The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1920-12-16
IS rnERE 4 sANrA cLAusl


With each recurring Christmas sea-
son ne following article from the pen
Of the late Francis PharcelIu Church.
then an associate editor Of the New
York sun. becomes more Of classic
and worthy of rank with Some 0f our
greatest writings When it is recalled
that the article was written hastily in
the course If the days work and with
cut Ne remotest idea n ~ destiny Of
permanent interest and value, IL seems
more remarkable
We take pleasure in answering az
once and thus prominently the com
munic8tian below, expressing at the
same time our great qualification that
It's faithful author Is numbered among
the friends d The Sum
Dear Editor am years old.
"Some Of my little friends say there
Is no Santa Clause
"Papa says II you see il IN The Sun
it's 50
please tell me the truth; is there
Santa CLAUSE Virginia O'Hanlon.
"il5 West Ninety-Fifth Street"
Virginia. your little friends are
wrong. They have been affected by
the scepticsm Of a sccptical age They
do not believe except they see. They
think that nothing can be which is not
comprehensive b their little minds.
All minds, Virginia, whether they be
mems Or children's are little. In this
great universe Of ours man is a 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
Yes, 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 10 your life its highest beauty
and joy Alas! how dreary would be
the world II there were no Santa
Claus. II would be as dreary as II
there were no Virginias. There would
be no childlike faith then, no poetry, /
no romance to make tolerable this
existence. We should have no enjoy |
ment, except in sense and sight The
eternal light with which childhood fills
the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You i
might as well not believe in fairies
You might get your papa TO. hire men
to watch in all the chimneys on Christ
mas Eve TO catch Santa Claus, but
even IL 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 things in the world are
those that neither children nor men
can see. Did you ever see fairies
drncing on the lawn? or course not,
but that's no proof that they are not
there. Nobody can conceive or imag
inc all the wonders there are unseen
and unseeahle 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,
rould tear apart. Only faith, fancy.
poetry. love, romance, can push aside
hat curtain and view and picture the
beauty and glory beyond Is
I all real7 An. Virginia. in all this
~orld there is nothing else real and
abiding
No Santa Claus, Thank God he !
ives, and he lives forever A thousand
Tcars from now. Virginia, nay, ten
lines ten thousand years from now. Ne
Vll continue 70 u..ke glad the heart /.
4 childhood The New York sun :