Show i J There Th re Is a Santa Sant Claus us i f i f o 0 THE old story that is is The fhe I t I l story st ry of Santa Claus Back In 1897 a I little New York girl irl Virginia OH wrote to the New York Sun That newspaper was then edited Jv Charles A A. A Dana DanaT The T e reply to Virginia wits ts s written by Francis P. P Church Letter and reply ply tell the story story- Here is the thet flitter t 1 letter tte andl JS- JS Dear Cear Editors r I am 8 years year old ld Some of J S my little f friends ends say uy there there- is not a a aSanta Santa Claus Papa says If Mf you see it t in the Sun its it's so I Please tel tell me the truth is is there a Santa claus t VIRGINIA p W Street I t Here is the reply 1 t S J- J Virginia your our little friends are wrong They They I 7 have rave been affected by the skepticism of or a t ts s sW skipS skip skip- p- p S tieni age ace They do not believe except the they see rb think that nothing can be which Is not c comprehensible by their little minds All minds Virginia whether they the be mens men's or childrens children's I lire are In t qua ls great universe of ot ours maniz man iz Is Isa it a mere insect an ant In his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him us as measured b by the intelligence capable of graspIng graspIng graspS grasp- grasp S Ing tire Ure whole of ot truth and knowledge 2 Ye Yes Virginia there is a Santa Claus He lIe 5 exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist and you ou know that they abound and nd give to your life Ufe its highest beauty and Jo r Alas how dreary would would would-be be the world I If there were no Santa Claus It would be bea Ii aa- aa a dreary as ns It If there were vere no Virginias Virginia T Thee Would be no childlike faith then no po poetry tr nol no- no l mance to make tolerable this existence We S 'S Kh have hae no enjo enjoyment ent ment except in sense and anel 5 The eternal e light with which childhood tIIa ls the world would be extinguished ot believe bellee In Santa Claus You might 11 Wen Veil not believe in fairies You might get jupa a alto S to hire men to watch in all the chim- chim 0 ChrIstmas eve e to catch Santa Claus t ve f the they did not see Santa Claus coming dOn wn what hat would v the they prove Nobody sees J. J Claus but that is no sign that there It no Santa anta Claus The most real things In the Fork e a are those neither leIther children n nor men can see Did Dic you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn Of r. r r course not but that's no proof they thes' lIre re not notY Y 5 there Nobody can conceive or Imagine aU the wonders onders that are unseen and un In the the e i orld S W You Yon tear apart the baby's babs rattle rattie and see t mikes the noll noise e Inside but there is a t covering coVering- the unseen world which not the ilor the united strength of ot all jtb O men that ever lived could tear Only faith ralth fan fancy poetry love lo romance romance- ca 1 curtain and view and pice pic- pic tur e supernal beauty and glory beyond It It 5 Ah All Virginia in all alt this world there I 1 no else is real and and abiding X nta Claus Thank God he lives and the he h lives A thousand and years ears from now Virginia na nay ten times ten thousand years ears S now flOW he will continue to make snake glad the h-eart h rt of childhood |