The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-12-13
LETTERS FROM
PROMINENT PEOPLE TO THE
GOLDEN RULE, ST.
PAUL.
WHAT PRESIDENT CLEVELAND
And Many Prominent Women Say
of the Stocking Senti-
ment.

the customs and uSageS so typicaily
descriptive Of the occasion are thor
oughly identified with childhood's hopes
and joys.
The Christmas story, letter or verse
writer never fails to allude to the
stockings which hang beside the hearth,
the Christmas tree laden with toys and
$ sweets and glittering with myriad
fancy lights, which rival the childrens
eyes as they flash and sparkle with
happy anticipation.
In every nation and in all times the
legend of Santa Claus has been related
to the children. It originated with the
Germans who told the little ones of the
kind Saint Nicholas, who came with
good things for the deserving and a
whip of furze for the naughty. The
legend of Santa Claus. which in these
end-of- the-century days we still tell
to the little tot at our knee. is one
of the sweetest relics of the old times
one that we can hardly dare asso-
ciate with the fin de steele child. What
with dancing classes, juvenile parties
and good clothes, the children of
fashionable people are being carried
from our sight by the awful Pied
Piper of society. 1t is possible that the
twentieth century child will laugh to
scorn the idea of Santa Claus riding
over the roofs in a reindeer sleigh and
performing athletic feats in chimneys.
There Is a strong desire on the part of
some people to eradicate the old-time
custom Of telling the children Santa
Claus fables
Shall Santa Claus be given up?
Zone Of the sweetest memories Of my
childhood" writes Mrs. Mark Hanna,
lis the dawn of Christmas morning,
when in nightgown and bare feet 1
used to steal down the stairs as still as
mouse and go to the fireplace. where
my stocking was hung under the man
telpiece. L used to take down my stock
ing to see what Santa Claus
had brought me- would take
the stocking and hug it tight
In my arms, then 1 would stand
in front of the stove and look earnest
ly to see if Santa Claus had left
any trace Of his coming or dropped any
toys in his flight l shall never forget
how L first learned that Santa Claus
was myth, and that it was a loving
father and mother who filed the stock
1ngs L had been quite i'll the day be-
fore Christmas, and bed had been
made for me on lounge in the sitting
room, SO that L might be near my
parents room, which opened out of the
room where the stove was. 1 was rest
less and wakeful, and when my mother
filled the stockings saw her I said:
Why does not Santa Claus come? Is
the snow too deep?' My mother told
me all about it,
There is so much that is beautiful
in the legend Of Santa Claus" said Mrs
PIatt wife Of ex-senator Thomas C.
Platt, that do not see how one could
very well bring up ones children not
to believe in it. / think it is far sweeter
10 teach children that a good spirit
ILLS their stockings than it is to have a
Christmas tree. l was brought up to
believe in Santa Claus and so were my
children. and IL there is any harm In
this innocent deception 1 fail to see it.
l DO not believe it ever harmed any one
/ hope no stern dealer in facts will ever
dispel 1t from the lives of the coming
generations
Mrs. Mckinley the president elect q
wife, writes:
DO believe in teaching children the
existence of Santa Claus? Well. in
deed [ do. If l had children I would
tell them the legend of Santa Claus as
soon as they were able to understand
anything. l would not thank any one
for undeceiving them. How we'll | re-
member my delight as a child in
hanging up my stocking on Christmas
eve. / would not let any one hang it
for me; ] thought l knew the best place
for it, How / used to 70 to bed deter
mined not to sleep a " ~ all night that
I might see the good ola saint when he
came With his pack of toysi | suppose
l managed some nights to keep awake
as much as a half-hour. One night I
supposed must have dreamed of
Santa Claus, but it was a vivid dream,
for 1 declared the next day I had seen
him come out of the stove door all
ashes and SCOT, a little, old man with q
bag Of toys on his back l persisted in
declaring 1 had seen Santa Claus until
was q big girl and no matter what
any one said to me, nothing could
shake my faith in his existence"
President Cleveland, surrounded by
a crowd of hungry office-seekers.
looked like any one but a believer In
fairy tales.
He takes time to write: Indeed, J
fully believe IN teaching the little ones
to believe in Santa Claus; he is the
childrens patron saint. believe to
deprive children of the belief in their
stockings being filledeby good old ST
Nick would be to rob them Of halt
the pleasure of childhood"
Mrs. George Gould writes Of her ear
ly remembrance of the days when
Santa Claus was an actual living hui
man being, who rewarded all good
children at Christmas time by filling
their stockings.
Il did not think Of Santa Claus as a
fairy or as a spirit, but as a sort OF
father, who came about at Christmas
time said she. 81 taught my little
daughter to believe In Santa Claus
and l would not give the happiness OF
seeing her unload her stocking OF
Christmas morning for all [ possess
Even now she brings her stocking AM
has a Christmas tree besides, and the
last thing LIDO before retiring on Christ
mas eve is to-fill that little stocking
and hang my contributions, with those
of her grandma and aunties. on the
tree"
David Christie Murray thus briefly
expresses his faith in the Santa Claus
legend:
IF I had my way every child should
believe in Santa Claus Every child
should believe in fairies, elfs, and al
benevolent small people, / hate the
modern unitarian mechanisms which
are killing the graceful imaginations
natural to childhood
CHRISTMAS "RIvERsEDE.v