The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-12-23

]
USUAL!
Thomas Gradgrind, says Chas.
/ Dickens, in HARD TINES" is
man of realities, a man of facts and
/ calculations. man who proceeds
upon the principle that two and two
| are four, and nothing over, and who
! is not to be talked into allowing for
anything over"
| 'fNow what / want is the facts,
/ in this life we want nothing but
facts, sir are the sentiments of Mr..
| Gradgrind. The EDITOR of THE
! WAYNE COUNTY HERALD must
have been inspired by the same de-
/ sire for facts as Mr.. Gradgrind at
! the time he wrote the editorial in
! this weeks HERALD, in which he
hurls Santa Claus into oblivion.
Facts sir, nothing but facts"
whom asks the EDITOR of THE
! HERALD, does this scare crow i'm
postor representa-" We were under
! the impression that the beautiful
and sentimental custom of Santa
I Claus represented Saint Nicholas,
the Patron Saint of children in
Germany, and that this custom had
been long in use there and was
brought to this country by the first
German settlers, but THE HERALD
asks us, 'is it not offending one of
those little ones to impose upon
/ that trusting child" and in answer
to this question the learned EDITOR
has dethroned Santa Claus forever
and emancipated children from the
thraldom under which they were
held for centuries. We supposed
that giving a present to a child in
the name or under the auspices of
ST. Nicholas, the Patron Saint of
children, would not be an imposition
upon the child, even though he were
led to believe that the present came
directly from the saint, but in this
our mind has been disabused. In
accordance with the views in THE
HEPALD there are many other de-
luSions' under which children labor,
which should be removed and in
deed older people as well. Mr..
Gradgrind only wants facts"
facts are the only thing in this
life," therefore let us eliminate all
sentiment of every kind. THE HER
AID says the children are taught
to ascribe to this Santa Claus what
really belongs to the parents and
the great Giver of every good and
perfect gift. We understand that
whoever gave the gift, traced back
to its origin it came from this Source,
that is from God, through the parent
to the child, but we were not in
formed that it would depreciate the
gift or deceive the children if it were
given in the name of the Patron
Saint of children.
THE HERALD asks as it right
to impose upon the credulity OF
childhood?" We should answer not
if the child were harmed by the i'm
position. If we only want facts
as Mr.. Gradgrind tells us. then nc
imposition should be practised upon
the child and no delusion should be
permitted, but any person can read
lily see the inconvenience of suffi.
ciently informing children on al
matters during infancy. The songs
;; with which infancy is lulled to sleeI
should be changed from "Rock-a
: bye Baby" to THE Star SpangleC
Banner" because one is a delusioI
and sentimental, the other is prac
teal, and as we only want facts, the
child should hear no song in which
there is delusion or a snare. The
child should not be fooled or i'm
: posed upon by that other silly senti
| mental delusion, "This little toe
went to market, and this little to,
taught that all toes went in thu
S same place, if we only want facts
a Perhaps by training of this kind tn
< children would be educated to dis
a (Coptinuad on papa Eipht