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\ McCORMICK MESSENGER, McCORMICK, 8. 0., THURSDAY? DECEMBER: 19, 194(V No. Z9160 ■betted by Cypid in daisy form, is totertainingly told in motifs for a •et of tea towels. Any bride, or matron, would welcome clever towels like these; there is one for each day of the week. The two extra motifs are for matching pan- ■aiders to complete the set. • * * No. 29160, 15c. brings the NUMO hot ■an transfer giving these nine designs, lend order to: AUNT MARTHA Box 166-W ' Kansas City, Mo. Knclose 15 cents for each pattern desired. Pattern No Happy Hours Ahead A gift to make many happy hours Cor pipe and “makin’s” smokers is the Prince Albert Christmas pack age-one full pound of ripe, rich- casting, mellow tobacco. Colorful holiday wrappers put these popu lar presents ii^gay Christmas set ting—and a handy gift card is en closed. Your regular tobacco deal er has the one-pound gift tin of Prince Albert on display. ’ Remem ber! Prince'Albert is the cooler- burning tobacco—the National Joy Eknoke.—Adv. J Helpful Laughter Laughter is a most healthful ex ertion; it is one of the greatest helps to digestion with which I am acquainted; and the custom prev- alent among our forefathers, of exciting it at table by jesters and buffoons, was founded on true medical principles.—Dr. Hufeland. For Busy Shoppers Winning popular approval with busy Christmas shoppers are the two handsome gift packages of Gamel cigarettes featured by local dealers. The regular Camel car- lon—10 packs of “20’s”—comes in a colorful, holiday dress. Equally striking is the gay Camel package Of 4 “flat fifties.” Both packages contain 200 ciga rettes—are easy gifts to get, per fect to receive.—Adv. DONT BE BOSSED BY YOUR LAXATIVE—RELIEVE CONSTIPATION THIS MODERN WAY • Wh*n you feel gassy, headachy, logy One to dogged-up bowels, do as million* So—take Feen-A-Mint at bedtime. Next snoming—thorough, comfortable relief, helping you start the day full of your wormal energy and pep, feeling like a million! Feen-A-Mint doesn’t disturb your night’s rest or interfere with work the ■sat day. Tty Feen-A-Mint, the chewing gmn laxative, yoanelC It tastes good, it’s handy and economical... a family supply FEEN-A-MINT 7oS Whom to Watch Beware of no man more than of yourself; we carry our worst ene mies within us.—C. H. Spurgeon. OUTSTANDING BLADE VALUE 10 for 10 Cents CO., ST. LOUIS, MO. One Remedy Against the superiority of anoth er there is no remedy but love.— Goethe. 'Wot COLDS quickly, LIQUID TABLETS SALVE NOSE DROPS COUCH DROPS BEACONS of SAFETY— •Like a beacon light on the height—the advertise ments in newspapers direct you to newer, better and easier ways of providing the things needed or desired. It shines, this beacon of newspaper advertising—and it will be to your advantage to fol low it whenever you make a purchase. To Six Americans Belong the Credit For Making Santa Claus, the Children's Symbol of Christmas, a Living Reality By ELMO SCOTT WATSON (Released by Western Newspaper Union.) T HE social historians will tell you that the Dutch gave to the world that familiar symbolical Christ mas figure, Santa Claus, and that his name is merely a slurring of the Dutch pronun ciation of “San Nicholas” or “Sinterklass” which is, of course, “St. Nicholas.” TTiey will tell you, too, that Nicho las was an actual person, the bishop of Myra, in Lycia, Asia Minor, in the first part of the fourth century of the Christian era. In his honor December 6 of each year was set aside as a special feast day. But in the late Middle ages, when the Catholics and the Protestants both tried to do away with festivities which had grown up around St. Nicholas’ day, the children refused to give him up. Gradually the festival in his honor was assimilated into the festivi ties honoring the Christ Child. He Comes to America. When the Dutch settlers came to New Netherlands more than 300 years ago, of course they brought with them their custom of honoring “Sinterklass.” In fact, it is said that the ship which carried the first Dutch children to Manhattan island bore a likeness of him as its figurehead. But he wasn’t the jolly little fellow that we know. For the Dutch children knew the good Bishop-Saint Nich olas as a solemn, majestic figure in trailing robes, wearing a jew eled miter and gloves and mount ed on a fiery white charger. Even after the British took over the Dutch colony and New Neth erlands became New York, the little Dutch children continued to look for the coming of “Sinter klass” on the eve of December 5 and hang up their stockings. But the English colonists didn’t be lieve in “Sinterklass” and gradu ally, as the Dutch became assim ilated and some of their customs began to change, there came a change in the character and ap pearance of the good St. Nicholas, too. » A Turning Point. The American Revolution not only marked a turning point in world history but in the history of St. Nicholas as well. He was no longer the Dutch saint as the Dutch colonists had imagined him. He was a Dutch saint as their English neighbors imagined him and he began taking on Dutch characteristics. Instead of being a severe, for bidding figure he became a jolly fat little Dutchman. In place of his long robes he began wearing knee , breeches and the shoe