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gmmmmmmmmw wwwmwmg Thursday, Dec. 18th, 193Q â€"â€" ,._â€"'â€"-... ..â€"._ Legends Regarding the Original Santa Authorities Banish Good Old Saint Nick Clans of Civilization He Lived a and substitute What May be Term- Life Of Self-Denial for Him- ed a Warm-Weather Saint. '° self and Generosity to Others. An editorial article in a. recent issue NiBHlllAS IHE SAINI [If "IE BHRISIMAS SEASUN The youngsters (irrespective of their ages, four or forty, nine or ninety being equally interested) ~never tire of the story or stories of Santa Clausâ€"Saint Nicholas.~ For many years past, The Advance has had stories about the world’s most popular saint. Here is an- other article on the saint of the season, Nina. Holland being the writer. The article follows:â€" bear old Saint Nicholas! The “San- ta. Claus" who fills our young imagina- tions with joy and excitementâ€"sleigh- bells in the night, reindeer, stockings hung by the fireside! Amongst all the dear memories of our childhood, surely one of the dearest. Where did this romance have its be- ginning? In the gentle kindly heart of a. good man who lived so long ago that fact and legend" haye become closely interwoven and it is hard to distinguish between them. Born in Lycia early in the fourth century, Nicholas lost both parents when quite young. They had been very rich and left him plenty of money. But from his boyhood, his mind was set on religious things and he became a. priest. He led a life of strictest self denial; went barefoot, slept on a wooden plank, and never ate meat or tasted wine. Our Saviour’s command to the rich young man “Sell what thou hast and give to the poor,” he made his very own. With open-handed generosity he helped all in need, but always as secret- ly as possible. One special story is handed down which probably was the origin of his becoming the fairy godfather of Christ- iâ€"riés-tim‘é. A nbbieman of the city. through some mishap, lost all_ his mon- ey, and with his three daughters, was plunged into great poverty. As no mai- den of those days could marry without a dowry, the father was in despair for their future. Nicholas heard of the story and at once decided to come to the rescue. One evening, under cover of darkness, he stole through the garden and found an open window through which he threw a bag of gold. Astonished and mystified, the father picked it up and gave it to the eldest daughter. Next evening the same thing happened; on the third the nobleman was on the watch and discovered the donor. With heartfelt gratitude he flung himself at the feet of his generous benefactor, but Nicholas exacted a promise that noth- ing was to be said about it. When artists paint the Saint, they add three bags of gold as a symbol and he has ever since been considered the patron of friendless maidens. Another legend shows him as the patron of saliors. On a. voyage to Pal- estine, there arose a. dreadful storm and one of the sellers was washed overboard, but the prayers of the Saint were. heard, the. sea calmed down, the man was found again and restored to life. The Holy Land was full of mte'rest- for him; he visited Calvary and Geth- semane, and so real did the sufferings of our Lord become to him that he watered the sacred soil with his tears. On his return Nicholas was elected Archbishop of Myra, to the great. sat- isfaction of all of the people by whom he was greatly beloved. Soon after his election a dreadful famine broke out. St. Nicholas heard of a ship ladenwith com passing the neighbourhood on its way to Constan- tinople. He negotiated with the owners for part of their cargo, promising them that when they got to their destina- tion, the full amount would still be in their shin They believed his word and found on their arrival that the missing grain had been replaced. We read of his prayers and faith bringing to life two little children who had been cruelly put to death by their father; also delivering from the gallows two men who had been unjustly con- demned. So, through all the centuries, good St. Nicholas has been revered as the protector of the weak, the friend of little children, the shining example of sympathy for suffering, and of a bum- 1ng desire and capacity to do good to all men. Everywhere, but especially in Russia churches had been dedicated to him. He is the patron saint of Amsterdam and in Holland his festival is kept. on the 6th of December. Instead of hang- ing up a. stocking, the children put their wooden shoes under the chimney down which “Sinter Klaas” is supposed to descend. Gifts are always disguised in surprise packages. If the rchildxjer} have been good, the shoes , are filled with cakes and toys, but if they have been naughty, alas! they only find a little broom such as a. chimney-sweep used to use. Jan Sheen, the celebrated Dutch ar- tist, has given us a. charming picture called “The Feast of St. Nicholas” in which he paints his own family party, with grandfather and mother taking part in the festivities. In the centre is the little daughter turning aside from grannie’s outstretched arms-â€" fearful lest she should be robbed of her newly acquired