The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1919-12-19
Is There a
Santa Claus?
Classic Answer Of q Nesv
York Journalist Affirming
Little Girls Belief

NE Of the finest things ever
Ih written about Christmas was
the editorial printed 20 years
~ ago by the New York Sun in
answer to the earnest appeal of little
New York girl to be told whether
Santa Claus really exists. Its author,
Frank P. Church, was an accomplished
journalist and wrote much on many
subjects, but his fame will rest chiefly
on this beautiful setting forth OF an
eternal truth. With DR.. Clement Clarke
Moore's "a Visit From st. Nicholas"
it is one of the great classics of the |
Christmas season.
The answer to the eternal question
as printed in the Sun follows:
eve take pleasure in answering at
once, and thus prominently, the COM
munication below, expressing at the
same time our great qualification that
it's faithful author is numbered among
the friends of the Sun:
"'Dear Editor-I am eight years old.
Some of my little friends say there is
no Santa Claus. Papa says: If you
see it in the Sun it's so. Please tell
me the truth; is there Santa Claus!
VIRGINIA O'HANLON,
"1l5 West Ninety-first Street
"Virginia, your little friends are
wrong. They have been affected by
the skepticism 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 man is mere
insect, an ant, in his intellect, as COM
pared with the boundless world about
him, as measured by the intelligence
capable of grasping the whole truth
and knowledge.
Eyes, Virginia, there is Santa
Claus. He exists as certainly as love
and generosity and devotion exist, and
YOU know that they abound and give
to your life it's highest beauty and JOY
Alas. How dreary would be the world
II there were no Santa Claus 1t woulC
be as dreary as if there were no Vlr
yinias. There would be no childlikt
faith then. no poetry, no romance, II
make tolerable this existence. W.
should have no enjoyment except IL
sense and sight. The eternal light VIII
which childhood fills the world woul'
be extinguished.
"Not believe in Santa Claus! Yo'
might rs we'll not believe in fairies
You might get your papa to hire me-
to watch in all the chimneys on Chris
\ mas eve to catch Santa Claus, but eve
if they did not see Santa CLAUS con
ing down, what would that prove? N
body sees Santa Claus, but that is
sign that there is no Santa Claus. III
most real things in the world are tho:
that neither children nor men can sc
Did you ever see fairies dancing on II
Z lawn? OF course not; but that's I
proof that they are not there. Nobot
can conceive or imagine all the wo
ders that are unseen and unseeable
the world.
"You may tear apart the baby's RI
tie and see what makes the noise
side, but there is veil covering t
unseen world which not the strOnge
man, nor even the united strength
all the strongest men that ever live
could tear apart. Only faith, FAM
poetry, love, romance, can push asi
that curtain and view and picture t
supernal beauty and glory beyond.
it all real? All, Virginia. in all Il
world there is nothing else real Il
abiding.
z mo Santa Claus! Thank God,
lives and he lives forever. A thousa
years from now, Virginia, nay 10 tin
10000 years from now, he will G.
tinue to n.ake glad the heart of chi
hood"