The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1911-12-24
IS THERE A SANTA CLAUS?

A little girls faith in Santa Claus
was almost crushed by one OF her
so-called friends, an elderly man
and a crusty bachelor, who has
soured on the world and all its
beauties and blessings.
Going to her mother with fearful
eyes she cried in her distress almost
overwhelming: Mammal Mamma
Mr.. Smith says there is no Santa
Clausl'
Wipe away your tears, dear, Mr..
Smith is bachelor and is grouchy,
and forgets that when he was lit
tie boy he reveled in the joyful an
ticipations of Santa Claus"
Yes, there is a Santa Claus, and
there will be Santa Claus to the
end of the world. He is the dearest
old man alive. and he will never
grow too old to love the children and
to bring them unalloyed joy and
happiness at Christmas time.
IL is regrettable that any man
should be so filled with meanness
as to willingly strive to destroy the
beautiful illusion of Santa Claus,
but fortunately such mortals arc
few and their rcvilings can never
avail against the childs faith in
mothers love.
Yes, there is a Santa Claus, but he
is never seen on exhibition in show
windows nor in public places. but it
should be sufficient to know that If
unseen, even when accompanied by
his good wife who may assist him,
the stockings are filled and his gifts
are at hand on Christmas morning.
On Christmas day is commence
rated the birth of Christ, day we
should remember as Phillips Brooks
has said: in that baby life at Beth
iehem there lay the power which
has run through all the world; the
power which makes Judea burn like
a star forever; the power which has
TRANSPORTED history; the power
which has made millions of men its
joyous servants: the power of the
millenniums yet to be, so surely in
the humblest souls humble certain
ty that il does love Christ. there lies
embodied all the possibility of the
most perfect sainthood."
Christmas is the day when many
old recolleetions, sanctified with the
love of years are revived, and when
we may again be as children on this
one day, when by a common under !
standing childhood shall not be. de-
spoiled of one of it smost cherished
beliefs.
/, Indeed sorrow should be felt and
expressed for the mortal who can
not see in the beautiful legend of j
Santa Claus child faith on one side
and the embodiment of divine fact
"a Christ come to save the world
Is there a Santa Claus?
All great men have and will tes- .
tiy y5S, fbtEt subiCG IL SiNV tlic I'll
swer of Father ]. J. 0Callaghan, a +
Catholic priest, pastor of st. Mary's I
church. Chicago: Il used to believe
in Santa Claus when | was boy.
Now that am grown up | still be-
liese in him. You know if life We're
all inflexible, literal truth it would
lose half its poetry and beauty. II
our food was all antiseptic we
should starye to death. So it is with
our mental faculties. They crave a
stimulus. so to speak. Therefore We
have our fairy tales, our traditions
and our folklore, and among these
the story of Santa Claus stands out
pre-eminently. To take Santa Claus
cut of the lives of children would
be to deprive them of one of the
greatest sources Of joy known to
history. But we are not going to do
that. for who could go back on Santa
CLAUSE
And Old Santa himself is happy
since he can say: Sure, they all be-
iieve in me-