The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-12-24
.SSANTA CLAUS A CHEAT?
md OUGHT HE TO BE BANIsHED
ACCORDINGLY?


Many Other People Say No-The Old
Elf Deceives Nobody-Mrs. Lucy
Parsons and a Lately Landed Immi-
grant on Christmas.
copyright 1893
NEW YORK, Dec. 22.-Must Santa Claus
20!
Is the dear old fellow a mockery and
leiusion9
Do we trick our children with bumbug
i'll they fnd us out and refuse to believe us
orever after:
Must we bow Kris Kringle to the door
ind slip the bolt on his cheeks like winter
.pples, his twinkling eyes, his frosted beard,
lis swapping whip for naughty urchius, his
,ack of toys for good ones. Must we stop
he Threats of the chimDeys and cease to
listen for the jingle of the bells of the rein
leer, all in the interest of Righteousness?
There be those who say that if we lie in
he nursery, we can hardly expect much
'everence for truth from its inhabitants;
mud they cannot blame the world at large
or fouling the crystal pool of the infant
mind.
what al ideam
knew by the tone in which Ella Wheeler
Wilcox said it that Santa Claus had one de-
ssnder.
Don't tell any one that you saw my
iesk in such an awful condition"
The desk was bestrewn with grammar
md dictionaries from French lesson lust
snded, and TO sweeten the dry dust of learn
ing pretty little lad in Dresden china
ibouldered tasket of roses which shed
fragrance over the room. In front of the
iesk sat pretty little woman in white
muslin gown. There was black velvet
belt fastening the short Josephine bodice
and silver buckle fastening the belt.
There was black velvet tied about the
plump white throat ard more velvet ribbon
lacinG the open sleeves.
II believe IN keeping I'D the illusions as
long as we car. We spend our lives out
growing things. We have to outgrow
the immaculate conception and the Trinity
and all manner Of other things. There's no use
In beginning too soon. Why, would rather
see girl 20 into raptureS over every fresh
muStache than become the cynic so many
do before trey are fairly grown. belle ged
In the world thoroughly at Is, and l wouldn't
have had myself know then what | know
now for great deal. Not that l don't be-
lieve in a good share of the world still. II
has been kind world and used me we'll Il
think We cheat children often unnecessarily.
L
bies are dug out of the ground or that the
storke bring them, but | would let them en-
JOY Santa Claus | enjoyed the thought Of
him with all my heart myself, and out
grew the myth 81 naturally and SO grad
ually that l can't in the least remember
when / stopped believing in him. My SIS
ter had a rrble experience for little one
when she found out that there wasn't any
Kris Kringle, but don't believe that many
children take the disenchantment in sub
painful fashion. No, pity children who
have never had genuine faith in the elf. l
know from experience what they have
missed
Mrs Wilcox processes to regard Thanks
giving, the home festival, more than Christ
mas and to do very little giftgiving, but
there are divers aud sundry struggling girls
who could tell different story. Her bounty
has much more mystery about it than
that of the average Santa Claus. She has
often put money into the hands of Gertrude
Garrison and other women to be dispensed by
them where it might make happy fireside
without having the falntest notion herself
in what quarter that fireside might be.
as the world resolving itself into an in
terrogation pointf'
This is what Miss Kate Sanborn said
when / asked her if Santa Claus ought to
be abolished, and it did not seem to augur
well.
The rain was coming down in sheets and
it appeared that l need not trouble myself
about Santa Claus who could not come to
disturb US this year unless he had learned
to swim. A tall girl in riding skirt and
trousers plodded past cracking her whip as
she went. If she could venture, so could |.
The elevator boy had large hearted compass
sion on my umbrella. and set it a drying
while / en- oyed the light OF the flower shaded
lamps In Miss Sanborn's delightful rooms.
n. Snfs.
one. Somebody asked me if l wanted to
vote, and it took me two days to make up
my mind Then l decided that did. But
it won't take that length of time to declare
my allegiance to Santa Claus. When DIR.
Hail proclaimed war on Kris Kringle and
Miss Frances Willard opened fire on the
doll, then l asked myself, What Is this
country coming tor
what practical, matter-of-fact world
it is getting 20 be!
"And how it turns ones ideas topsy tur-
Wy. William Tell, they say, never existed,
and Pocahontas was very immoral sort
of Indian girl, and Henry VIIIS was a
model of virtue, and Judas Iscariot was no
traitor, but wanted to develop his Matters
power. And now they find mischief in
poor old Santa Claus.
"Well, if one must be painfully accurate,
a very Gradgrind for facts, of course Santa
will have to go; but you tell the fable with
a twinkle in your eye, and the little folks
listen with an answering spark in theirs and
nobody is deceived. Why, like to think
of the dryads in the trees and gnomes down
in the mires and Klngsley's water babies in
the brooks. You know Matthew Arnold
talks of the dramatic instinct in the race
which delights in myth weaving. Not tsat
one believes, but it is SO pleasant to make
believe. I'd like to hang up my stocking
myself on Christmas Eve"
The exponent of the wit and wisdom Of
woman, who possesses so large share of
both herself, has a gracious and womanly
presence, which takes one captive immedl-
ately She is an optimist who looks on the
brightest side of life, but just here her CHEEKY
face took a graver shade.
"I've supported myself since | was II,
and I've learned that this is world without
much sentiment in it, which values you
chiefly for what you can do to amuse it;
but It has, after all, its grand throes
of feeling. Christmas is sacred, though 10
most people who have passed childhood it is
the saddest day of the year. One wouldn't
mind taking sleeping potion and not wax
ing till it was done.
but. Santa Clausi hang up the baby's
stocking and let's come as near to believing
in the elf as we can"
The umbrella still dripped and the wet
streets we're none the pleasanter for the con-
trast with the soft yellow tones and the
profusion of artistic trifles in that oasis OF
drawing room.
At Mrs. John Sherwood's there were more