buckles of Dutch colonial fashion. No longer did he ride the fiery white charger. Now he went about on his errands in a little wagon, drawn by a fat little pony. And, finally—thanks to six Amer icans—he became the Santa Claus that we know today. These six Americans were three writers and three artists and all of them contributed their share toward the creation of a Santa Claus so familiar to American children. The first of these six was Washington Irving. Whether Irving simply followed a tradition that was already widely accepted in the state where he was born or actually created a new Amer ican Santa Claus is unknown. At any rate, when he published his whimsical “Knickerbocker’s His tory of New York” in 1809 he gave us the first full-length word portrait of Santa Claus, the Amer ican. It is to Irving that we owe our idea of the Dutch colonists as jo vial, fat little men, wearing volu minous breeches and smoking long pipes and he made the pa tron saint of their children the archtype of them* all. According to Irving, Saint Nicholas wore a “low, broad-brimmed hat and a The first known picture of Santa Claus (1839). huge pair of Flemish trunk hose” and he rode “jollily over the roof tops” in a wagon, dropping splen did presents down the chimneys of the houses where dwelt the children who were his favorites. It was also Irving who gave him another characteristic which has survived through the years. For, ^s the Knickerbocker history tells us, “when Saint Nicholas had smoked his pipe, he twisted it in his hat band, and laying his finger beside his nose, gave a very significant look, then mount ing his wagon, he returned over the treetops and disappeared.” The next writer to paint a word portrait of Santa Claus was Irv ing’s friend and one-time collab orator, James Kirke Paulding. Paulding, himself of Dutch de scent, in his “Book of St. Nicho las,” published in 1827, declared that Santa Claus was “as gal lant a little Dutchman as ever) smoked his way through the world, pipe foremost ... he is a right fat, roystering little fellow . . . who scorns to follow the pestilent fashions of modem times, but ever appears in the ancient dress of the old patriarchs of Holland.” Moore’s Immortal Poem. It remained, however, for Dr. Clement Clark Moore, in his im mortal poem, “A Visit From St. Nicholas,” to fix forever in our consciousness the appearance of the children’s Christmas saint. Moore was graduated from Col umbia university in 1798, and be came a professor of Hebrew and Greek in the General Theological seminary in 1821. He was a prolific writer, one of his literary productions bearing the imposing title of “Observa tions Upon Certain Passages in Mr. Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia Which Appear to Have a Tendency to Subvert Religion and Establish a False Philos ophy.” However, his most impor tant work, the one at least upon which he believed his fame as a scholar would be secure, was “A Compendius Lexicon of the Hebrew Language.” He little JAMES KIRKE PAULDING realized that future generations of Americans would remember him better as the author of what he was accustomed to call “a silly poem.” Yet such was the case, for a short time before Christmas in 1822, Dr. Moore wrote for his children a Christmas poem and they were delighted with the rol licking tale. A daughter of Rev. Dr. David Butler, rector of St. Paul’s church at Troy, N. Y., who was a niece of Dr. Moore, was a Christmas guest in the Moore home and made a copy of the poem in her album. The next year she sent a copy of it to the Troy Sentinel and it appeared in that paper, prefaced by a note from the editor saying he did not know who had sent it. By the next year it had appeared in many other newspapers and magazines and within a few years it had found its way into the schoolbooks. By this time in quiries were beginning to be made as to its authorship and eventually Dr. Moore, none too well pleased that his “silly poem” was so well-known whereas his scholarly “Compendius Lexicon” attracted little attention, admit ted its authorship and gave the autographed original manuscript of the poem to the New York His torical society. How much Moore drew upon Ifving and Paulding for his de scription is not known. But there is a curious parallelism in some of his words and some of theirs, although Moore himself, 40 years later said that “a portly, rubicund Dutchman living in the neighbor hood of his father’s county seat, Chelsea” near New York city suggested to him the idea of mak ing St. Nicholas the hero of his Christmas piece for his children. The Reindeer Appear. It is certain that we are indebt ed to Moore for making Santa Claus’ mode of transportation a sleigh drawn by “eight tiny rein deer.” In its original form the poem differs slightly from the present version, particularly in the names of the reindeer. “Vis- cen” of the original has become “Vixen” and “Donder” has been changed to “Dunder.” The title which Dr. Moore gave to his verses was “A Visit From St. Nicholas,” but the modem ver sion, taken from the first line, is “The Night Before Christmas.” As for the contributions of the three artists to our image of Santa Claus, the name of the first one—unfortunately for his fame—is unknown. In 1839 a book called “The Poets of