The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1914-01-01
SUPERINTENDENT
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REySAMUELW. PUPv1S,D.
SANTA CLAUS.

SIRE there Will NOT De at 0,I house,
but, bless her sober heart. she's false
prophet Centuries before she was
heard of. centuries after she has slept.
Santa Claus lived and shall live. He
shall live in the hearts Of little chill
dren and all the folks Of childlike
heart. He personities something-the
Christmas spirit in childhood. 1t is
significant that our great holidays
more often commemorate birthday
rather than a battlefield. personality
rather than an event. 1t Is good for
us to have the greatest holiday Of all
begin and end around babys cradle.
for a baby Is wonderful leader. To
the little toddler Santa Claus is real.
No Santa Claus? Huh! VOltairc
somewhere says. IF there were no
God humanity would invent one" II
there were no Santa Claus-a hiatus
melancholy to contemplate-we would
have to work like Nuremberg toy
maker to construct one.
The Child World.
am sorry for that Massachusetts
mother who has recently burned her
childrens copies of Mother Goose"
Andersen's Fairy Tales" and the
whole Juvenile library Of classic fan
cy She says. thereafter my chill
dren shall be taught facts" No Pc
ter Pam" no cinderella" no Alice
In Wonderland no Aladdin" with
his wonderful lamp. only "factsr l
suppose she will abolish tin soldiers
too. They may foster w4r spirit.
And she will tell the truth about the
baby. The angels no longer bring it.
Infdel. If Gods angels did not first
convoy that little spirit. who then?
And Santa Claus--he shall no longer
.ome down the chimney Of that house!
Say. you sober faced. worldly wise
mother, you are growing old and care
worn and wise too fast. Better go
back few years and be child again.
Youth has vision. It is young eyes
that see the invisible. Go right In that
nursery and play lets pretend"
The fire tongs by the chimney will in
moment become Cinderella. the
brass coal scuttle her golden chariot or
the coal shovel and brush her coach
and four. Don't forbid the children
playing mother to their dolls. nursing
them through measles and whooping
cough. Let me tell you tremendous
secret. mother God has put into
young eyes and ears some subtle alcm
hot troy fCr f1,n In
into glory. that makes the seemingly
unreal real He puts a rainbow In the
sky and makes the world fresh and
gladstone.
An Enchanted World.
The child mind is imaginative. I'm
agination is creative. BY II this dull
world has made its progress in inven
ton. discovery. architecture. music
and all else. Do folks that would
teach only facts know greater facts
than enthusiasm. ambition initiative?
Yet these cannot exist without imagi
nation The world would stand still
If there were no robust trees Of fancy
planted in the fields Of child imagina
ton years ago. The real things are
the unseen. There is more In life than
you get through the five senses That
which is seen passes. That which Is
unseen is eternal. Santa Claus Is sim
ply the embodiment Of the Christmas
spirit. A symbol stands for the real
thing. An old quilt and clothes prop
stand for a house. mothers apron be-
comes an evening gown with long
trail. paper hat with wondrous
plume from the old feather duster. a
few crackers. an apple. some blocks Of
loaf sugar and water slipped from
Clipped kitchen cups-thcse are sym.
bols of real things in the garnet on
dark rainy days Of childhood You
who have raked together real gowns
and fine houses and rich fittings and
heavy banquets and all other surfeits
that leave nothing to the fancy. are
you as happy as those who feast with
the symbols?
The Tragedy Of the Empty Stocking.
If any one thinks the nativity Of
Christ is overshadowed by Santa Claus
he is greatly mistaken. Ask any child
who is able to talk and he will tell
you For unto us is born this day a
Saviour. who is Christ the Lord"
Your youngster knows the history Of
the Christ child better than you. He
| will stop believing in Santa Claus
long before we wiser folks cease buy
ing gold bricks and fatuous mining
| stock. But as the embodiment of the
Christmas spirit Santa Claus is not
| going to be driven back to the north
pole. Though you may guard every
| chimney in your town. though no one
may see him and his reindeer. that
won't prove anything. Nobody ever
sees Santa Claus. He Just comes
when little folks are asleep. Though
this preacher was forty-six ycster-
month and is bald and wears glasses
and talks Of when he was a boy
he believes in Santa Claus. lie will,
hang up his stocking until he is hun
dred. if he lives that long. A flower
is only bit Of sentiment. but who
wants a garden with nothing but cab
bage heads and vegetables? Once as
orphan boy he stood with empty stock
Ing in hand. and the fireplace was
black and vacant and he stood visit.
full and lonesome and forlorn. and his
boy heart sobbed in that Christmas
morn that had no Santa Claus in It.