CHRISTMAS STORIES OF THE SAINTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1851, 29 January 1902, Page 66

CHRISTMAS STORIES OF THE SAINTS.

(Lippincott's Magazine.)

How one would like to see the thorn bush which, they say, still blossoms in Glastonbury upon every Christmas- Day ! For here to Avalon came Joseph of Arimathea bearing the Holy Grail. And stopping to rest on Wearyall Hill, he thrust his knotted staff of hawthorn into the ground. Wonder of wondei's ! the dry wood burst into bud and snowy blossom ; and so it has done on Christmas day ever since, as do the Jericho roses, which first sprang up rejoicing in the desert wherever Mary set her foot as she fled from Herod with her holy Child.

But the sweetest Christmas flower-legend is of the rose, Mary's own' blossom. For first it grew only in the garden of heaven, and was known by tho angels as the Rose of Love. When Adam and Eve were driven from their lovely Garden of Eden, all the earth was shrowded in snow, and the angels were sad to think of them without a single flower to love. And they besought God to give the pair this one rose a*, a token of divine lo\t and pity. So that once amid the snow it blossomed, to bless the sinners' weeping eyes. A second time it blossomed for love and forgiveness, when Christ came. For when in the lowly stable Mary bent over her little. Babe, and wept because s-he had no gift for Him. the angel of the holy night stooped down and kissed her eyes, and upon this the fields became gloiious with the red and ■white of Paradise roses, the Roses of Love. Sweet Mary plucked them and laid them on her Baby's breast, and wreathed them about His manner-bed until it became God's

own rose garden. What a pleasant thing it nni't be to have one"s birthday upon Christmas Kve ! Tiac. it offers an opportunity for tluifty elders to pay but one tribute in the name of both festival*. But surely an honourable parent understands that a Christmas babe deserves a double dole of gifts-. And surely kind St. Nicho'as would till at le.irt a pair of stockings hung by one- of his spee:al childien.

But even were one stockingless, a Chu.-t-mastide birthday brings its own perquisites. Think of coming into the pi ace and goodwill of thi'j holy season to be the friend of all men and beai-ts from the \ery first! No evil fairy can come near the Chiistmas baby's cradle to wreak woe, as >-lie did for the Sleeping Princess-. For does not good chanticleer crow from dusk until dawn to keep away the evil spirits? And aie there not a host of Christmas saints and angel<= protecting one upon this holy night? Best of all is the wonder-gift which they say a Christmas baby h-is from the Christ- ■ ild Himself. Such a one upon Ins bnthdav night can see visions and can command good spirits to do his w ill So that I would rather be a Christmas baby than anytlung eke in the world. Saints also can see visions upon Chn'slma. Eve. I suppose it is because -o few of us are either saints or Chiistmas-buin that we can never see Santu Clau- when becomes to fill the stockings. Many .• .inif have I tried to catch him; 1> ■• <-v.. early, howevei slyiy I ro^e, 1. aver to be caught And now that J ....< v, how sad it makes him to be di--co\iicd at hi< L"of.il deed-. c\l-ii if I be dine a ant of blessed vision I shall ntvei pl.ty the spy again. For. loi.k you, m the r^d da; s btfoip Saint Nicho'as was known as our fat, jolly Santa Clans, (J f pick did sU i^h ai.d lenilieec wlisn lie vu!£ * Uk<&£ kiaiiyji iv 4^^

Le used to go about secretly doing kindnesses for his friends, the children ; and above all things he hated to be discovered and thanked. Once he heard of a man co poor that he had not enough for his three daughter, to eat or -Rear, and was at his wit'b end to know what to do. So one night the kind Saint crept up to the cottage window and to«>ed thiee purses of gold into the poor man* chamber, one for ;acli daughter. Thenceforwaul there was no more misery in that cottage. But the man never could find whence thi« golden blessing fe'l.

'I here is another tale about our Christmas Smit vhich is wondrous hs can be, and you may bel.eve it or not, as you choose. For my pait. I think the story jf the Little Pickles t-c-arcely stranger than the idea of ,i reindeer sleigh dashing over our sloping modern roofs, and fat Saint Nicholas squeezing down our nanow modern chimneys. Yet the Christmas stockings are always fiill, ,md this is all the proof we need that the formei tale at least is true.

Centuries ago in Asia there lived two boys whose father was about to send them to school at Athens. But on the way they were to stop at Myra to leceive the blessing of good Saint Nicholas, the fnend of children. Now, instead of going straight to the bishop, they spent the night at an inn. The landlord was a wicked man who planned to steal their baggage and money. And while the boys slept he killed them, and stowed them away in a pickling tub to be forgotten. But meanwhile the bishop saw m a vision all that had happened. He went directly to the inn and accused the landlord of his. horrid crime. Then the wicked fellow, marvelling at the Saint's knowledge, confessed and repented. And the bishop prayed the Lord to restore the poor boys to life, and thus prove to the muiderer that his sin was forgiven. No sooner was the prayer finished that *he tw.o boys came alive and sprang out of the pickling tub, throwing themselves at the bishop's feet in gratitude. But Saint Nicholas would not be thanked, saying that to God alone was due the miracle of the answered prayer. This is why many pictures of the Saint represent him with a tub out of which two childien are popping their heads.