.
Moore, who wrote these lines to read to his
children, composed many other poems and
published them in book FORM but none
except this gained popular favor. 1t
is not a classic and authorities on the subject
do attribute to it any particular poetic merit,
but thousands of capable men and women today
of literary and poetic talent would just love
to do we'll
Many poets had hard time acquiring an
education but not so with Mr. Moore since his
father, a distinguished prelate of the Episcopal
church, was fully able to give his only son a
college course and as fine education any
young man of his day might wish to obtain.
So we find him graduating from Columbia COL
lege in 1898, when in his goth year.
At first, he thought he would follow in his
fathers footsteps, and enter the ministry but
although he was educated for these duties,
yet he never took orders, preferring to devote
his time to the pursuit of Oriental and classical
studies, and probably, for relaxation, wrote
verse, his first lines being published in 1906.
One of the outstanding features of DR.. Moore's
life was the present he made, in 1873 of the
entire block in New York City bounded by Ninth
avenue Twentieth and TWenty-first streets.
and extending to the Hudson River, a gift
to the General Theological Seminary of the
Episcopal church, in which institution he be-
came professor of Oriental and Hebrew Ian
guages in 1921, continuing there in the same
field during the rest of his life.
DR.. Moore'S father, the Right Rev. Benjamin
Moore administered the communion to Alex
ander Hamilton after his fatal duel with Aaron
Burr and is said to have been one of the assist