T WAS just 00 vears ago that re was written 8&8 Christ. wem which has become ar On Christmas Dr. Clement CC. fessor of Hebrew ral Theological ary, in New York city, dashed off for his daughters Some verses to which he gave the title of “A Visit From St. Nicholas” but which are hotter known to most peop } line—* "T'was the Tradition h idea of writ foot to N Chelsea ige the (1 r CFevia @ country road born and when |} is now West Ty y-third t he wt | self into his study and wrote the Immortal stanzas. The poems to his delighted children in the kitchen of th rambling Months later, a young girl visited the Moores, She had Pony Moore copy the poem in her album. Without telling the Moores of her action she showed the poem to the editor of a Troy (N. Y.) newspaper. The next Christmas the edl- tor published the poem anonymously, It was im- mediately copied throughout the country, and to the great astonishment of the author he realized that he was famous. It is related that this turn of fate irked fhe learned doctor for the most of his lifetime, and not until the time of his death did he accept the imposed role of author of the most beloved Christmas poem In the English language. Doctor Moore wrote also a Hebrew grammar, considered by scholars the best of its day. Curiously this erudite work has long since vanished while “A Visit From St. Nicholas” lives on from year to year, PL ¥ ¥ *¥ $ Santa Claus Is everyone takes | house, inr figure that hat he has always looked just we knew him now, But the fact is that the Santa Claus we know had his origin in the word tor Moore painted in his i ind from that resulted a developmen which two mous American artists played an important part. Doctor Moore 8 poem was written in 1822, but It was not until 1840 that the first “portrait” of Santa Clans was printed, In a volume, now very scarce, of “The Poets of America,” edited by John Keese, Doctor Moore's “A Visit From St. Nicholas™ was included and for the first time It was illustrated with a picture of good old St Nick. It shows him as a genial, bewhiskered old fellow wearing a cap In which Is stuck a tall feather. What Is perhaps a most remarkable fact about this portrait is that it shows him smoking a long slender pipe. But this is per fectly In keeping with Doctor Moore's original conception, for Moore once confessed that a certain portly, rublcund Dutchman living near his father's country seat, Chelsea, who was ad- dicted to a pipe, was the original of his {dea of the St. Nicholas In his poem. The name of the artist who drew this picture for Keese's volume is unknown so there is still a vacancy in the title of “first portrait painter of Santa Claus” jut this unknown not only drew a portrait of the Jolly old patron saint of Christmas, but he also showed him seated In his sled, driving his team of reindeer, The world had to walt another 20 years, how- ever, for another portrait of Santa Claus. In 1802 an edition of “A Visit From St. Nicholas,” Hllustrated throughout by F. 0, C, Darley, was published in New York. Darley gave us several views of the old fellow at work, One In particn. lar was appropriate, for it showed Santa Claus placing his finger slyly to one side of his nose, Just ns his blographer, Doctor Moore, had de. scribed. Darley's work wns a step in advance. He probably was the foremost American IHlustrator at the time; but, after all, his version seemed to fall to satisfy completely, and another year passed before the real Santa Claus climbed into a chimney, just as readers of the ancient classic 1A queer version of Santa Claus and his reindcer—members of the United States army engineer battalion, stationed in Grenada, Nica ragua, rehearse their parts for the Christmas festivities, 2~—~"Merry Chrictmas!” from Mary Chrict. mas. For that is her name and she lives in South Beston, Mags, with her husband and children and she is just as jolly as her name suggests. 3.~An essential part of the Chrictmas cele bration in the Nation's Canital-—President and Mrs. Hoover in front of the community Christ mas tree which blazes with light when the Chief Executive presses the button to inaugurate this part of the impressive Christmas program, At the right: A copy of a famous Christ poem, “A Visit From St. Nicholas,” in the writing of its author, Clement C. Moore. . had pictured him given us the sly tw 1 { 5 natured elf, and he had made ¢ ndeer at least as tiny as the poet had « ribed them, but ng was lacking. 