OC r] Xx) Fad Reker By ELMO SCOTT WATSON HEN you read the title of this article, did you exclaim, “Men who helped ‘make’ Christmas—why, what does that mean? There was only one man who made Christmas and he was born near- ly 2,000 years ago.” True! If it had not been for the birth Qf Jesus Christ, there would be no occasion for celebrating December 25 as Christmas day. And if that cele- bration had been kept to its original form, there would be no occasion for writing an article such as this, But the fact is that there has grown up around the celebration of Christmas a great variety of customs, traditions and practices which we now regard as essential parts of that observance even though they may have departed from its original meaning. Some of these have had such a gradual evolution that it would be Impossible to ascribe them definitely to any one person. But there are others which we can trace directly to one or more individoals—hence the theme of “men who helped make Christmas” what It 1s now in this article, * * . Certainly Santa Claus seems to be an essen- tial part of the Christmas celebration. Speak of $1lm and there rises to mind a picture of a plump, elf-like little man who radiates laughter and good cheer, Why should he be that sort of per- son instead of the stern, gaunt, rather formid- able figure, solemn and majestic In tralling robes. carrying in one hand a basket of presents and in the other a birch rod, as an awful warning to naughty children, such as he was whgn he was known as Sinterklass, or the Bishop-Salnt Nich- olas, by the first Dutch settlers In this country? The answer to that question is the names of three writers—James K. Paulding, Washington Irving and Dr. Clement C. Moore—and an un- known American artist. It was Washington Irv- ing who, in his “Knickerbocker's History of New York,” in 1800 wrote the first description of the new type of Santa Claus and made Sinterklnss, or St. Nicholas, the patron saint of the Dutch colonists of New Amsterdam, the archetype of all of those jovial, many-breeched, long pipe smoking burghers, The next writer to paint a word portrait of Banta Claus was Irving's friend and collaborator, James Kirke Paulding, who in his “Book of St. Nicholas,” first published in 1827, sald Santa Llaus was “as gallant a little Dutchman as ever smoked his way through the world, pipe fore- most.” But it remained for Dr. Clement Clark Moore in his poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” to give a more definite word portrait of St. Nicholas and pretty definitely establish in the mind of the public what Santa Claus looked like, How much Moore drew upon Irving and Pauld- ing for his description is not known but there is a curious parallelism In some of his words and some of theirs, although Moore, himself, 40 years later sald that “a portly, rublcund Dutch- man living in the neighborhood of his father's country seat, Chelsea™ near New York city sug- gested to him the idea of making St. Nicholas the hero of his Christmas plece for his children, Then in 1830 a book called “The Poets of America,” edited by John Keese, was published. It contained Moore's poem and the illustration for that was a picture of Santa Claus. (Repro- duced above.) Who the painter or the engraver was Is unknown but it is believed that this was the first time a picture of Santa Claus was ever printed. Thus it was Washington Irving, James K. Paulding, Clement C. Moore and the unknown lllastrator of Keese's “Poets of America” helped “make” Christmas by giving us our present idea of the patron saint of the holiday, What would Christmas be without Christmas hymns and Christmas earols? And what song has been more often sung on Christmas Eve or is more beloved than “Silent Night, Holy Night"? It was on December 24 of the year 1818 that Jo. sef Mohr, assistant pastor of the newly estab. lished St. Nicholas’ parish church in the little village of Oberndorf, near Salzburg, Austria, handed to Frans Gruber, a schoolmaster of Arns- dorf, who was organist for the church, a poem with the request that he write for it a suitable melody arranged for two solo volces, chorus and a guitar accompaniment-—the reason for the lat- ter being that the organ in the little church had broken down, So Franz Gruber sat down at his grandfather's desk immediately, wrote a simple melody for the poem and that night on Christmas Eve, in St. Nicholas’ parish church was for the first time sung “Stille Nacht, Hellige Nacht.” To the fact that the little organ In Oberndorf had broken down is due the widespread popu larity of the hymn, The organ builder, Karl Man. racher of Fugen in Zillertal, had been sent for to make the necessary repairs, He heard the alr and hummed it in his native country, where it became very popular in a short time and soon tr the world, too, that Josef Mohr and Franz Cinar Rolboell Do you enjoy sending out Christmas cards to your friends? If you do, then you should know the name of Sir Henry Cole, an Englishman, for It was he who originated this custom. Later famous as a social and educational reformer, Henry Cole was a ploneer in fllustrating chil dren's books with woodcuts of famous paintings, In 1846 he conceived the idea of sending decora- tive cards to his friends, bearing his good wishes for their happiness at Christmas. 