The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-12-08


Not believe in Santa Clausl You
might as we'll not believe in fairies.
You might get your papa to hire men
to- watch in all chimneys on Christ
mas 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 sign that there is no Santa
Claus. The most real things in the
world are those that neither children
nor man can see. Did. you ever see
fairies dancing on the lawn? OF
course not, but that is 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 and see what makes the noise
inside, 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 pic
ture the supernal beauty and glory
beyond. 1t is all real? All! Vir-
ginia, in all this would there is moth
ing else real and abiding.
"No Santa Claus! Thank God! he
lives and he lives forever.> A thous-
and years from now, Virginia, nay
ten times ten thousand years from
now, he will continue to make glad
the hearts of childhood.
Virginia, your little friends are
wrong. They have been affected by
NhA r,1r sasr~ ~f IL ksa1,
They think that nothing can be
which is not comprehensive by their
little minds. All minds, Virginia,
whether they be mems or children's,
are little. In this great universe of
ours man is a mere insect, an ant,
in his intellect, as compared with the
boundless world about him, as meas
ured by the intelligence capable of
grasping the whole truth and knowl-
edge.
Eyes, 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 our life it's highest beauty
and joy. Alas! how dreary would be
the world if there was no Santa
Claus. 1t would be as dreary as if
there were no Virginias. There
would be no child-like faith then, no
poetry, no romance, to make toler-
able this existence. We should have
no enjoyment, except in sense and
sight. The eternal light with which
childhood fills the world would be
extinguished. Santa Claus, the spirit
of the Christ-Child-the greatest ex-
emplar that ever dwelt on the earth
lis exemplified in millions of peo-
pie over the civilized world, in pre-
pairing for the celebration of the
birth of Him whose love and help
fulness went out to all humanity.
We see Santa Claus the spirit of
Christmas in evidence in every home
in some form, but the most unset
fish, the most Christ-like is that
which goes out to the poor, needy
and suffering. We see Santa Claus
in the spirit which prompts the send
ing of Christmas dinners for the Sal
vation Army to dispense, money, eat
ables and wearables to the home for
the Friendless( orphan and found
ling asylums, Day Nursery, district
nurses, Associated Charities, House
of the Good Shepherd, missions, hos
pitfalls, the guilds, churches, Sunday
schools, fraternal organizations, to
the many avenues of distribution, to
bring hope, joy, peace, to renew faith
in humanity. Santa Claus is real.
The brotherhood of man, the help
ing hand, the true Christmas must
come when all men are at peace with
one another, when there shall be nc
more war-may we not add crime
The human race is advancing to a
higher civilization, when men will
learn to abolish the system which
now brings into the world the great
bulk of idiots, criminals and weak
lings, which cause our penal and ele-
emosyary institutions to overflow
We would that the spirit of Santa
Claus would be with us all the year,
not the mere gift giving but the
kindlier and more humane spirit OF
cheer and helpfulness.-New York