nrr
MAGAZINE - : ,
SECTION. 7'
:HAOAZOTE
. 'CSOTION.
ASHEVHiLE, N. 0, SUNDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 8, 1907.
V
THE HISTORY OP A
XJNBAY
TV' St
Ml Oft ys
' . J ' 'iWUlCl frT I No t cretturt wm Jtirring, not wen mwiMj ... 1 - .
r 3 " i et.. 42M '
' I ?A XSNf ViiiS5' fjfl & Tho slocking- ware hung by the chimney with ewe, s
I
"
Twet the night before Christmas, when ell through
the mum v
Not creature wu shmng, not even mow J ,
The ttocldngt hung by the chimney with cere,
In hope that St Nichola toon would be there;
The children were nettled ait mug in their' bod.
While viiion 'of (ugar-pluim danced in their head;
-And fflnWms11hiof.hw t fa" my cap,"
Had juit settled out brain for a long ' winter'l nap
When out on the lawn there "erote such a "clatter,
I sprang from my bed to tee what waa the matter.
Away to the window J flew Eke a flash, I
1
;
Tore open the shutters end" threw up the tain, '
The moon, on the breatt of the new fallen mow,
Cave a luster of midday to object below J ' j
When, what to my' wondering eye should appeal)
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.
With a little old driver, so lively and quick, ; "
I knew in a moment it must be St, Nick.
More rapid than eagles his courser they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by
name j -
Vixenl B"
On, Comet I oa, Cupid I oa, Donder and BlitteaT
To the top of the porch, to the top of the waBI 2
Now, dash away, dash away, dash away all I
At dry leaves that before the w3d hurricane fly.
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the housetop the courser they flew,'
With the sleigh full of toys end St Nicholas too, j
Vtf ii "."
. ' ' '
Am A ttiMl Sn a twintfina I Km) mm ftkji Mnl
The prancing; and pawing of each titikt hoof, '
"A vdrev, in. mjr Jvead, and we turning around," i
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound."
He wa cVested all in fur from his head to hi
. foot.vf ;::
And hit dothe wen aO lamislied with ash and
' 'SOOtt ',4- '
A bundle of toy ha bad flung en hi back, ,
And he looked like peddler just opening hi pack.
His eye how they twinkled ! hit dimple how merry j
Hi cheek wen like roses, hi not like cherry
Hit droll little mouth wa 'drawn up like a bow, V1
And the beard on hi chin was a white at the
now,
The (tump trf pipe he held tight la hi wetk,
And the amok,' it encircled hi head kite a wreath.
He had a broad face and a tittle round belly
That shook, When he laughed, tike a bowl fuO of jelly,
He was chubby and plump a right joDy old elf; f
And 1 laughed when 1 saw him, in tpke of myself, -A
wink of hi eye, and a twist of h bead,
Soon gan me te know 1 had nothing to dread
He spoke not a wori but went atraight to hi work.
And filled all the stockings; then turned, with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of hi note, -
And giving a nod, up the chimney he iom.
He sprang to hi sleigh, to hi team gave a whistle.
And away they al flew like the down of a thistle j
Rut I VjtirJ ' turn nrrJiirn. are he drove eut of tiaht.
"Happy Otristmat to al. and to J a goodnight I " I
POPULAR CHRISTMAS POEM
OH Dee. It, lit, thtre er!ar
ttliUt Troy (N. T ) otl
Ml a pMna whloh baa bad a
remarkable popularity. Aa a
pureir eeeulBT treatmeat at the ChrttN
maa theme "A, Visit Frem St. Ntebolaa"
haa no rival In the bearte ct the
Amertoan people. It la accapira vni
rereally aa the meet adequate exprt
alen ot the holiday ptm aa tt te unV
dereteed by the ealldren ot Amerlea-
by theae. that te, who have net beta
robbed by the flight et time or the mis- "
ehleveue Interirreaee et their eldere el
tkatr talth In the teed 8b Nicholas.
Viewed eenttruottvely and aooerdtnc
te the eocptd atandard ot poetio
term, "A Visit From 6L Nloholas
epeelmeo or verelfloatlon it la doldd
ly erude, eea It vioiaiae roar inn sn
of the plain rulaa tor the guidance el
the verae maker Some et the mont
modern wrltr et llmerlrka produo
line that are Infinitely better adapted
te ecanslon. : ' h "
m tha .harm la Mt In (ha warkmin.
ship, but In the esntlmtnt and In the
cheery holiday briskness teat animate
the poem from bsalnning te end. It
rings true upon the chlldlah ndr
etandlna, and It appeals directly to
those for whom It wa written wlihmit
the necessity et further Interpretation.
