aNTA CLAUSES the one myth that
I will not down.
The tradition of a beneficent spirit
call him by what name wou will, 'Santa
Claus, Kris Krlnglc, St. Nicholas, Father
Chrlstmus or Noel who comes around on
December 23th of each year, and glad
dens the heart of children, rich or poor,
by mysteriously leaving them the very
things they most want, survives In spite
of all attacks.
jfThe so-called higher criticism has swept
away many familiar stories of religion.
"Ve are told that the story of the creation
of the world In six days has no actual
foundation In fact, and naturalists aver
that no whale could have had a throat
big enough to swallow Jonah. Historians
have told us that the story of the cherry
tree and George Washington's hatchet is
rankest nonsense, and some of us have
been convinced.
But when the iconoclast tries to shake
the children's faith In the existence of
Santa Claus, he bumps his head against
a wall of absolute faith.
"No Santa Claus?" a million childish
o!i'es would echo, "why every Christmas
brings the proof that there is one."
And that certainly ends the argument.
Santa Claus, the real Santa Claus, Is
both old and young.
His pictures show us a jolly fellow,
with a beard suggesting the venerable,
twinkling eyes bespeaking bounding
youth. And young In feeling and action.
If not in years, he must be to get over
all the world In one night, without
missing one house in which lives a de
scring child.
"He is different In every country, rang
ing In years from the beautiful Christ
-rtblld that the good children of France
ilJorc, to the jolly old fellow to whom
the American youngster 10 ws allegiance.
But it is not in this sense that the
writer means to depict Santa Claus as
both oung and old. It is from a his
torical standpoint that the comparison
is made. Santa Onus, as we know him
In this vountry. is less than a century
old, but the real Santa Claus, the origi
nal of them all, goes way back to the
remote third century.
His present name. Santa Claus, or Kris
Krlngle, is derived from St. Nicholas, the
very Incarnation of all that was good
and generous.
St. Nicholas,, destined to be worshiped
in various forms by the children of
scores of centuries, was born in Patara,
a town of Lycla, in Asia Minor. From
his earliest days he showed a religious
inclination that destined him to tako a
high place In the church.
As a young man he entered the mon-
astory cf Sion. and in time he became
Abbott and later Bishop of Myra. His 1
jreat sanctity and learning made him
imo oven in the most illustrious com- !
my, and he was one of the most notable
figures at that wonderful gathering of
IS bishops, who met at Nlcca In 318 to
idemn the heresy of Arjus.
"While St. Nicholas became famous In i
the councils of the church, it was still i
more as the special friend of the children
that his fame spread.
One of his earliest miracles had to do
with restoring to life two or three chil
dren. There are two accounts of the story.
One says that an Asian sent his two sons
to Athens to study. En route they fell In
with a villainous inn keeper, who. to get
their valuables, slew the two boys, and
cut their bodies into bits, which he put
in his brine barrel to sell for pork. Then
St. Nicholas having seen the crime In a
vision, came to the spot, and restored the
children to life.
The other version says there were three
children, and that their would-be mur
derer was a butcher.
In either case. St. Nicholas performed
the miracle of restoring them to life.
This was the first act by which St. Nich
olas proved his love for children. The
second bore still more strongly on the
Santa Claus idea, for it was a favor that
he did at Christinas time.
A certain nobleman of Patara was so
poor that he was unable to give a
portion for his three daughters, and It
seemed impossible that any of the trio
could gel a husband. St. Nicholas, learn
ing of their plight, came at Christmas
time, and threw a purse filled with gold
Into an open window. The act was done
as .stealthily as that of the modern Santa
Claus. the nobleman could not tell who
his benefactor was. but he gave thanks
and married off his eldest daughter.
Next Christmas came another purse,
and the second daughter took a hus
band. When the Christmas of the third year
approached the nobleman's curiosity
got the better of him, and he set him
self on guard to see who it -was that
left the monet. When ih Snint ..-
peared the nobleman came forward and
asked why so good an act should be per
formed in stealth. Then the patron saint
of the children enunciated the great truth
that the best acts are those that are
done for the joy of doing, not for hope of
praise or reward.
Thus centurios ago was proclaimed
what is the best scntimont of Christmas
giving.
The idea of St. Nicholas was so beau
tiful lhat It took Its- place among the
great beliefs of the children, and In
different forms it Is found nearly every
century.
Both his name' and his form differ, but
everywhere his labor Is the same.
In France, Germany, Russia and the
Netherlands he is the embodiment of an
essentially religious idea, but In Englarfd
and the United States his office is more
a secular one.
Frau'e always represents Noel as the
infant Josur. and In Germany, too, the
name Krlrt Klndel. corrupted hero into
Kriss Krlngle, means literally the Christ
Child
In France the little -benefactor who slips
In the home of the poor, and leaves gifts
that would be far beyond the power of
their parents to buy, is an inspiration to
the youngster.
