Show Is There A ASanta Santa Claus Glaus There have been many requests for republication of or what is S beyond doubt the most famous Christmas editorial ever writ writ- ten The Telegram has bas reprinted it before but It seems never to become untimely with the passing of the years yava Originally it appeared as an editorial in the New York Sun at Christmas time in 1897 1891 as the editors editor's reply to a letter received from a little reader The editorial follows r I I We take pleasure in answering at once and thus prominently the communication com corn below expressing at the same time our great gratification that its ts faithful author is numbered among the he friends of the Sun Dear Editor Editor I I am 8 years old Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus it In Inthe Inthe inthe Papa says K U you see the Sun its it's so so Please tell teU me the truth is there a Santa Claus Virginia West Vest Ninety fifth street Virginia your little friends arc are wrong They have been affected d by bythe the he skepticism of or a skeptical age They think that can be which is s not comprehensible by their little minds All minds Virginia whether er or they be mens men's or childrens children's are arc little ittle In this great universe of or ours man is Ls a mere insect an ant In his Is intellect as compared with the boundless bound bound- I less ess world about him as measured by bythe the he intelligence capable of grasping the he whole of truth and knowledge Yes Virginia there Is a Santa Claus He exists as certainly as love love- and generosity and md devotion devotion de de- exist and you know that they abound and to your life its high est beauty a and d joy Alas how dreary I would be the world if there were no nc Santa Claus It would be bc as dreary as If there were wore no Virginias There would be no childlike faith then no poetry no romance to make tolerable this existence We should have no enjoyment except In sense serne and sight The eternal light with which childhood childhood child child- hood fills the world would be extin extin- Not believe c in Santa Claus You might as well not believe in fairies You might get your papa to hire mento mento men mento to watch In all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus but even if It th they y did not see sec Santa Claus coming down what would that tha prove Nobody sees Santa Claus but bu 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 sec see Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn Of Oi course not but that's no proof that they are not there Nobody can conceive conceive con con- or imagine all the wonders there arc are unseen and in the world You 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 mannor man nor even the united strength of aUthe all aU the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart Only faith fancy poetry love romance can push aside that hat curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond Is it all real Ah Virginia in all this world there is nothing else real anc and abiding No Santa Claus Clam Thank God Godl he lives and he lives forever A thousand thousand thou thou- sand years from no now Virginia nay ten times ten thousand years from fron rom now he will continue to make gl glac d the heart of childhood |