The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1913-12-16

Not believe in Santa Claus! You
might as well 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 thighs 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 a 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, love, romance, can push
aside that curtain and picture the
supernal beauty and glory beyond.
1t is all real? All! Virginia, in all
this world there is nothing else real
and abiding.
mo 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
the skepticism of skeptical age.
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 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 judgment, 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
is 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 oi
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
walton Army to dispense, money, eat,
ables and wearables to the Home fol-
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 mus