1863 a volume of favorite poems was pub lished in which Doctor Moore's poem was in. cluded, this time illustrated by Thomas Nast, whom the American public remembers chiefly as a cartoonist for Harper's Weekly. In this com- piiation, however, Nast turned his attention to depicting the features of Santa Claus, and for the first time converted an iNusive figure into have created a Santa Claus which remains the model for all who succeeded him, $ oS $® 9 What is Christmas without Christmas hymns? And when were the first Christmas hymns sung? There is sound basis for the opinion that the first Christmas hymns were written by Ambrose, bishop of Milan, and by his contemporay, Pru- dentius. In the earliest days of the Christian era they wrote two hymns which still are widely sung, That by Ambrose Ia the “Redecmer of the Nations, Come,” while Prudesting is the author of “Of the Father's Love Begotten™ Two other ancient hymns In celebration of the Nativity are “From Lands That See the 3 Arise,” by Sedulins, and “Jesus, Redeemer AIL” which is of unknown origin. The earliest English pleces to which the char acterization of Christmas hymns, as distin guished from carols, can be applied are those of len Jonson, *1 Sing the Birth Was Born To night,” and George Wither, “As On the Night Before the Blessed Morn” The first verse of Jonson's hymn reads: A “I sing the birth was born tonight, rd The Author both of life and light; The angels so did sound It. And like the ravished shepherds sald, Who saw the light, and were afraid, Yet searched, and true they found 1t™ John Milton wrote the swelling “Ode on the Morning of Christ's Nativity,” a hymn of rare power which bears the stamp of the genius of the great Puritan poet. Many will recall these opening lines: “It was In Winter wild, While the heaven-born child All meanly wrapt in the rude manger lies; Nature, in awe to Him, Hath deff her gaudy trim, With her great Master so to sympathize” The well-remembered lines, “Hark the herald angels sing, Glory to the new-born King" were written in the Eighteenth century by Charles Wesley, while the opening stanza of the follow. ing, by Nahum Tate, Is equally well known: “While shepherds watch’d their flocks by night, All seated on the ground, The angel of the Lord came downy And glory shone around.” A modern hymn which earries on the anelont tradition of inspired poesy Is that of the Amer lean, Phillips Brooks, Whe does not know} “O little tewn of Bethlehem! J How still we see thee lie; . P Above thy deep and dreamless sleep The silent stars go by: ; Yat In thy dark streets shineth i The everlasting Light; 1 The hopes and fears of all the years met in thee tonight.” & Tad Juom 5 Mokoles ook the pu ght be foe Cforustinas, wlio all dae oh the bouts Net 0 ercatine wos Horumg, met” pum a A Pe stakimyt pure fram g by the Aiimury wath Care, I fucpos that Je. Nideolad goon pwould be thioney Me daddner pn mastled all pring in tar feds While vacond of ugar a dosed im lhicin beast, (ind Mamma on hun hoon chee of, and {in fray caf, Hod jut: Jettled oun fraind fr a long wl wnt maf, Vhow oul on the {aww thot arose Auch’a Satan, $ rong fom the bed Go gee hat war Use Arallif o Srey to tha pwndow ( lhe a flash, PN ejpem the shattal ond tha h tha joss n Te [sen om the (renst of thd mow fallin fro; ave the bathe of pid day to oli ote blow, When, whet & pry pondering yd should opp cc, Bute svns abiane sleigh, and eight ting Fata der, With a tiztle of d dviver + do lively and quick, § boii im a powond id pss bbe d+ A Mik. Mone a th aun seglu Ls wunane Hy came, Oud he what d, amd phovtid, amd called thom by nomey “ow, Dashes er Douear ' Alar K- meer gwd Vigan! "On, Comet! o-, Cpapud Du, Boss ler ond Hlityen | Te the toe ¢ the perch! tr the tof of the sonllf How doth wosy' deb anny! dash 4 a Us doy (iowa thet before the gn ld hia vi Whew they meetin A elatucle, pumint- Gs the Hhyy £ wh to the hows - to the wanton they 4 low; Wats thee pligh full of Tos, amd Sr: Michicles foe, Cand Hees, om a tumble, § beond on the reef he probing and fawwg of tech Lite beef wm 0 § Liaw we pny bead, pnd pval Curtiog snound, Don the chimney Sr. Nibolos come with a bound 4% aes drecised oi “- a bis head © = Lid dor, {Lad his Sotho pane olf taamurbed 4 ih ond -e Q Lud of Te ke Jad 4 mg ow bis ale, Gnd be Ld Like o jrilon yor a his hack. His pu. Jose the tw Cnnkled! La dom Lt hour pew 3s docks scons Coke Ass ety bos mere (hie a chong! Hs doll Lathe poutds coat diewn “h Cte a low, Gud the Cond of his hin wat at ple od tht prey Te Pom bh 4 fobe be held 1 hr ons bess Qty, Ud the presi iF pueineled biilued Lue a wAcethy He bade fread fou