In Central Europe where the Christ
Child is believed to come with gifts for
iho little ones, he Is dressed like a maid
en, carrying a silver bell, lighted tapers
and wearing a crown.
Belgium's children think that 3uj
THE SUNDAY OREGOXrASV PORTIANP, DECEMBER 17, 1905.
comes on a white horse. They polish
thoir little shoes ana leave in them
carrots and hay and oats, so that the
horse can be refreshed whcji he pauses
ever and anon for a brief minute's
I. rest.
S.L. Nicholas carries the same name
In Holland that he doe here Santa
Claus. In Switzerland they call him
Sama Klaus, and In Holiogoland, 9on
ncr Klaus.
He is NIklo or NIglo In Austria, and
boasts the luxury of an attendant, who
assists him In carrying all his bun
dles. This assistant to Santa Claus is
known as Krampus, and with the
children Is only a shade less popular
iMn ins cnicx.
"Holy Man" Is the respectful term
by which the patron Saint is known In
the Tyrol, and here. too. he has help.
On the Making of an Ordinary Cook
Using Left-Overs By Miss Lilian E. Tingle, Director Portland School Domestic Science.
Salads.
THIS is one of the easoest. and, at
the same time, the most popular
way of re-drcssing left-overs. In fact,
the cater ought not to blink at "left
overs" at all, "since it Is obvious that
meat, fish and many vegetables must be
cooked and cooled before they can make
any appearance In salad, and It Is not
hard for a careful cook to give an air of
predestination to her material and of
freewill to her mixing. A glass can of
"stock" mayonnaise or of French dressing,
made at some odd moment and kept al
ways in readiness (covered and, in a cool
place) will be found a great convenience.
The white moats and fish arc best for
salads. though occasionally tender
braised beef or mutton may be found
quite acceptable The meat must be freed
frm every scrap of fat. skin and gristle,
and cut Into small cubes. They should
then be left for an hour or so In French
dressing toll, vinegar or lemon Juice,
pepper and salt, with or without onion
juice, paprica, store sauce or othor sea
soning, according to taste) to Improve
their flavor. This is called "marinading."
Fish and meat are often allowed to He in
this or similar mixtures for varying
lengths of time before cooking In order
to soften connective tissue. Improve color,
or supply flavor, as the case may be. The
liquid is spoken of as a "marinade." The
meat should be drained before further
treatment. Cold fish should be flaked
and treated in a similar manner.
Cold vegetables must be rinsed In cold
water if they have been served In any
kind of sauce and look "mussy." Then
cut thorn into dice. Julienne strips, or
little balls (using a French cutter) 'Re
cording to the kind of vegetable and the
being accompanied by the Christ Child
and St Lucy. The Christ Child him
self come? In Alsace
Even Japan has a Santa Claus,
similar in most respects to the
Santa Claus of the Occident. He Is
known as the "Sage of Lone Life"
It is a fact not generally known that
the most famous of the many poems
that have been written about Santa
Claus. "The Night Before Christmas."
Is the work of an American.
The famous classic, which has been
incited by a legion of children at
Christmas parties and entertainments,
was the work of Dr. Clement C Moore,
a famous scholar. He composed it for
the amusement of his children, and it
was first printed in the Troy Sentinel.
December -3, 1S23. Afterwards It
kind of salad to be made. A few prettily
cut pieces should be reserved for -garnishing.
Vegetables are often marinaded
in French dressing. Just like fish and
meat; less mayonnaise or other final
dressing will then be needed.
AH material should be kept separate and
In a cool place until the last possible mo
ment: except, perhaps, in the case of a
potato salad. Good Judgment and a
knowledge of flavor harmonies are called
for In salad making. This includes ac
quaintance with the particular habits
and tastes of the particular group cooked
for. One meets greater divergence of
teste in the matter of salads than per
haps in anything else, except bread.
What
I and delicious" will be condemned by an
other as "utterly lacking in flavor." As
iuusuuuK ainerenccs in habiU I know
a girl who made a salad which received
enthusiastic praise from her family and
friends assembled at a luncheon. The next
day a fresh, but exactly similar dish was
prepared for a number of men and wom
en hired to help with the harvest. The
girl had taken even greater pains with
her second attempt and rather expected
a second dose of praise What she got
was an Indignant inquiry as to whether
anyone was expected to cat "that cow
feed!" So. you sec. It is very difficult to
give exact rules for making salads "that
will be sure to please everybody," as I
am often asked to do: but here arc a
few general suggestions:
1. OH dressings are more "correct."
more wholesome, and less troublesome to
prepare than cooked dressings.
Exercise great care in your selection
of. oil. It Is the careless use of strong or
rancid oil that Is chiefly to blame for the
objection to Its use which we often find.
The name "oil" is partly responsible
Many people would take "cream of
oli-es" who would shudder at "olive oIL"
Remember that price 1ft no guide m to
whether you will like the oIL JUny people
was copied Into many English publica
tions, and the picture of Santa Claus.
