Successful Recitations

by Unknown

SANTA CLAUS.

BY ALFRED H. MILES.

The bells were ringing their cheerful chimes
In the old grey belfry tow'r,
The choir were singing their carols betimes
In the wintry midnight hour,
The waits were playing with eerie drawl
"The mistletoe hung in the castle hall,"
And the old policeman was stomping his feet
As he quiver'd and shiver'd along on his beat;

The snow was falling as fast as it could
O'er city and hamlet, forest and wood,
And Jack Frost, busy with might and main,
Was sketching away at each window-pane;

Father Christinas was travelling fast,
Mid the fall of the snow and the howl of the blast,
With millions of turkeys for millions to taste,
And millions of puddings all tied to his waist,
And millions of mince-pies that scented the air,
To cover the country with Christmas fare,—

When over the hills, from far away,
Came Santa Claus with the dawn of day;
He rode on a cycle, as seasons do,
With Christmas behind him a-tandem too;
His pockets were bigger than sacks from the mill—
The Soho Bazaar would not one of them fill,
And the Lowther Arcade and the good things that stock it
Would travel with ease in his tiniest pocket.
And these were all full of delights and surprises
For gifts and rewards and for presents and prizes.

Little knick-knackeries, beautiful toys
For mas and papas and for girls and for boys
There were dolls of all sorts, there were dolls of all sizes,
In comical costumes and funny disguises,—
Dolls of all countries and dolls of all climes,
Dolls of all ages and dolls of all times;
Soldier dolls, sailor dolls, red, white and blue;
Khaki dolls, darkie dolls, trusty and true;
Curio Chinese and quaint little Japs,
Nid-nodding at nothing, the queer little chaps;
Bigger dolls, nigger dolls woolly and black,
With never a coat or a shirt to their back.
Dolls made of china and dolls made of wood,
Dutch dolls and such dolls, and all of them good;
Dolls of fat features, and dolls with more pointed ones,
Dolls that were rigid and dolls that were jointed ones,
Dolls made of sawdust and dolls made of wax,
Dolls that go "bye-bye" when laid on their backs,
Dolls that are silent when nobody teases them,
Dolls that will cry when one pinches or squeezes them;
Dolls with fair faces and eyes bright of hue,
The black and the brunette, the blond and the blue;
Bride dolls and bridegrooms, the meekest of spouses;
And hundreds and thousands of pretty dolls' houses.
And as for the furniture—think for a day
He brought all you'll think of and all I could say!

And then there were playthings and puzzles and games.
With all kinds of objects and all sorts of names,—
Musical instruments, boxes and glasses,
And fiddles and faddles of various classes;
Mandolins ready for fingers and thumbs,
And banjos and tambourines, trumpets and drums.

Noah's arks, animals, reptiles and mammals,
Mammoths and crocodiles, cobras and camels;
Lions and tigers as tame as a cat,
Eagles and vultures as blind as a bat;
Bears upon bear-poles and monkeys on sticks,
Foxes in farmyards at mischievous tricks;
Monkeys on dogs too, and dogs too on bicycles,
Clumsy old elephants triking on tricycles;
Horses on rockers and horses on wheels,
But never a one that could show you his heels.

There were tops for the whip, there were tops for the string,
There were tops that would hum, there were tops that would
sing;
There were hoops made of iron and hoops made of wood,
And hoop-sticks to match them, as strong and as good;
There were books full of pictures and books full of rhymes,
There were songs for the seasons and tales for the times;
Pen-knives and pen-wipers, pencils and slates,
Wheelers and rockers and rollers and skates;
Bags full of marbles and boxes of bricks,
And bundles and bundles of canes and of sticks.

There were "prams" for the girls, there were "trams" for the
boys,
And thousands of clever mechanical toys,—
Engines and carriages running on rails,
Steamers and sailers that carry the mails;
Flags of all nations, and ships for all seas—
The Red Sea, the Black Sea, or what sea you please—
That tick it by clockwork or puff it by steam,
Or outsail the weather or go with the stream;
Carriages drawn by a couple of bays,
'Buses and hansoms, and waggons and drays,
Coaches and curricles, rallis and gigs—
All sorts of wheelers, with all sorts of rigs.

Cricket and croquet, and bat, trap, and ball,
And tennis—but really the list would appal.
There were balls for the mouth, there were balls for the feet,
There were balls you could play with and balls you could eat,
There were balls made of leather and balls made of candy,
Balls of all sizes, from footballs to brandy.

And then came the boxes of curious games,
With all sorts of objects and all sorts of names,—
Lotto and Ludo, the Fox and the Geese,
Halma and Solitaire—all of a piece;
Go-bang and Ringolette, Hook-it and Quoits,
For junior endeavours and senior exploits;
And Skittles and Spellicans, Tiddle-de-winks—
But one mustn't mention the half that one thinks;
Chessmen and draughtsmen, and hoards upon hoards
Of chess and backgammon and bagatelle boards;
And boxes of dominoes, boxes of dice,
And boxes of tricks you can try in a trice.

And Santa Claus went with his wonderful load
Through street after street, and through road after road,
And crept through the keyholes—or some other way;
He got down the chimneys—so some people say:
But, one way or other, he managed to creep
Where all the good children were lying asleep;
And when he got there, all the stockings in rows
That were ready hung up he cramm'd full to the toes
With the many good things he had brought with the day
From over the hills and far away.

And Santa Claus smiled as he look'd on the faces
Of all the good children asleep in their places,
And laugh'd out so loud as to almost awaken
One sharp little fellow who great pains had taken;
His socks were too small—for he'd hopes of great riches—
So, tying the legs, he had hung up his breeches!
And surely the tears almost came in his eyes
As he open'd a letter with joy and surprise
That he took from a stocking hung up to a bed,
And surely they fell as the letter he read;
'Twas a little girl's hand, and said, "Dear Santer Claws,
Don't fordit baby's sox—they's hung up to the drors."

But wasn't there laughter and shouting and noise
From the boys and the girls, and the girls and the boys,
When they counted the good things the good Saint had brought
them,
And laid them all out on their pillows to sort them.
Such wonderful voices, such wonderful lungs,
It was just like another confusion of tongues,
A Babel of chatter from master and miss—
And I don't think they've left off from that day to this.

Ah! good little people, if thus you shall find
Rich treasures provided, be grateful and mind,
In the midst of your pleasures, a moment to pause,
And think about Christmas and good Santa Claus!

Remember, in weary and desolate places,
With tears in their eyes and with grime on the faces,
The children of poverty, sorrow and weep,
With little to cheer them awake or asleep;
And remember that you who have much and to spare,
Can brighten their eyes and can lighten their cares,
If you take the example and work to the cause
Of your own benefactor, the good Santa Claus.

You need not climb chimneys in tempest and storm,
Nor creep into keyholes in fairy-like form;
You've a magical key for the dreariest place
In the light of your eyes and the smile of your face.
And remember the joy that you give to another
Will gladden your own heart as well as the other;
For troubles are halved when together we bear them,
And pleasures are doubled whenever we share them.