G. H. McK. COLUMBUS, O., _July 16, 1917_. CONTENTS PAGE PREFACE iii CHAPTER I.--ST. NICHOLAS, SANTA CLAUS, AND KRIS KRINGLE 1 II.--BIOGRAPHY AND LEGEND 28 III.--THE BOY ST. NICHOLAS AND ST. NICHOLAS THE PATRON SAINT OF SCHOOLBOYS 37 IV.--ST. NICHOLAS AND THE DOWERLESS MAIDENS 53 V.--THE BOY BISHOP, OR NICHOLAS BISHOP 66 VI.--VARIED BENEFICENT ACTIVITY 79 VII.--ST. NICHOLAS PLAYS 89 VIII.--ST. NICHOLAS AS PATRON SAINT 112 IX.--PAGAN HERITAGE OF ST. NICHOLAS 125 X.--ST. NICHOLAS, DEFENDER OF THE FAITH 141 XI.--CONCLUSION 146 NOTES 149 ILLUSTRATIONS ST. NICHOLAS AND OTHER SAINTS _Frontispiece_ Gentile da Fabriano. (Florence.) FACING PAGE ST. NICHOLAS IN EAST FRISIA 12 Reproduced from Reinsberg-Düringsfeld, _Das festliche Jahr_. CHRISTKINDCHEN (KRIS KRINGLE) AND HANS TRAPP IN ALSACE 18 Reproduced from Reinsberg-Düringsfeld. ST. NICHOLAS SCENES IN THE STAINED GLASS OF BOURGES CATHEDRAL 34 From P. Lacroix, _Science and Art in the Middle Ages_. THREE SCENES FROM THE EARLY LIFE OF ST. NICHOLAS 38 Beato Angelico. (Rome.) THE YOUNG CLERK STRANGLED BY THE DEVIL 42 A. Lorenzetti. (Florence.) ST. NICHOLAS RESTORING A BOY TO HIS FATHER 46 Fresco at S. Croce, Florence. ST. NICHOLAS AND THE MURDERED SCHOOLBOYS 48 L. di Bicci. (Metropolitan Museum, New York.) ANOTHER PICTURE OF THE SAME SCENE 50 F. Pesellino. (Florence.) ST. NICHOLAS AND THE THREE MAIDENS 52 A. Lorenzetti. (Florence.) ANOTHER PICTURE OF THE SAME SCENE 54 Florentine School. (Louvre, Paris.) ANOTHER PICTURE OF THE SAME SCENE 56 L. di Bicci (?). (Metropolitan Museum, New York.) MADONNA AND CHILD AND VARIOUS SAINTS 60 L. di Bicci. (Florence.) ST. NICHOLAS AND THE MONEY LENDER 64 Fresco at S. Croce, Florence. THE BOY NICHOLAS ELECTED BISHOP 68 A. Lorenzetti. (Florence.)