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About Nyssa gate city journal. (Nyssa, Or.) 1937-199? | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 1972)
Nyssa Gate City Journal 66th Year, 51»t Issue SECOND SECTION Thundarcgg Capital Santa’s White Beard, Red Suit Come from Cartoonist Many years ago a pilgrim monk, Brother Froilan, came to live in the wilder ness With him he brought an old rug for protection against the elements, some packets of healing herbs and seeds for growing. Around his waist hung his crucifix, and a short-bladed Damascan sword His neighbors were the remnants of the Germanic tribes, all pagans, believing in gods of wood, stone ar.d sacrifice With one of the few gold pieces he had brought he purchased a small gray donkey, which became his companion and friend, as well as his beast of burden This was his only friend among the hostile families nearby with whom he could not communicate by the spoken word. Only the children treated him kindly. They loved to watch him sit by the fire, take his knife and carve some small animal which they knew — a goat, a calf, a sheep, even a wolf or fox. traditional enemies lighted, shared their joy with their elders After a while they too came to sit and watch the "strange” monk with his "strange" stories to tell. As the months went by, Even in the rain they came the older pedple began to He was weaving the threads trust him; they began to of truth share language, and he read The children made a to them the story of Christ small spread for the tiny mas and some of the teach ings of Jesus from the bre Jesus figure The older peo viary he carried at all ple brought offerings of times Even in Latin the food to the monk for his stories had a rhythm and evening meal. cadence they could enjoy Brother Froilan was But the monk knew that the deeply grateful to the heav tribesmen did not really identify with the meaning enly Father for showing of his stories The children him a way to these people s seemed to be the only hu hearts . . and perhaps to mans who warmed to his a better way of life, through Christmas. spirit Brother Froilan pondered how he could reach the minds and souls of the older folk Out of a quiet mind he summoned what might be the answer through the wooden figures he made — things these people could see. touch, feel The little animals he carved represented that first Christmas Perhaps he could also carve angels, shepherds, kings from the East . . perchance even the Holy Family' Then he could indeed bring a Christ mas to his neighbors which they could truly take to their hearts Thus the monk began fashioning the other figures of the first Christmas, and he told the story to the children as he carved the figures The children, de Who gave Santa his red suit. broad girth, white beard, ruddy cheeks and nose fur- trimmed hat and coal'’ Surprisingly enough, the donor was a political car- toonist. The artist's name WHS Thomas Nast. cartoonist for Harper's illustrated Weekly. who also created the now- tamous symbols of the Re publican elephant and the Democratic donkey The figure of Santa that Nast drew in 1863, and per haps earlier, has proved to be the definitive one. and even today the figure as drawn by Nast appears occasionally on Christmas greetings. "Nast's image of Santa was extraordinary." says Mrs. Jeannette Lee, director of design at Hallmark. "He gave Santa many of the qualities that have en deared him to children ever since, and we wouldn't dream of tampering very much with them today." Nast first credited Santa with keeping books on good and bad children, having a Christmas toy workshop and reading letters sent to him by children. Perhaps it was the now- in and about those larger famous poem, "A Visit from presents that could not be St Nicholas." by Dr Clement crowded Into the row of Clarke Moore, that inspired stockings that hung by the Nast's illustration of Santa family fireplace In this children's classic of "It was a time of splendor 1823 the right Jolly old elf. and rejoicing — the festive who looked like a peddler blossoming of the winter sea with a pack on his back, was son — and it was a beautiful and sturdy family that made first described in print Nast followed Dr Moore's Merry Christmas riot in the description of Santa in sev spacious New York home ." In Nast's day. the idea of eral particulars, but many of some sort of Santa was not his concepts were original At the time of Nast's Santa new to this country He was Claus drawings the nation introduced to North America was at Civil War. and fam by the early Dutch settlers ilies were separated. In a and his name was St Nicho note to cheer both soldiers las The annual visit of this and their waiting families kind man, who was thought Nast drew "Santa Claus in to have been a fourth-cen- Camp." for Harper's Weekly. This earliest Santa was different from any artist's creations up till then. He was shown wearing stars and stripes of the Union and dis tributing gifts to soldiers. Actually, this Santa might have been meant as a repre sentation of Uncle Sam also A later, equally moving Nast Illustration featured a soldier's Christmas home- coming Born in 1840 in the tiny hamlet of Landau, Bavaria, Nast probably pictured Santa as the long-imagined Saint Nicholas of his childhood Albert Bigelow Paine, a friend and admirer of Nast, said the artist often revealed to him his love of the Santa illustrations. He later wrote in his biography of the car toonist : "His own childhood in far- off Bavaria has been meas ured by the yearly visits of ... St. Nicholas . and the girlhood of the woman who was to become his wife < Sarah Edwards of New York i was intimately associated with brilliant and joyous celebrations. "Nast’s children later re called there was always a multitude of paper dolls — marvelously big and elabo rate, a race long since be come extinct. "And these the artistic father — more than half a child himself at the Christ mas season — arranged in processions and cavalcades, gay pageants that marched tury bishop, was his feast day. December 6th By 1809. Washington Irving was describing Santa as a small Dutch citizen who looked much like Father Knickerbocker Irving won dered how the poor . old man could get to all the homes in a growing America on his horse, so he invented the fa mous reindeer-drawn sleigh /