America,” edited by John Keese, was pub lished. It contained Moore’s poem and the illustration for it DR. CLEMENT CLARK MOORE was a picture of Santa Claus (re produced above). Who the paint er or engraver was has never been determined but it is believed that this was the first time that a picture of Santa Claus was ever printed. The world had to wait another 20 years, however, for another por trait of Santa Claus. In 1862, an edition of “A Visit From St. Nich olas,” illustrated throughout by F. O. C. Darley, was published in New York. Darley gave us sev eral views of the old fellow at work. One in particular was ap propriate, for it showed Santa Claus placing his finger slyly to one side of his nose, just as Dr. Moore had described. Darley probably was the fore most American illustrator at the time; but, after all, his version seemed to fail to satisfy complete ly, and another year passed be fore the real Santa Claus climbed into a chimney, just as readers of the ancient classic had pictured him in their minds. Darley had given us the sly twinkle in the eye of the good-natured elf, and he had made the reindeer at least as tiny as the poet had described them, but something was lacking. In 1863 a volume of favorite poems was published in which Dr. Moore’s poem was included. It was illustrated by Thomas Nast, whom the American public re members chiefly as a cartoonist for Harper’s Weekly, the crusad er who almost single-handed smashed the notorious “Tweed Ring” in New York with his vitri olic cartoons and the artist who added to r our gallery of familiar symbols the Republican elephant, the Democratic donkey and the Tammany tiger. In this compila tion, Nast turned his attention to depicting the features of Santa Claus, and for the first time con verted an illusive figure into visu al reality. Nast may, therefore, be said to have created a Santa Claus which remains the model for all who succeeded him. The social historians tell us that the Dutch gave to the world that familiar symbolical figure, Santa Claus, and that is true. But it was the genius of six Americans —Washington Irving, James Kirke Paulding, Dr. Clement Clark Moore, Felix O. C. Darley, Thomas Nast and that unknown artist for John Keese’s “Poets of America”—which made him a liv ing reality for all time to come. FIRST-AID k •--‘-ft* r” AILING, HOUSE by Roger IX Whitman (® Roger B. Whitman—WNU Service.) Cracked Ceilings. Q UESTION: We are troubled with cracks in our plaster ceilings, and lately a piece three feet square fell in the living room. The beams are six inches by two inches, and cracking may be due to excessive deflection in the span. Would you ad vise replastering, with the possibil ity that the work will not last long, or would it be practical to remove the plaster and use some one of the rigid insulating boards? Can the white coat of plaster be applied di rectly to this material, or is it bet ter painted? Answer: A ceiling having a great deal of vibration or movement in the beams should not be plastered. You may have a repetition of the same trouble. Any one of the deco rative insulating wallboards will most probably make a more lasting finish. A gypsum wallboard can also be used with very satisfactory results. Either of the above materi als should be painted; a thin plaster coat will not do. Amateur Paintiug. Question: An attic room 20 feet square, used as a living-room, has a white ceiling and buff walls. It needs repainting. Could an amateur do it? If so, what material should be used, and how is it done? Would you recommend repeating the same colors? Answer: I have seen many paint ing jobs by amateurs that were very successful. A paint dealer should be able to give you a handbook issued by one of the paint manufacturers, which will describe the needs and the processes. You will get good re sults with a cold-water paint con taining casein. This comes as a paste to be thinned with water to the proper consistency. This kind of paint is very easily applied, and is washable when dry. A white ceil ing would be satisfactory, but I should be inclined to make the walls light ivory rather than buff. How ever, that is a matter of persona] taste. Shady Yard. Question: I have not been suc cessful in growing grass or vines in my shady west side yard. At pres ent the ground is bare. What would you suggest for planting or sowing? Answer: Both ivy and myrtle grow well in the shade, and if these have failed, it is undoubtedly because of the poorness of the soil. Your soil may be clay, or may need ferti lizer. If there is a garden club in your locality, ask the advice of one of the members. With the soil in good condition, you can get grass that is adapted to growing in the shade. Pachysandra would be an other good choice for a ground cov er, as it grows either in the shade or in the sun, and in poor soil. It is not intended to be walked on, how* ever. Holes in Curtains. A correspondent, writing on the letterhead of a. laundry, gives his reason for the cause of holes form ing in rayon curtains, saying: “Our experience shows that fine mesh rayon curtains usually become tender at the lower part toward the middle, where the curtains meet. This is due to the sulphuric acid in the smoke and dust which comes in jthrough the lower part of the win dow, and% which, together