It reottM the Santa Claus lnd with
a atmpliolty and directness tluit ere ell
eenvlnclng to the vrondartng child and
are almost potont enough te thrill the
sophisticated grownup.
The poem waa not written for pub
lication. It waa prtntod without th
consent or knowledge of Its author, and
he waa properly Indignant whita It ap
peared In spite of hi exprrxxed de
sire to let It go ne rentier then his
own family circle. He oompoeed It on
Chrlstmaa eve, H23. and read It from
the manuscript to hi deitchted chil
dren aa they were hangin up their
stocking In anticipation ot the cuetoin
ary Vlelt of the Chrletma stint. ' An
Indiscreet relative who was presorit
wa so Impretiaed by the rradlng and
the effect produced on the children
that aha obtained a, copy ot th ver
and aent them to a friend Thane e
they panMd through verloue appreule
tlve hand, finding their ny the nmt
ysr lata publia print. .
-The- euooes et the poem wse In-,
tanttheoue. Although th eon of
ruietld was over foe that year 'A
Visit From 8t Nlcholae" found Its
way Into almost every publication in
ih I... rA in .h Incredltilv ahrire
7
1
period It became familiar te American
In all parte ef the country. Lorg be
fore tuo paseing or tie auinor u nun
become.the most widely knwn end
moet - frequently quote t'biUlume
poem th the language.
thor, Clement Clarke Moore, preferred
to limit lis circulation 10 me own uu- ;
raeetlo circle, first of all, at the time
n, h writin of the llnale he wee a
grave and very learned profeof of
HiDiicai learning id m neoiu hhhm
nary. It did not accord with hie ld
af nmraaeariel ' dbrnltv to ' have hi
name In eueh Intimate connection With ;
aa elfort which he regarded aa un- i
worthy hie very eoniiaeraBi repute- i
H a Hallanlat and Hebrew scholar. '
Ha had already compiled a Hebrew and
English lexloon wMcn waa pernning
te make It way among scholars, and
he feared thet the Chrlstmaa rhyme
would work to the disadvantage ot the j
dictionary, -' V .
Th.re waa atlll another reaaon Htlld '
to Profeeeor Moore It waa an exceed
Ingly Important one why bla name
should not appear in too oiose company
llh tha r.rjMUlV hulltlOoam be In- :
elng "Twae the night before Chrtet-l
mas." He had the reputation among (
bis pupils and fellow Instructors ef be- .
a mnakav nt abeolutelr eerfset :
eeree. In the days before hie gradua j
tloa at Columbia, and even ae a child
in the home ot bla scholarly father, ,
J
Benlemln Moore, who wercUed the ,
doable function of bishop of the Froteaw-r
tant Episcopal diocese et New Tokk ;
and president of Columbia, the future
theological professor bad ahowa a t4
deal of talent for the making ot poewy. ;
He had euch; e. poor opinion ef the
.tmtmm ntiri thai ha trembled foe.
the eonaequencee when be realized
that he had been discovered ana e,n
Bounoed to the world aa Ita author,
aoorrtin ta a llnaal descendant 01
rrofoeaor Moore, from whem ; these
facta concerning the authorship of "AM
Visit From Ht Nicholas bavs beeei I
obtained, he waa eo die tressed ever the ;
matter and so apprehensive ef a les I
of influence over hie pupils that he diet
ant maat Ma elasa for several week
and at one time waa en the point et
resigning hie position. From thla radi
cal move he wae dissuaded fortunately
by a letter from a merary man in. (
whose Judgment he had great oonfl
donee. This opportune correepoedmt
wrote eathuslaaUeally et tbe Chrlst
maa poem and predicted that It would
have unusual popularity. j
It was all contrary te the tofeeaer
own opinion, but he aeon began te
realise that the public did not agr-
with him. It waa another case eti
waking op to And himself famous. It
waa a fame which he bad neither cov
eted nor courted,' but be accepted th
popular verdict, end when. In 1(4. he
pabliahed a eollectioa ef hie poem "A
Visit From St. Nicholas" was not '
omltud. The author eorvlvtd tbe on
authorised publication et hie poem for
more than forty year, and It pone- ;
larlty never waned during hie lifetime. .
i lie occupied the chair or oncntai mutual-
. la the Gruerai Tbeoloytcal
eemlBary. New Tor tlty, until the
t middle ef the tart c-ntury and waa in
' atrniBental in the building up ef tlwt
Institution. He gave the land on wlwcn
he Bresent imposing buHrttmre siKrui.