Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1913-12-26
Is There Room For Santa
Claus IL the Present Chimney?
BY Nora Archibald Smith in Mothers
MaGaxine.

BY Nora Archibald Smith in Mothers
Magazine.
When I propounded this question to
Cynthia her eyes flashed, the color rose
to her cheeks and she cried. III there
isn't room for Santa Claus in the present
chimney, take 1t down and build q big
ger and a more hospitable one! II that
can't be done, burn the house WI
what is 1t good for. anyway II 1t can
not give shelter to the joys OF child
hard shelled building it must be, any
way, and take your child to the FAR
north where the Santa Claus myth
came from. You can find some Ice
covered hut there for q shelter n
Santa Claus can creep down The little
steals out. 1t is an easier entrance
than to crawl through the long, dark
tunnel Of snow to the door. 1t will be
cold In the hut, but not so cold as Q
home without Santa Claus. Your child
may freeze his fingers and toes. but
that's better than freezing his heart.
His growth may be stunted in he Icy
air, but at least he will have a full
sized fancy"
"Cynthia," I exclaimed. regarding her
with admiration, "how do you know all
these things?"
i OOIx ! hIlOW tIxCxllS IN AAb0AASA
back: II feel them! What's the good
Of being a oma and a mother II you
have no instincts. no intuitions and no
heart wisdom?"
you're always right without trying.
Cynthia, I said. admiringly, 'Just as
the lily 10 white. and It shall be my
task to prove you So"
Obviously the parent who refuses to
introduce Santa Claus to his household
does 80 from conscientious motives, but
those who are conscientious should also
be consistent and should follow q rec
ogntxed n reasonable procedure from
the outset. Little Dry-as-Dust must
have no fanciful toe or finger plays in
his infancy; he must hear nothing
about little pigs going to market where
no pigs could possibly be; Thumbkin
must not dance nor Ring Finger wear
a golden belt for him. His mother
mayor that sits on his forehead, nor
the two men that keep watch below.
Mother Goose must be tabooed, OF
course. when he has reached the age
Of rhyme and Jingle, for who can prove
that there. ever was q real Jack Horner
fact that their careers cannot be
traced In history lead him. when he
grows up and finds 1t out, into a cyni-
cal and unbelieving habit Of mind? Not
only Mother Goose verse, but real
poetry OF q serious and more elevated
kind must be shut of from him, for
the poets have q perverse fashion Of
thinking Of h moon as q golden boat
for baby, Of the stars az guardian an
gels. or of the frost as q trickey sprite
who etches pictures for him on the win
dowpane, and more OF these airy ideas
can well be s~ubstantiated.
Nor can poor little Dry-as-Dust ever
SO much as cross the threshold Of the
fairy world, nor enter into mythland, II
he 10 to be brought up in this manner
So many factors, In short, In his mem
tai development must perforce be elim-
his parents car make Of him when he
10 9 fun grown member Of the house
OF Dry-aS-Duet. Clearly he cannot be
q poet, q novelist, q painter. . sclptor,
. musician, an architect, or an actor.
MOI car he succeed az . minister, q
Of any kind. for all these professions
need . highly developed Imagination.
Never let him attempt to map out on
the stars. to build ships, or bridges, OF
construct railways, n do not hops
that he ma become g successful bus-
these things Il the wings Of his fancy
have been clipped? He might perhaps
do e0me service a. q hodcarrier. though
even the monotonous tasks Of this
humble labor would be rendered NOR
tiresome stiil. Il he could not use his
and picture 20 himself the beautiful
structure he = helping to erect.
OF course when the reductio u
ebsurdum Il completed In this wise and
~ looked upon - q whole. it seoma
Sobvtous that no sane parent would ever
ettempt &c shut away baby plays. nur
mYtha from hfa rhAl6ram nnr Aha< ~