with the rays of the sun, causes the dam age.” That is interesting, and I am glad to have that professional opin ion. There is no doubt that the sulphur in city air, due to smoke, goes far to destroy not only fabrics but even more substantial ma terials. Roof for an Extension. Question: My house is an old- fashioned city house with a dining room extension. I should like to fix the roof so that I could use it for a roof garden. The present roof is of tin. Please advise me as to the best and most inexpensive roof covering I can put down, one that can be walked on. Answer: A type of roof covering, which is made in blocks of an insu lating board saturated with asphalt, can be laid over your present tin roof. Ask your local roofer about it. Canvas roofing is also very satis factory, but it may be necessary to remove the present tin roof in order to put down the canvas. Fieldstone House. Question: I have a farm on which I contemplate building a fieldstone house. Where can I get a book or Information on this kind of work? I thought I might be able to do a lot of it myself. Answer: At a library you should be able to find a book on the build ing of stone houses, by Ernest Flagg, published a number of years ago by Charles Scribner’s Sons. This describes an excellent and very sim ple method of building stone houses. Overcoating. Question: My house has a field stone veneer front and clapboard sides and back. I am thinking of covering sides and back with gray asbestos shingles. Would you ad vise this? Answer: Instead of gray asbestos shingles, you could use similar ma terial in the form of clapboards, but white instead of gray. This would not alter the appearance of your house, and you would have the ad vantage of weatherproofness >• freedom from painting Th*^ featu'o^ are cs: ntinl ♦ 4 .ifc .a* , ^ ' • r 4 r ;x-. m >- DEPARTMENT ft III ft I/O I Assorted heavies.blood- Oft LHILflo! tested. No cripples VIIIVI1W. No cullg 100 postpaid Send Money Order for Prompt Shipment. Livt Delivery Guaranteed ATLAS CO., 2651 Chouteau, St. Louis, Mo. REMEDIES WHY SUFFER WITH ASTHMA when MINTON’S REMEDY, since 18% has given relief to Asthma and Bronchial sufferers? Big IS-ounce bottle ft.00 postpaid. Order Now SARCO REMEDY COMPANY, Sidney, O. HOUSEHOLD QUESTIONS Ammonia and water will remove red ink stains from white cloth. * • * Pumpkin pies will have that rich brown tint if a tablespoon of mo lasses is added to the filling. * • • Potatoes to be baked in the skins Will cook quicker if they are dried before being placed in the oven. * * * One pound of powdered or con fectioner’s sugar is equivalent to 2^ cupfuls; one pound of granu lated sugar equals two cupfuls. • * * Layer cakes with soft fillings will not become soggy if a thin icing made with confectioner’s sugar isi put on and let harden, before spreading the filling. • * * Use needles to pin down the pleats when pressing a pleated| skirt. The needles will leave no marks when you remove them. * * * Airtight boxes or jars make handy containers for keeping cookies fresh. And waxed paper between the layers of cookies keeps them from sticking together. * * • Before squeezing {he juice from your lemons and oranges, grate the peel. Wrapped in waxed paper these gratings will keep in the re frigerator for future use in making desserts, etc. Valuable Rock Piles In the West river in the Kwangsi province of China, the current is so strong that shoals of fish fre quently have to rest on the lee ward side of natural and artificial piles of rocks in the middle of the stream, where they are easily caught in nets. Consequently, these piles are very valuable to fishermen, who buy and sell them for as much as $5,000 in local money.—Collier’s. The Better Way to Correct Constipation One way to treat constipation is to endure it first and “cure" it afterward. The other way is to avoid having it by getting at its cause. So why not save yourself those dull headachy days, plus the inevitable trips to the meefi- cine chest, if you can do it by a simple common-sense “ounce of prevention”? If your trouble, like that of millions, is due to lack of “bulk” in the diet, “the better way” is to eat Kellogg’s All-Bran. This crunchy, toasted, ready-to-eat cereal has just the “bulk” you need. If you eat it regularly—and drink plenty of water—you can not only get regular but keep regular, day after day and month after month! All-Bran is made by Kellogg’s in Battle Creek. If your condition is chronic, it is wise to consult a physician. By Thy Deeds Such as thy words are, such will thy affections be esteemed; and such will thy deeds be as thy af fections; and such thy life as thy deeds.—Socrates. KOHLER A N T I D O t l HEADACHE POWDERS FOR THE RELIEF OF SIMPLE I HEADACHE AT ALL DRUG STORES--SINCE 1890 Send lor Mitt Sample Kohler Ca Baltimore *M. WNU—7 51—40 Friend or Foe The man that makes the best friend will make the worst enemy. Miserable with backache? W HEN kidneys function badly and you suffer a nagging backache, with dizziness, burning, scanty or too frequent urination and getting up at night; when you feel nervous,, all upset... use Doan’s Pills. Doan's are especially for poorly working kidneys. Millions of boxes are used every year. They are recom mended Ihe country over. Ask your, neighbor!