Detroit evening times., 1945-12-26
BEHIND
The NEWS
BY Paul.
MalIon

Santa Claus has not been
so vISibly prominent this Christ
mas and | have wondered why
The old gentleman who has
personified for many genera
tlons the spirit of benevolence
has been less in the news, IN
pictures, on street corners and
in the toy departments.
Early in this season l visited
one of the nations larges
department stores and found
not a picture or even the usual
marked living representative
dressed in brilliant red with
white trimmings.
The central attraction, in
stead of the usual St Nick, was
motherly young lady mod
ernly dressed in her street
clothes, who sat on a low stool.
She put her arm around each
tot before a brightly lighted,
glass enclosed wind voie a n o
from which brilliantly colored
cellophane balls erupted.
II was some sort of a game
of chance, she was explaining
10 the youngsters, apparently
with -prizes-SiRee- e-thea-else-
where. my impression has been
confirmed that the living EN-.
bodlment of the merry, old, fat
man no longer extensively per-
vadeS the Yuletide atmosphere.
MY INQUIRIES for explana-
A'A tions drew various replies.
Shortages of materials due to
war was offered as one; the
disinclination of many children
to accept the old legend with
marveling eyes and innocent
hearts was another.
This is the atomic era, was
told, an era of realism, OF tot
precocity.
The toys prepared by the
manufacturers were preponder-
antly mechanical devices for
boys, even the most youthful,
the theory being to awaken and
stimulate their minds, l was
told.
on the other hand, an UNI
usual number of old-fashloned
dolls were being offered for the
girls. although in the stores |
visited. Child-girls were as much
interested i'm the mechanical
and mind-developing toys as the
boys.
Is Santa to be exploded with
the atom? If this is 10 be his
fate in realism, | shall not
greatly mind. The legend Of
Santa. l believe, was a German
fable developed only few hun
dfed years ago from the ancient
Biblical character of ST. Nicho-
las. bishop in Asia Minor
who died somewhere around
3i0 A D.. a patron saint OF
Russia, Greece. mariners, mer-
chants and children.
1t was the Germans, ! think.
who made him the bearer of
gifts on Christmas Eve.
THE fable never struck me as
Il particularly inspiring, | must
confess. For child, disillusion
must follow credulity in the
fable.
The diSillusionment { may
strike deeper into the child
mind than did the happy cred
ulltX
! wonder if the ill-impreSsions
of final knowledge do not make
the whole story a little on the
minus side.
But if Santa Claus is TO be a
casualty of realism, he cannot
leave behind a vacuum. If real
ism is 10 set the fashion, II
cannot merely debilitate old
Santa alone, and stop there,
leaving us unrealistically sus-
pended without inspiration, or
lost in a void of Christmas COM
meretalism. or wandering con-
fused in the CroSs-currents Of
modern thought in spiritual
maze Of nothingneSs.
This is the birthday of Christ.
Realism cannot avoid that con-
CluSion. Some debate could be
started by historical technicians
dN ~ NIitiittl DtNs - W dS lic
actual day. 1t may have been
another, But Christ was born,
all realism tells us. and he did
preach the doctrines OF Christi
anity which all realism today
reads for one reason or another.
TIE spirit of Christ in his
Il phase as a child, would not
be a bad substitute for the
Santa Claus legend.
Why not extend. promote and
Commerclalize that?
This story. too, is one that
All children can understand and
even the uncomprehending mites
Of humanity may view with
their wondrous eyes and inno-
cent hearts, in appreciation, with
stimulating inspiration.