The Anderson daily intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1915, 1914-12-15
is THERE A SANTA CLAUS!

are interested in writing their letters
to Santa Claus. making known their
desires az to what shall be placed In
their stockings on the interesting
night OF the year to childhood. 1t is a
beautiful custom--a modern develop
meRt Of the Santa Claus tradition that
means SO much to children, old and
young.
The first batch OF letters to Santa
Claus always 10 bring to the minds OF
many what is perhaps the most fam
GUS literary production ever elected
by such letter Many answers"
there have been. but the one which
was printed a number of years ago in
the New York Sun, and widely credit
led to the editor, Mr.. Dana, has be-
come classic. Mr.. Dana was not,
however, the author OF this particu-
lar editorial. 1t was written by COM
paratively obscure editorial writer for
The Sun. q Mr.. Church. who died some
five or six years ago. 1t should be
explained. rather. that the letter from
Virginia" was not addressed to
Santa Claus. but was rather an in
quiry Of the editor as to whether or
not there was and is-a Santa
Claus. The editorial reply was as fol-
lows:
Eyes, Virginia. there is a Santa
tofn
and generosity and devotion exist; and
you know that they abound and give
to your life its highest beauty and
Joy. Alas! how dreary would be the
world IL there were no Santa Claus.
1t would ge as dreary as IL there
were no Virginias. There would be
| no chfldlike faith then, no poetry, no
romance to make tolerable this world
except In sense and sight. The efer-
| nal light with which childhood fills
the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You
| might as we'll not believe in fairies.
You might get your papa to hire men
TO watch In all the chimneys on
Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus,
but even II they did not see Santa
Claus coming down what would that
prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but
that is no proof that there is no Santa
Claus. The most real things in the
world are those that neither child
rem nor men can see. Did you ever
see fairies dancing upon the lawn?
| or course not; but that's no proof
that they are not there. Nobody can
conceive or imagine all the wonders
that are un2een and unseeable in
the world.
You may tear apart the baby's rattle
to see what makes the noise inside
but there IL q veil covering the un-
seen world which not the strongest
man, nor even the united strenRtt Of
ell the strongest men that ever lived,
could tear apart. Only, faith, fancy,
poetry. love, romance can push aside
that curtain and view and picture the
supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is
1t all real? All! Virginia, In all this
world there is nothing else real and
abiding. The glorious full moon
would not be Sd beautiful; the bright
~ twinkling stars would be cold and
dim. the grand old sun would not
yisia &c iaaca hsht and warmth. No,
no, IL our beautiful world could be so
greatly disillustoned. SO bereft of
childish fancy and allurement, then
eli would be very, very sad.
Yes. Virginia, Santa Claus will como
this Christmas as usual to e,l the
hopeful, faithful loving cniidren of
dear old New York: they must never
doubt h!s existence, but ever trust
and believe in him while their little
hearts are warm and young, tender
and true. He comes on this one special
visit to all faithful. confiding child
rem who regularly expect him once
each year. 1t takeB Santa Claus nearly
all the year to collect these Christmas
presents before the well known happy
day they are given out to the hopeful
and expecant. must tell you and re-
peat to you:
1t is an old, old story.
And yet It is ever new,
The story OF good Santa Claus
Who will ever live for you.
No. Santa Claus! Thank God! he
lives, and he lives forever. A thousand
years from now, Virginia, nay ten
times ten thousand years from now, he
will continue to make glad the heart
OF childhood.