Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-12-23
Is There A
Santa Claus


Christmas time, a girl named Vir-
glnla, then eight years OF age. was
troubled In her little heart about
he reality OF Santa Claus. Some
one had told her that there is no
Santa Claus. 1t would have filled
her with grief to believe that. so
she wrote to the Editor Of the New
York Sun asking him to tell her
truly about Santa Claus.
Here is her letter and the ans
wer she received. II has, year by
year, brought JOY to thousands Of
children. May 1t bring JOY to all
OF you who read it today.
I'VE take pleasure in answering
at once and thus prominently the
communication below, expressing
at the same time our great grati-
fication that it's faithful author
is numbered among the friends OF
The suns
Dear Editor am 8 years old.
Some OF my little friendrsay there
IL no Santa Claus. Papa says If
you see II I'm The sun it's so.
Please tell me the truth. is there
Santa Claus?" Virginia O'Iian-
lon. Ills West Ninety-ilfth
street. n. y"
Virginia, your little friends are
wrong. They have been affected
by the sccpticism of a sceptical
age. They do not believe except
they see. They think that nothing
can be which is not comprehen-
sible 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 in
tellect, az compared with the
boundless world about him, as
measured by the intelligence
capable Of grasping the whole OF
truth and knowledge.
Yes, Virginia, there is Santa
Claus. He exists as certainly IA
love and generosity and devotion
exist, and you know that they
abound and give to your life its
highest beauty and joy. Alasi
how dreary would be the world IL
there were no Santa Claus. II
would be as dreary as if there
were no Virginias. There would
be no childlike faith then, no
poetry. no romance to make toler-
able this existence. We should
have no enjoyment. except in
sense and sight That eternal
light with which childhood fills
the world would bc extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus, You
might as well not believe I'm
/ fairies, You might get your papa
/ 10 hire men TO watch in all the
! chimneys on Christmas eve 10
catch Santa Claus. but even If they
! did not see Santa Claus coming
down, what would prove? Nobody
sees Santa Claus, but that is nc
sign that there is no Santa Claus
The most real things in the worlC
are those that neither children
nor men can see. Did You ever SEE
fairies dancing on the lawn? o.
course not, but that's no proof tha
they are not there. Nobody car
conceive or imagine all the won.
ders there are unseen and unsee
able In the world.
You tear apart the baby's rattl,
and see what makes the noise in.
side, but there is a veil GOVERNS
the unseen world which not tn,
strongest man, nor even the unite,
strength of all the strongest mel
that ever lived, could tear apart
Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, ro
nance, can push aside that cur
tain and view and picture the su
pernal beauty and glory beyond
Is it all real? All, Virginia, in al
this world there is nothing els
real and abiding.
No Santa Claus, Thank God
he lives. and he lives forever.
thousand years from now, Vir
ginia, nay ten times ten thousan
years from now. he will continu
to make glad the heart OF child
hood.