treasure. On the left is her big brother, his face ugly with anger and disappointment for he has the broom much to the amusement of the little chap who laughingly points at him. Perhaps that is Jan himself. with the youngest in his arms. plain-ting up to the chimney and telling the story I the dear generous Saint. At. Christmas time, as at other times the happiest, folks are the busy ones. THE PORCUPINE ADVANCE, TIMMINS, ONTARIO SANIA MUS NI] [UMBER PERMIUED IN MEXICO An editorial article in a. recent issue of The Sudbury Star contained the fol- lowing “seasonable” reference to Mexi- co's action in regard to Santa Claus:â€" “Henceforth, the little children of Mexico are to expect no holiday favours from Santa Claus, but are to look to the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, who ap- pears in the guise of a feathered snake. for Christmas largess. Such is the flat of the Mexican ministry of education, and, much as it may shock us and our children, there is good folklore logic behind the decision, for Santa Claus no more belongs to a country with a mild December and a brllilant winter sun than Quetzalcoatl could be at home in Patricia District or Scandinavia. “For, diguise him as you will under meaningless names, says the New York Herald-Tribune, Santa Claus is the fire god of the primordial Indo-Europban peoples, before their dispersal over Europe and Asia. and he can never be conjured up in his true character ex- cept where winter nights are long and cold, winter days grey and gloomy, and where the warmth and light of great hearth fires are appreciated as substi- tutes for the cold, dead sun. The old hearth god of our savage forbears was all year ’round the witness to the fa- mily’s trials and joys, sins and good deeds. Then, at the winter solstice, for the 12 days that the supreme sun god was on vacation or was in the throes of a phoenix-like rebirth, he be- came the sun’s deputy on earth and dispensed rewards and punishment in each houshold, according to the record of merit that he had kept throughout the year. “Our Teutonic ancestors at that sea- son prOpitiated him by rolling in the great yule log, annointed with mead, oil and honey, and huge enough to burn for 12 days and nights. The Aryans of the Vedic period gave him some of the sacrificial wine, and milk, and sang hymns to Agni, the fire god, which still survive. The cousins of these folk went into China 4,000 years ago and planted there the tradition of Ts’ao Wang, the hearth god; so the Chinese still propitiate him at midwinter with fire offerings and smear his mouth with syrup so that he cannot recite his ob- servations for the year upon their shortcomings. “When the German peasant girl has a secret that she can confide to no one else, she tells it to the little red-cloaked figure, in red-pointed cap, that stands in a. niche in the hearth. When the Chinese girl has a similar burden on her soul she tells it to Ts’ao Wang, whose picture on the kitchen wall shows him clad in precisely the same garb. When he comes in state each year, as the sun’s deputy, whether to the child- ren of North America or to the grown- up children of a Chinese mountain vil- lage, he comes from the far north, be- cause all the old gods of our tribal fathers lived. in the firmanent around the North Star. The Christian apostles to the forests of Teutonia found that the hearth god was one heathen deity whom they could not exorcise, so they put up with him, Literally christened him St. Nicholas, and let him live on for the children’s sake. “But what can all this mean to a people who, on the winter solstice, can step out of doors and find a warm sun overhead, plumed birds in the trees and serpents sunning themselves on flat stones? Truly, Quetzalcoatl may be not only a logical substitute for Santa Claus in such a land, but an instinctive, and therefore, happy one.” .(By Dorothy Dickenson) I weep for Christmas Trees Laden with toys, Standing in the hot room With mirth and noise, Decked with Candles And their bright glare, Dying for silence And the cool night air. I love Christmas Trees Deep in the wood. Dressed in the only way That fir tree should. Tangled cobwebs As frail as dreams, Tied by the magic Of white moon-beams. I love Christmas Trees 9 Out upon the hills, Clothed by the hour-frost In stiff white frills, Standing in silence Where no sounds jar,â€" I love Christmas Trees Underneath the stars. Long ago, before the present calendar came into use, the year was divided into ten months. December then, as now, was the last month of the year, the tenth month instead of the twelfth. The old Roman word for ten was De- cem and for that reason the tenth month was called December. Later when the calendar was revised and the months were rearranged to form twelve months instead of ten, December was still kept as the last month of the year. It became the twelfth month instead of the tenth month. but the name re- mained unchanged. STORY OF THE ORIGIN OF THE MONTH OF DECENIBER Christmas wishes are phrased in many original and unusual ways, but the old wish still stands gocd no matter what its formâ€"A merry Christmas! I Love Christmas Trees