86 he went to his friend, J. C. Horsley, a member of the Royal academy in London, for the design and the re sult was the card which is reproduced above, But few Englishmen followed Cole's lead and the business of making Christmas cards got un- der way very slowly In England. It was even slower in getting started in this country. In 1873 Louis Prang, a lithographer of Ioston, exhibited samples of his flowered business eards at the Vienna exposition and they attracted consider- able attention. He had an agency in London and one of his women emplorees there {her name is unknown) suggested to Lim that he put a greeting In place of the name of his firm and issue them ms Christmas cards. This was done the next year, so that 1874 marks the beginning of the Christmas card In this country. So Bir Henry Cole, the Englishman, and Louls Prang, an American, ean be added to the list of men who helped “make” Christmas, *. » Do your letters go out bearinz a Christmas seal ns well as a postage stamp these days? It they do, it's because Einar Holboell, a clerk In the post office at Copenhagen, Denmark, while sorting the mountain of Christmas mail in 1008, had the idea of another stamp for letters which should combine a Christmas decoration idea with some practical purpose, He went with his plan to the head of the postal service and others with influence and au thority. And so, when the first Christmas seal committee held a meeting to discuss the pur. pose and use of the possible income from the Christmas seal, and it was decided that the first object was the erection of a hospital for tubercu- lar children, and, in general, the Income from the seal should always be for the fight against tu. berculosis, in one form or another. Upon application to the then King Christian IX, Holboell secured the permission to have a likeness of the deceased Queen Louise on the first Christmas seal, and the king became so In- terested that he himself selected the picture which he wished used. The success of the venture was overwhelming. The first printing of 2,000,000 seals was Im- mediately increased to 6,000,000 and over 5,000, 000 were sold. Since that time the Christmas seal sale In Denmark has brought in enough money to erect large numbers of sanltaria and convalescent homes for tubercular patients, Hol boell, the modest postal assistant, became post master at Charlotten Zund, near Copenhagen, and a Danish cross of Knighthood was his badge of honor. He died of heart trouble In his Bixty- Washington Trvi nq ames Kirke aulding In 1900 the idea reached Amerien and when Jacob Riis, a native of Denmark who had be Cote an American, saw the queer little stamp on mail arriving from his homeland he immed. ately sent a letter of inquiry to Denmark. The reply was a personal one from Mr, Holboell, who explained in detail the method of procedure. Through an American woman, Miss Emily Bis sell, the idea was presented to the American ted Cross, which, after several years of sue cessful sales, turned the project over to the American National Anti- Tuberculosis association, which bas since had charge of it, So Einar Holboell, the Dane, Jacob Riis, the Danish-American, and Miss Emily Bissell, the American, helped “make” Christmas, - » * If William Eustis, secretary of war in 1800, hadn't turned down the suggestion of President Madison that Joel Roberts Polnsett be appointed quarter-master general of the army, we might never have had those brillant crimson flowers which we know as poinsettias as a part of our Christmas decoration. Here's why : Joel Roberts P'oinsett was a native of Routh Carolina, who studied medicine for a time at Ed. inburgh university and later graduated In mili- tary science and mathematics at Woolwich academy, Il health necessitated a long period of travel in Europe and Asia, after which he re- turned to America and requested President Mad. leon to furnish him with military empl nt. Madison made the suggestion of the q er master-generalship