Volume 15 , Issue 41

Is There A Santa Claus

With Christmas just around the corner,we searched and found this following 1914 article in The Anderson Intelligencer, dated 15 December 1914, page 4, printed in Anderson, South Carolina. Back then this was the season when the kiddies were interested in writing their letters to Santa Claus, making known their desires as to what shall be placed in their stockings on the most interesting night of the year to childhood. It was considered a beautiful custom, a modern development of the Santa Claus tradition that means so much to children, old and young.

The first batch of letters that year to Santa Claus would always bring to the minds of many what was perhaps the most famous literary production ever elicited by such a letter. It was the letter which was printed a few years before in the New York Sun, and widely credited to the editor, Mr. Dana, which became a classic. But the paper reported that Mr. Dana was not the author of this particular editorial. It was written by a comparatively obscure editorial writer for The Sun, a Mr. Church, who died some five or six years ago (1908). It should be explained that the letter from "Virginia" was not addressed to Santa Claus, but was rather an inquiry of the editor as to whether or not there was (and is) a Santa Claus. The editorial reply was as follows:

"Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist; and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas? How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this world except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

"Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no proof that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing upon the lawn? Of course not; but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders that are unseen and unseeable in the world.

"You may tear apart the baby's rattle to see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only, faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah! Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding. The glorious full moon would not be so beautiful; the brightly twinkling stars would be cold and dim, the grand old sun would not yield so much light and warmth. No, no, if our beautiful world could be so greatly disillusioned, so bereft of childish fancy and allurement, then all would be very very sad.

"Yes, Virginia, Santa Claus will come this Christmas as usual to all the hopeful, faithful loving children of dear old New York; they must never doubt his existence, but ever trust and believe in him while their little hearts are warm and young, tender and true. He comes on this one special visit to all faithful, confiding children who regularly expect him once each year. it takes Santa Claus nearly all the year to collect these Christmas presents before the well known happy day they are given out to the hopeful and expectant. I must tell you and repeat to you:

"It is an old, old story.
And yet it is ever new,
The story of good Santa Claus
Who will ever live for you.

"No, Santa Claus! Thank God! He lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood."   |  View or Add Comments (0 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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