Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1902-12-24
BEAUTIFUL ANSWER
To the Universal Query of
Americas Children
Charles A. Dana Answers the Question
sis there a Santa Claus" His reply
has Become Classic-The Full Text
of His Little HOmiIy.

u n
of His Little HOmily.
Some years ago the following ap-
peared in the New York Sun. 1t is
SO beautiful that it is re-published
for the benefit of the grown ups who
have never seen it and of the little
ones who are asking the question pro-
pounded by the little girl who adj
dressed the query to the Sun. The
reply written by Mr., Dana is as fol-
lows:
We take pleasure ia answering at
once and thus prominently the COM
munication below, expressing at the
same time our great qualification that
its faithful author is numbered among
the friends of the Sun:
Dear Editor:-I am years old.
Some of my little friends say there is
Santa Claus. Papa says, eff you see
it in the Sun it's So Please tell me
the truth: Is there Santa CLAUSE
Virginia O'Hanlon.
Virginia, your little friends are
wrong. They have been affected by
the skepticsm of skeptic age. They
do not believe because they do not
see. They think that nothing can
be which is not comprehensive by
their minds. All minds, Virginia,
whether they be me ms or children's
are little. In this great universe of
ours man is mere insect, an ant, as
compared with the bonndless world
about him, as measured by the intel
ligence capable of grasping the whole
of Truth and knowledge.
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 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
child-like faith then, no poetry, no
romance, TO make tolerable this eX-
istence. We would have no enjoy
ment 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 ia fairies
You might get your papa to hire men
to watch in all the chimneys on
Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus
coming down, what would that prove?
Nobody ever saw Santa Claus, but
that is no sign that there is no Santa
Claus. The most real things in the
world are those that neither. children
nor men see. Did you ever see fairies
dancing on the lawn? OF course not;
but that's no proof that they are not
there Nobody can conceive or imag-
inc all the wonders there are unsee-
able in the world.
You may tear apart the baby's rat
tie and see what makes the noise in
side, but there is 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 agony beyond
1t is all real? All, Virginia, in all
this world there is nothing else real
and abiding.
No Santa Claus Thank God! he
lives forever. A thousand years from
now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten
thousand years from now, he will
continue to make glad the hearts of