Produced by David Schaal and PG Distributed Proofreaders
CHRISTMAS IN LEGEND AND STORY
Some say that ever 'gainst that season comes
Wherein our Saviour's birth, is celebrated,
The bird of dawning singeth all night long:
And then, they say, no spirit dares stir abroad;
The nights are wholesome; then no planets strike,
No fairy takes, nor witch hath power to charm,
So hallow'd and so gracious is the time.
SHAKESPEARE.
CHRISTMASINLEGEND AND STORY
A BOOK FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
COMPILED BY
ELVA S. SMITH
CARNEGIE LIBRARYPITTSBURGH
AND
ALICE I. HAZELTINE
PUBLIC LIBRARYST. LOUIS
ILLUSTRATEDFROMFAMOUS PAINTINGS
1915
CHRISTMAS IN LEGEND AND STORY
PREFACE
In our experience in library work with children we have learned that it isvery difficult to find Christmas stories and legends which have literarymerit, are reverent in spirit, and are also suitable for children. Thiscollection has been made in an endeavor to meet this need, and thus to beof service to parents, teachers, and librarians.
Most of the stories and poems in this book are of the legendary type. Theyhave been chosen from a wide variety of sources and represent the work ofmany writers. There are other stories also, which, although not strictlytraditional, have the same reverent spirit and illustrate traditionalbeliefs and customs. These have been included for their literary value andtheir interest for young people.
In the arrangement of the selections we have followed the natural order ofthe events in preference to grouping the stories for boys and girls ofdifferent ages.
Although no attempt has been made to adapt the legends for story-telling,most of them may be used for that purpose. Many of the selections are alsowell suited for reading aloud.
Above all it is hoped that this book may bring real joy to the boys andgirls for whom it has been compiled.
ELVA S. SMITH,
CATALOGUER OF CHILDREN'S BOOKS,
CARNEGIE LIBRARY OF PITTSBURGH.
ALICE I. HAZELTINE,
SUPERVISOR OF CHILDREN'S WORK,
ST. LOUIS PUBLIC LIBRARY.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The compilers wish to thank Mrs. Margaret Deland for permission to use
"The Christmas Silence;" Mrs. Etta Austin McDonald for her adaptation of
Coppée's "Sabot of Little Wolff" from "The Child Life Fifth Reader;"
Josephine Preston Peabody for "The Song of a Shepherd-Boy at Bethlehem;"
Mrs. William Sharp for "The Children of Wind and the Clan of Peace," by
Fiona Macleod; Nora Archibald Smith and the editors of the Outlook for
"The Haughty Aspen;" and the editors of Good Housekeeping Magazine,
Little, Brown & Company and Mrs. Velma Swanston Howard for her translation
of "The Legend of the Christmas Rose," by Selma Lagerlöf, taken from Good
Housekeeping Magazine, copyright, 1907. Copyright, 1910, by Little, Brown
& Company.
Thanks are also due to the following publishers for permission to reprintpoems and stories on which they hold