It contained:
He was dresred all In for. from his head to
his foot,
And his cleth were all tarnished with
aihes and soot.
A bundle of toys be bad flans on his back.
And he looked like a peddler Just opening
his pack.
Ills eyes bow they twinkled! His dimples.
haw merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his cose like a
cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a
bow.
And the beard of his chla was as white as
the snow, '
It became the model which English
and American artists followed in pic
turing the children's friend.
really prefer the cheaper grade of salad
oil (usually cotton-seed oil) on account of
Its lack of flavor. Good cotton-seed oil Is
quite wholesome, though, of course In
ferior to olive oil In flavor and some
other qualities.
3. Avoid excess of acid In dressing salad.
Lemon juice Is generally more wholesome
than vinegar. An Infusion of tarragon in
vinegar gives a pleasing flavor.
4- If for any reason the salad hai to
stand and there Is danger of tho dressing
separating out, use a little aspic Jelly In
the dressing-.
5. Remember that celery and lettuce
go well with almost anything and will
be a great help In giving freshness to left
over material. The white leaves of the
celery may be used as well as the stalks.
6. In using parsley be sure 'to chop it
very fine
Jellied or Pressed Meats.
These call for little comment. Slow
cooking of the pieces of meat, careful
seasoning, and the addition of strongly
gelatinous stock (obtained most Inexpen
sively by boiling the bones, though aspic
Jelly may be used for a superior dish), are
the main points. "Soup cat." which still
contains a large proportion of the orig
inal nutrients of the meat, can be satis
factorily utilized this way, provided that
flavor be supplied by the use of spices,
onion Juice, vinegar or lemon Juice and
herbs, all inexpensive but helpful (when
not used to excess). In making the meat
more digestible as well as palatable.
Hard-boiled eggs (when not too expen
sive for such a purpose), chopped parsley
and strips, diamonds or stars, cut from
cold vegetables, are often used to decorate
the mold Ja which the meat Is placed. An
attractive dish Is obtained by using a
border or rjng mold and filling the center
with shredded lettuce, dressed chicory or
other slmplo salad. A large baking pow
der can also gives a good effect.
Croquettes.
Croquette mixtures, whether of seat.
fish or vezetables. require a thick and
rather highly seasoned cream or brown
sauce to be added hot to the carefully
minced foundation. Beaten egg- is also
sometimes used. The mixture should be
well beaten and spread on a plate to cool
and become firm enough for shaping. In
shaping, use as little flour as possible to
prevent sticking. Cones, balls or corK
shapes are most generally used. Have an
egg well beaten (with a pinch of salt) on
a plate; drop the croquette Into this and
with a brush coat It thoroughly with the
egg. If the coating Is not complete, the
croquette will burst In frying. Have a
fairly large pile of sifted crumbs (pre
pared at odd moments from "left-overs"
or bread dried and pounded), on a sheet
of paper. .Transfer the croquette to the
middle of this (using a spatula Knife If
you have one), and by raising the corners
of the sheet of paper the croquette may
be 'breaded" In a moment without ng
touched by the hands sometimes a second
coat of egg and crumb is given. Have
ready a pan of hot fat deep enough to
cover the croquettes, and when all arc
"Prepared, test the fat for a "cooked mix
ture (as described in the lesson on fry
ing), and If ready drop in the croquettes.
Put orily a few at a time, so as not to
lower the temperature of the fat too
much. They should quickly become an
even golden brown. Remove to a plate
with several thicknesses of paper to ab
sorb any superfluous fat. If the tem
perature Is right and If you use a spoon
shaped wire egg-beater to remove them
and hold each above the pan for a mo
ment before placlBg on the paper, there
should be little fat to be absorbed by It
and the croquettes should loek dry and
4&
free from grease Tfiey should be crisp
otltside and- moist and tasty inside. Keep
them warm in the oven (on paper) until
ready to serve. They may also be re
heated in the oven without much deterio
ration. Rissoles are made by Inclosing a cro
quette mixture In thin rounds of pastry.
They are then egged and crumbed, and
fried like croquettes. You will find that
some cook books call these latter "cro
quettes." and those without the pastry
"crissoles," so you may make your choice
of names. Both croquettes and rissoles
rare sometimes baked Instead of fried.
Other "made-over" dishes will be dis
cussed In the next lesson.
LILLIAN E. TINGLE.
Xcw Russian Building Material.
The latest building material Is "kre
mlte." which Is made at a factory near
St. Petersburg, and consists of powdered
clay, sand and fluorspar melted together
at a high temperature The molten mass
may be used like iron for molded castings
for architectural and artistic purposes,
yielding hollow bricks for buildings and'
stoves, fancy marble-like bricks, tiles for
floors and sidewalks and even thin, corru
gated plates for roofs.
The Worst to Come.
Johnson Is it really true that your wife
has left you?
Jameson Tcs. and that's not the worst.
"Why. what do you mean?"
"I've Just liad a letter saying- she's COBV
lny back I" Fain lie-Journal. . t T-
. -