University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1911-05-15

tracy of the well written news of the
paper.
Dana believed in printing whatever
the Lord allowed to happen. IF
thing is not against prOpriety. or vir
tue, and if il is interesting, it's fiji
to print" he once said. But Dana
was careful that the news should be
written with grewsOme details omit
ed. He, personally, edited the paper
and took all the blame when errors
broke out in print.
The editorial writer on the Sun
wrote according to his convictions.
Dana despised the scribbling tiunkey,
whom he said was "a parasite whose
life or conduct was governed by sub
serviency." The editor of the Sun
was broad enough to realize that the
opinions of others were worthy of
consideration
The test of Dana's greatness is in
the things he has written. Perhaps no
editorial is yet so widely copied at
Christmas tide than his editorial rs
There Santa CLAUSE" 1t follows:
We take pleasure in 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 Sum:
Dear Editor: | am years old.
Some of my little friends say there is
no Santa Claus. Papa says If you see
il in The Sun it's So Please tell me
the truth; is there Santa Claus?
VIRGINIA O'HANLON
IL West Ninty-fifth street.
Virginia, your little friends are
wrong. They have been affected by
the skeptism of skeptical age. They
do not believe except they see. 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, a man
Is mere insect, an ant, in his intel |
iect. as compared with the bOundess
world above him, as measured by the |
capable of grasping the |
whole of truth and knowledge.
Yes. Virginia, there is Santa |
Claus. He exists as certainly as love |
and generousity and devotion exist and |
you know that they abound and give |
10 your life its highest beauty and ioy.
Alas! how dreary would be the world
If there were no Santa Claus? ID
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 his existence. We
should have no enjoyment except in
sense and sight. The external light
with which childhood fills the world
would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You
might as well not believe in fairies,
You might get your papa to hire men
20 watch all the chimneys on Christ
mas Eve TO catch Santa Claus. but
'ven if they do not see Santa Claus
coming down, what would that proveo
Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is
10 sign that there is no Santa Claus.
The most real things in the world are
hose that neither children nor men
an see. Did you ever see fairies
Iancing on the lawn? OF course not:
'ut that's no proof that they are not
here. Nobody can conceive or imag-
ne all the wonders there are unseen
nd nnseeable in the world.
You may tear apart the baby's rat
le and see what makes the noise
inside, but there is a veil covering the
nseen world which not the strongest
ian, nor even the united strength of
II the strongest men that ever lived e,
ouid tear apart. Only faith. fancy.
oetry, love, romance. can push aside =
lat curtain and view and picture the :
ipernatural beauty and glory beyond.
1t not real? All, Virginia, in all this
orld there is nothing else real and
,iding.
No Santa Claus! Thank God, he
ies. and he lives forever. A thous-
Id years from now. Virginia, nay, ten
mes ten thousand years from now
will continue to make glad the heart
childhood"
{. A. Il.