THE STORY OF SANTA KLAUS [Illustration: Merry Christmas to all! From Thomas Nast’s “Christmas Drawings for the Human Race.” Copyright 1889 by Harper and Brothers.] THE STORY OF SANTA KLAUS TOLD FOR CHILDREN OF ALL AGES FROM SIX TO SIXTY BY WILLIAM S. WALSH AND ILLUSTRATED BY ARTISTS OF ALL AGES FROM FRA ANGELICO TO HENRY HUTT [Illustration] NEW YORK MOFFAT, YARD AND COMPANY 1909 Copyright, 1909, by WILLIAM S. WALSH NEW YORK Published October, 1909 CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. WHO IS SANTA KLAUS 13 II. STRANGE ADVENTURES OF THE SAINT’S BODY 39 III. CHRIST-KINKLE AND CHRIST-KINDLEIN 50 IV. THE EVOLUTION OF CHRISTMAS 58 V. SILENUS, SATURN, THOR 69 VI. A TERRIBLE CHRISTMAS IN OLD FRANCE 80 VII. THE CHRISTMAS TREE IN LEGEND 90 VIII. THE CHRISTMAS TREE IN HISTORY 99 IX. THE CHRISTMAS TREE IN EUROPE 109 X. THE CHRISTMAS TREE IN ENGLAND AND AMERICA 118 XI. THE STORY OF THE THREE KINGS 124 XII. SOME TWELFTH NIGHT CUSTOMS 151 XIII. ST. NICHOLAS IN ENGLAND 158 XIV. FATHER CHRISTMAS AND HIS FAMILY 165 XV. PANTOMIME IN THE PAST AND PRESENT 185 XVI. SAINT NICHOLAS IN EUROPE 194 XVII. SAINT NICHOLAS IN AMERICA 214 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE Merry Christmas to all! _Frontispiece_ St. Nicholas as the patron saint of children 15 The Consecration of St. Nicholas 19 St. Nicholas and the three maidens 23 St. Nicholas resuscitating the schoolboys 27 Bishop Nicholas 31 St. Nicholas of Bari 35 Heads of the Christ-child 41 The Christ-child surrounded by angels 47 “Suffer little children to come unto me” 51 Christ the giver 55 Christmas presents 59 Saturn, the God of Time 63 Silenus and Fauns 71 Santa Claus and his young friends 73 Carrying home the Christmas dinner 77 The Feast of the Passover 81 The Adoration of the Lamb 87 Luther and the Christmas tree 101 Christmas tree of the English royal family 111 On the way to Bethlehem 125