and 0 found Lrte Co Cully, That phar jem faa laughed, lle Couliull o jill bP _— amd plump, a Mah Ji jolly old 4, Gnd § laush di hed pediom hy tapi of milly OU wink of has hi hor + San ond & Cust of fis bend, yon mt 8 kaso Lg methung Lo dad, A hore rat a pond, but pani pinay Ga bis yor, Gud $u d ofl thee fomiingd; Case Tunmed wih o york, Od Logie § his fom ga Lid of his pose, Oud prong » med, wh tha loner ba net 5 Hrauy to bt play, ty As ow fora ad Gad gueny They ol fou Cle the den + 0 Wot, Bet 8 heond bd oe Jam Lain, * "Hobby Clair gy | Delleed Bolt 0 go of wy? Clam G Moers ’ 2 da dione owl of ‘ghd, ¢ » in the count Texas, and there was one in 3 that ia. until she married Herbert And in Pittsburgh, there's a Mra Claus who (believe it or not!) avenue and who has become q to having children in all parts of the her on the telep hone and tell Mrs. Clau HEH mas, ¥ % $ P ¥ “Pence on earth, good will toe men™—that the spirit of Christmas. But it hasn't al been. Back In the early days of New E the observance of Christmas was frowned upon, Gov, William Bradford “History of the Plymouth Plantation” to say about it In 1621 “On the day called Christmas caled them out to worke (2 the most of this new compan) selves and said it went ences to work on that ds them that If they made |i he would spare them till they were bett formed. So led away the rest and left th beem attempted that way, at least openly.” THE CHEERFUL CHERUB The sun turned all the sky to gold And scattered sparkles on the sez. It made the whole world beautiful And then it simply sun- burned me. RY CA Newspaner Union old cre Died With The HEeR of 1,000 years B, C., when the be ~ ng of the new year, incident with the Inundat . observi the hellacs Ririus, Egyptis Instrume ed unchanged and Chinese, the Greeks _— \Gargled 2 q Constantly. \ Bad Breath Sill: HY id: Spc etc. What a d {Nature's R en Wigs ALL PACEROW 7b o " ick rel get for acid indiges- TUM Suck heartburn, Only 1k Indicated as an Alterative in the Treatment of RHEUMATIC FEVER, GOUT, Simple Neuralgia, Muscular Aches and Pains At All Draggists Jes. Baily & Son, Wholesale Distributors Baltimore, M - INDIAN HIEROGLYPHICS Discoveries linking Faster island with early civil in Indian were Hzations recently reported to Paul Pelliot Sir John Marshall, he told the academy. had found hiero- thousand years old, and which Prof French sel sor Hey { nated game source, Misiudging Her Dad Father--Yon the seaside, 1 believe? w she had suitor—Did she really first mst my (London). Mercolized Wax Keeps Skin Young ALMOST FLAT ON HER BACK back! Will For Coughs due to Colds, Minor Bronchial and Threat irritations JAS. DAILY & SOX, Baltimore, Md. | LET US TAN YOUR HIDE FUR DRESSERS and TAX'DERMISTS Send for Catalog THE CROSBY FRISIAN FUR COMPARY 565 Lyell Avenue Rochester N.Y. ag our Flair Lvstysns Loves seauts ford Mair or i ¥ ¥ falling Pays nd Girls Dodge Stamp Co. lated, nr 8 3 i ye Haran Taso Vind WT, § 4 What Does Your Handwriting Reveal? Learn the truth; improve ur ances for love, hag ata, ens: send 250 for ex Broadway Now York. eed Money Hou N Happiness — STCCESS I guarantee to help you get what you J want. No case is beyond hope. Write today. Information FREE! M. WILLIAMS, Prychologist 897 Bergen Ave. « Jersey City, N. iW. NU, BALTIMORE, NO. 51.1932, WITH BATH oT 129-135 West 48th Street New York City superstitiously kept in other communities, to the great dishonor of God and offense of others” So on May 11, 1650, the general court In Boston passed a law against Christmas observance which said: “ .. It Is therefore ordered by this court and the authority thereof that whosoever shall be found observing any such day as Christmas or the like, either by forebearing labor, feasting, or any other way, upon such account as afore. sald, every such person so offending shall pay for every such offense five shillings as a fine to the county.” Did the Bay Staters give up Christmas? They did not! At least this evidence from the diary of the famous Cotton Mather for the last week of December, 1711, seems to Indicate that they didn't: *I hear a number of people of both Sexes, belonging many of them to my Flock, have had on the Christmas night, this week, a Frolick, a revelling Feast, and a Ball, which discovers their corruption, and has a Tendency to corrupt them yett more, and provoke the Holy One to give them up Into eternal Hardness of Heart" (® by Western Newspaper Union.) 3.2515. . CENTRAL LOCATION, NICE ENVIRONMENT PLUS MODERATE COST.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers