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Monday, December 23rd, 1985 ciat him reindeers wh plane as his ste carrying cargo light the heart buted to his amp of subtlety that quicker than smallest chimney Nicholas became the msssenger ol spreading sunshi childhocod on eve He became the patron of young © men, of children, of mariners, and merchants. The instantaneous po larity of his devotion, the multiplicat of churches in his honour in the v pericd following his death, show t his reputation as a miracle worker based upon his life. He was patron all Russia when Russia belisved pat;zons ang prayers. He is sometimes called St. Nichola: Bari: About six centuries after death, merchants from this Italian « stocle his remains from Myra and pla them in their cwn cathedral. Py3 that event dates his popularity in that svent da western chur alone, 376 ct him. Sailors are and seaport abound in his distant placses Naples in It: Moscow in R mas These are types of the miracles which tradition ang popular devotion scribe to St. Nicholas. It may be they are not authentic, but what is historiâ€" cally certain is that scarcely was he dead when his devotion b:came uniâ€" versal in the Greek Church. The Emâ€" peror Justinian erected a beautiful church in his honour at Constantinople. He became the patron of young woâ€" men, of children, of mariners, and of merchants. The instantaneous popuâ€" Charles Dickens One Time Made Plum Pudding in Hat In was mos in sleep and warned him of the inâ€" Justice. Unlike Pilate, of earlier days, he accepted the warning, pardoned the men, sert them with presents to thank St. Nicholas. ki What he said was true. What reâ€" mained in the vessel was equal to the criginal cargo. What he_tock multiplied in his hands so that all suffering was relieved and plenty was left for the next planting. Origin of the Wellâ€" Known Santa Claus it 18 not Gifi St. Nicholas b Latin name w vocative of wl which. pronou santa frequent usa TITnis gOod s Minor, and Bi historic figure, and miracles. I on December 6 His parents c ang left him â€" How Popular fa: gOorgeOous ro ne THE PORCUPINE ADVANCE TIMMINS, ONTARIO OW a nIndgiy Disnop of U den Times Became a L. gendary Saint Nick of t Present Dav. OnNn his A TC es D rll Kindly Bishop of Olâ€" m Ca iITM € onour in death, sh liracle wo: He was p 1€ Can St. Nicholas c es ‘after hn ais Italian cit ignmout EP i shrines ck in Ir â€" the e good Bishop tter St. Nick, ivine Babe in ‘he hearts of Myra. wa h he made to storm threatâ€" 1. The prayers storm. and all ‘ch. The Emâ€" a â€"beautiful onstantinople. of young woâ€" ‘iners, and of rineous popuâ€" multiplication r in the very ‘h, show that le worker was vas patron of beliscved in 5t Nicholas of Now some years ago there lived two little girls, with their father, in a farmâ€" house in England, and in the summer of that year these little girls had lost their mother; she died very suddenly cne evening, ang how those little girls missed her, nobody knows. The night before Christmas came and when preparing for bed, one sister lcooked at the other and said, "Shall we hang our stockings up toâ€"night?" "Why, of course," said the other sister. "Santa will be sure to come; he always has." Next morning those little girls woke i@arIity in the n â€"â€"England GO rToogz2 and iim whom riV DC peo anCo C€Gl€ la« 118 "Dat Mistah Sanrta Claus." said Uncle Eben, "is sho‘ popular. Noâ€" body else could carry around so much valuables wifout sooner or lateér bein‘ hnijacked." Poor, dear daddy, he never could unâ€" derstand why his gift of money just made them cry more angq moreâ€"he couldn‘t make out why they wanted santa Claus instead of money. Meâ€" thinks their mother would have underâ€" stood, don‘t you? And when an hour later those two little girls came downâ€" stairs, redâ€"eyed but neatly gressed, they were more than sure oid Santa had betn locked out, for sitting there on the table was the piece of cake they always left for him on Christmas eve. I wonder, boys and girls, whether you ever thought what a busy man Santa is at Christmas time, and how glad e would be to have you for oane of his assistants,. just to send him the name and address of some boy or girl Â¥ou know that may have lost a dear The noise of their crying awoke their dad, sleeping in an adjoining room. who coming in to see, what was the matter caught sight of the two empty stockings and heard two little voices repeating over and over again, "He never came, Oh he never came." A queer look passed over the faâ€" ther‘s face and slight tremor shook his voice, as tenderly gathering his two motherless girls in his arms, he said, "No, no, Santa didn‘t forget but he couldn‘t get in last night; our chimâ€" ney is too narrow, and I forgot to leave the door unlockeq like mother always did. Take these silver shillings and toâ€" morrow you can buy all the toys you want." for be! Since it‘s getting on to Christmas how busy olg Santa must be these days reading all the letters from boys and girls, some marked with sticky fingers, sc¢me with smeary blots of ink, but how carefully> he ponders over each line, and how his eyves are twinkling at the thought of all the pleasant surprises he has in store for them! And watch, too, the redâ€"cheeked, whiteâ€"whiskered, merâ€" ryâ€"eyed old {ellow, as he listens to the clder brother, wiser grown, talking vaguely of certain little articles he has seen, ang mother, too, slyly mentionâ€" ing bits of jewelry and furâ€"mother, little girl, and lad, all thinking they ars fooling him. : Such a possibility was too much for the little girls and burying their pale little faces in the bedclothes they cried as though their hearts would break. Can‘t you just <picture him in the evening looking at Mrs. Santa and sayâ€" ing with a merry. smile, "That‘s what they think?" Santa Claus Failed to Pass Lacked Door True Story for Children About the Time Santa Missed Two of His Little Friends. tryst, Then we shall die for having scorned that Mystery; The Manger with its Potentate, our Christ. COnce mcreâ€"ah, may we ever say itâ€" Sweet Christmas comes! Within its circling round May earth be safely clasped; and love‘s kind magic, Goodwill, and peace at that one time abcund. For if we ever lose the Star, the Carol, The sacred rites, the hojy Christmas (By Agnes M. Riddle, Peterborough) angelis Upon the midnight air so holy, still: We upward gaze in hopetul meaitation To see a Star that yei our souls can thrill; Once more we turn in spirit to the Manger, In wonder look upon a Heavenly Child; Gncee more we consecrate our gift, our o¢fferingâ€" Our lives. in service to a Savious mild. Once more the bells of Christmas chime snow ; Once more we gather holly red,. and Hang up the branch of pearly mistletoe. Once more we sing those dear, enthralâ€" ling carols That strangsely stir our hearts to deeper things; Once more we seek the customs old and merrv, Round which the jJoy of ancient usage * clings. Once Moreâ€"Christmas Bells efore tocking ver co Next m ) bright the foo r their 2r could I aus? Could more we listen for that song of ht and early a oot of the bed ir stockings h and found wl z! â€" Such con uld have ha: Could he be c the desort hot, the fields of 7 up to that nouse 0 the door key so tha dn‘t forget and loc} ‘ly and creeping bed reached cal s hung up the i what? An consternation, hanpened to be dead to>. lik E. A. Gormley a G€ ink old San ITISs WIK2 ing down ~carefully the night n empty m, whatâ€" to Santa Christmas Section