THE SANTA CLAUS SIGN.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVIII, Issue 18599, 29 December 1920, Page 9

THE SANTA CLAUS SIGN.

HOW THE PAWNBROKER GOT HIS EMBLEM. It is not generally known that the pawnbroker’s eniblom of the threo golden .balls is of Russian origin, and can be traced directly to the Russian legend of “ Santa Claus.” Santa, Claus, or Sankt Klaus, Russia’s patron saint, was a vfiry wealthy young man. When his parents died they left him all their vast wealth, including throe bars of pure solid gold. Thoso bars of gold ho cherished beyond all his other possessions. Ono day Sankt Klims was passing the house' of a well-known wobloman, when through the open dining-room window ho heard the latter tell his threo daughters that lie was mined, their home would have to be sold up, nnd all would have to beg their bread in the streets The young man was very touched at

what he had hoard. Ho could not liear to think of these threo young girls and their old father being i rought to penury, and yet he did not quite see how he could help them, for he knew they wonld he too proud to take monov from him. THE BAR OF GOLD. But at last ho had on idea. He would drop one of his Ixirs of gold through the open window of tho nobleman's house, wlmn no ono was about. They could not trace -t.no gift to him, but'would ascribe it to the direct intervention of Providence. So that evening lie stole away on his mission, and was successful in dropping the first liar of gold through the window without being oberrod. Elated with his success ho determined to do the same with the second liar on the next night. Again his ruse was successful; but when lie returned pn the third night with the third bar ho was discovered by the nobleman, who prostrated himsolf at his benefactor’s feet, and thanked him for having saved him from poverty and disgrace. “It will be but a loan,” he said, “ which I will work all my life to repay.” Th© tale of Sankt Klaus’ kindness to the nobleman spread far and wide, and when a business began to be made of lending money on pledges to people in need, three bars of gold were adopted as the sign of the trade. In the course of time this sign was transformed into the three golden balls which we see hanging tover every pawnbroker’s shop to-day.