The Washington herald., 1911-12-24
The Myth of Santa Claus.

Two men sat alone in the smoking
compartment of a Pullman on a train
headed to this city from a Western
point night before last.
Both seemed to be occupied with their
thoughts. but after they had sat there
putting reflectlvely at their smokes for
a half hour or more. the square-jawed one
with the bristly mustache opened up
Il conversation.
Seems awful good to me to be getting
home before Christmas, says he. Il
didn't know until the other day that I'd
be able to get any nearer home than
Omaha this year. Last year I didn't
get home at ALL and it was pretty for
Iorn day. I can tell you.
II should say so." put in the other
occupant Of the smoker. "A man wants
10 he at home with his family on Christ
mas. I've been pretty fortunate most
of the time. but I've had to he away
once or twice and my kids were just
about sick over it. You see, I always
play Santa Claus for 'em, and when
| couldn't get home, why, they didn't
get to see Santa and thought he'd sort
Of turned 'em down. even though he'd
left a lot of stuff during the night. and
besides. they couldn't understand why
should be away from home at Christmas
time"
It's about the same way at our house,
remarked the bristIy mustached man.
My youngsters have been writing me
letters and telling me what they want
ed Sanity to bring them and how they're
counting the days till l get home. That
youngest girl of mine hasn't started to
school yet-she's only five and half
but DANCED if she amt goin' to be a
smart Un. We haven't made much effort
to teach her at home because her mother
thinks 1t doesn't pay to tax their minds
too young, but blamed if she hasn't just
naturally learned to write we'll enough
to pen first-rate Christmas letter. Just
seemed to pick 1t up"
81 wouldn't doubt it," responded the
other one, agreeably. They do learn in
a hurry. Now, I've got one little girl,
only a little mOren two. Last year, of
course. she was pretty small, although
smarter, l guess, than most kids of her
age; but, take my word for X. old man,
she seemed to enjoy that Christmas tree
of ours as much as anybody. I may have
imagined some of it. but she acted as If
she knew it was Christmas the minute
she opened her eyes that morning. Yes.
indeedy. it's wonderful how fast they
learn things.
The only thing that's worrying me
now he went on. 'fs that it won't be
long till all of my youngsters will have
seen the Sanity Claus myth exploded. The
youngest one'II be starting to school in
another year. and after that We can't
hope to keep up the Sanity Claus business
much longer. It'I kill half the fun OF
Christmas when they've all, one by one.
seen the bubble punCtured. I'll never
forget the time We let our oldest boy
he's going on nine now-in on the secret.
When he'd started to school We decided
that we'd rather expose the pretty little
myth to him ourselves than have ii done
| by the boys at school. We managed to
keep up his faith, however. until the
| Christmas following that autumn that he
started to school, and that year, when
played Sanity Claus for him, we arranged
that he should ask Sanity to take off his
things and stay while. Well when he
came up, timidly. and asked me If l
| wouldn't make the family a little visit,
| started in to take off my fur-trimmed
Sanity Claus outfit. and he, OF course. saw
| through the whole game. Say, it af-
fected the little tyke rather peculiarly, 1
| thought He felt so chagrined to think
that he had been made the victim OF a
| hoax all his life that he was going TO
tgive away all his presents-wOuldn't keep
a thing the fake Sanity had brought him.
! l had hard time persuading him TO for
get his disgust and make the best Of
Things But down in my heart the whole
spectacle of that little boys sudden bring
| ing up to the prosaic land of reality out
of the golden country of illusion seemed
pitifuI almost tragic. II really did. AS
say, I'll feel pretty tough when my
youngest one no longer dreams OF the
reindeer and the big sled full OF presents
that come from the north pole
| same here remarked the SQUARE
| iawed smoker And yet you hear OF
| LEANED college professors getting up oc-
casionalIy and denounclng the instilling
of such fabrications as the Santa Claus
story into the minds of impressionable
children and a lot more like that"
! "Oh, WELL smiled the other homing
traveller, those fellows never were boys"