but Eustis objected. So Mad Ison offered Poinsett a mission to South America for the purpose of establishing friendly rela- tions with the people there and investigating the prospects of their struggle for independence from Spain, This led to his becoming something of an au. thority on Latin-American relations, to his ap. pointment to a special mission to Mexico in 1822 and his appointment as the first United States minister to that country in 1825. While holding that position he first beheld the exotic beauty of a brilliant red flower native to that country, When Poinsett returned to his home in South Carolina In 1820 he brought with him some of the seeds of the plant and just a hundred years ago, in 1833, he sold some of the plants which he had grown In his hothouse to Robert Buist of Philadelphia, Buist named the flower “Euphor- bia poinsettia” and although the scientific name has since become “Euphorbia pulcherrima™ the name poinsettin, honoring the man who brought one of our chief floral decorations at Christmas time, : Poinsett later became secretary of war In Van Buren's cabinet, after which he retired from pub- lie life. In the cemetery of the town of States burg, 8. C, Is a simple marble tablet which bears this Inscription “Sacred to the memory of Joel R. Poinsett, who departed this life on the twelfth of December, 1851, in the seventy-third year of his life. A pure patriot, an honest man, and a good Christian.” : To this might be added “He helped ‘make’ ” © Western Uslen. FOXY YOUTH Mother—Who's the brightzsi boy In your class, Tommy? Tommy—Bill Smith! to be loony so he won't study! fle pretends have to ———————— Sh! Farmer Hiram-—That's a pretty heavy load for those horses to pull up that hill Farmer Silas—Be quiet. Those horses are blind and won't know the difference ~~Chelsen Record, Joke of the Seasor “Why, George! What are Inughing at 7” “Oh, I've Just heard the best joke of the year.” “What is 17” “Didn't you know that our maid has got a job in a china shop?” you Tries To Hojack—What do you do your dull old razor blades? Shave with them. with Skookum DIDN'T SEE THE POINT “Captain,” sald the fair Passenger on the liner plowing iis wus across the Atlantic, “how du YOU anne to find yotnr way nceross ull his wa- ter to your proper destination? The captain smiled patiently, “By the compass,” he told “the needle always north.” The young lady nodded, “Yes, | understand thant” plied. “But suppose a when you want to go would you get on then?” Had Their Meaning The convivial husband had a friend to stay with him for the week end. When the guest was shown up to his room he noticed that there were faint crosses on several of the steps. He asked the reason. “Ah” whispered the “these come Into operation after midnight, X means that the step creaks.” her; points to the glie re time comes south, how being host, Eating, Anyway Oshkosh--What | Kokomo is prospering now? | Tishtish—Well, I saw gravy on his vest, makes you think stains 3 4 © 7 [0 9 lio 5 ey £0 . Horizontal, JeuVeune! uned for assaying gold SeTertiary BlCornl Island 13 Rainbow I5walnity 18weAntorisk 1Teliod of sunshine 1BDincernment 2iewNear 23eVYule She feing 20eeT ip ET ewienry Thee Melody A0umtnnke JlemUsed for Bacterial culture BZ Pinnter BF oree times distances TC hareoal De Sing's horn flemAuniralian ostrich Evening BeeDyne centimeter TeTint $Reledal digit Be Negro Welireek exclamation Sleellecoration 53etlevoured SewSteering lever Tewllof eggnog Oe Linenr CdumSonttinh BdeeFternity B8weA fatty acid G6 Wenving machine CRuwliome GBH ernelf T0Metal-bearing rock T3eNo Thedimre TéNeceaslty THeuNote of diatonic seals Thewlpeenintor whe wells KfeV en (Fremeh) Bleefnived platform Elelron Sd Armored Ee Indivinibility Vertical, Tefign of omission Zed 1410 BeMintake Seulogal security Ge Pig Teeinform BewHranilian cols Belndivisible particle 10weRrown 1leiiold 13-Metrie unit of volume 14—Sacred beetle 10eNolselons iBeSulphate of rlominges 20diing of the fairies ZieeNotural ability Liem Ament Zdeeinsertion of vires Ziel ollection Lhe poe 3eeMetric land measure Adedivied SewPlanetary orbit BG A mut Hee Salt peter ee lleron 42eeMinor (musical) Hieity $hnitrep flax SieeMoiten L2ewA saving Lhe Hoxtelry 50m Wel HS%jteligious EBV orty-five Inches GOweSeravwny GleeVold space hl ommon fuel Gdn Acenmnulate Ol eFarinsceous Wax Impression TieFldest son of Isnae TdeeBorn TheeBecaune of Th guivoeation TTeWick edness Thtixint »- E2vwAnother nofe on the diatonte senile Solution Titi RID EE A ERY $iT Hs [222 “I'll announce to the world that THE EDISON is a great Hotel”
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers