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aa 6 tu 1 Ct AttA I baj lu 44 ot U j aam bauc ka add r ajl acl tuff aa L 0 afo nn kl waja ac AA katts 1 ta a hatt 0 0 t rf tt taffy R U aal atti ai AA u okd fau U A mciff affy xii aut afy aua armi i CL a ta OA MA t ut 4 a 0 rf faa the Nativi tyby correggio ar t ma tb kalow n hatt ltv sd iiii dac P artt 4 ta 1 l duj rt A tt fcc w iu tl la J yh 1 f u va t iu to IH I H A P PJ ivi J nj ali az ty aa t A itaki ky A fo ia 1 fiat M IMI i t A U 22 ciresa Ci aEsa att fea 5 a ass sw auw 4 W rip 4 by ELMO SCOTT WATSON i 43 fj HAT Is a christmas h classic 4 z g it Is a piece of writing or lt a picture arl associated with christmas of which V people are so fond that they never grow tired of reading it or seeing it W 0 again and again no matter how many times before they have read it or seen it the birth of christ the event which has haa been the inspiration for some of our greatest painters but among all the paintings s of the nativity there Is one which probably has a greater appeal than any ot of the others and la is therefore a true christmas classic that Is holy night several years ngo ago dr W R director of the detroit institute of arts arta and a widely known authority on painting compiled for the new york times magazine a list of the live five greatest christmas pictures of these five he ranked Botti cellis 11 mystical adoration of the child first but ot of holy night he said it Is undoubtedly the most popular of the representations of the theme emong among the old masters it Is for the most part the optimism the radiating serenity of cor regalo which makes ills his portrayal so charming what charm emanates from the youthful form of mary what magic from the child from whom here for perhaps the first time in italian art the light streams out and envelopes the scenes scene 1 like a christmas hymn jubilant and glowing with the ecstasy of the new message it radiates from tile the beaming faces of the shepherds and the women from the dancing gestures of the angels 11 just as the nativity has been the inspiration for painters so have various phases of christmas been an inspiration for the poets but of all the christmas poems the one which Is par excellence a christmas classic in that it Is most often reprinted and Is most familiar to the greatest number of people Is that old old favorite A visit from st Ni nicholas choIns tile the remarkable tiling about this christmas classic is that it was written quite by chance and quite by chance it was started on oil its road to fame in 1822 dr clement clarke moore professor of oriental literature in the general theological seminary in new york elty city wrote it as a christmas poem for his two daughters it so BO happened that his niece was spending that christmas in the moore home she copied the poem in her album from which a copy was made by a friend or of hers who lived in troy X NY Y on december 23 1823 tile the poem was printed in the troy sentinel with this note from the editor I 1 we do not know to whom we ore are indel indented ted for the following description of that patron of children that homely but delightful personification of parental kindness santa claus his big costume and his equit equipage age as aa he goes about visiting the fi resides of this happy land and laden with christmas bounties but from whomsoever it may have come we give thanks for it there Is to our apprehension a spirit of cordial goodness in it a playfulness of fancy anda benevolent alacrity to enter into the feelings and promote the simple pleasures of children which are altogether charar charming ang we hope our little patrons both lads and lassies classies las sies will accept it as proof of our unfeigned good will toward them ns as a token of our warmest wish that they may have many a merry C clement C moore that they may lou retain their beautiful relish for the homebred joys which derive their flavor from filial piety and fraternal love and which they may be assured are the least alloyed that time can furnish them and that they may never part with that simplicity of character which Is their own fairest ornament tind tor for the sake of which they have been pronounced noun ced by authority which none can gainsay the types of such as shall inherit the kingdom of hea heaven ven other newspapers copied the poem and soon it had become known all over the country and even found its way into the school readers but despite its popularity its author preferred to remain unknown in he had published his monumental hebrew and english lexicon the first work of its kind to be issued in this country and n scholarly work which he hoped would make his name famous As a scholar he did not want it known that he had composed what lie he called this silly verse nut kut he could not help it becoming known that lie had written it for in 1837 the poem was published in the now new york book of poetry with his name attached to it finally in 1802 forty years year after he be had written it lie he admitted its authorship and presented to the new york historical society an autograph copy reproduced above there are arc several pieces of prose writing which have some claims to being christmas classics in the truest sense nut but the tha outstanding christmas classic in prose like moores A visit prom from st nicholas made its first appearance pe arance in the columns of an american newspaper that is the famous Is there a santa claus editorial written by francis P church of the now york sun Althou although gk this has been reprinted thousands of times translated into foreign languages seven even the chinese ChI and christmas would not seem complete without its being reprinted again around christmas time curiously enough it first appeared in type fully three months before christmas it was vas on september 21 1897 that the sun printed the editorial in reply to the childish scrawl which Is reproduced above not only did this editorial become a christmas classic but the little virginia who once wanted her faith in sonta santa claus clans reassured became something of a legendary person and some have doubted even as she once doubted that there thera ever was such a person for the reassurance of those it may be said that there not only was such a girl but that she Is still living the little virginia Olla tilon of 1897 Is mrs virginia douglas of today a school teacher in new york a widow and the mother of a daughter laura virginia who it la Is needless need lesi to say believes that there to Is a santa claua 0 by western Nw apor union Is there a santa claus we take pleasure in answering at once and thus prominently the communication below expressing at the same time our gre great at gratification that its faithful author is numb numbered trod among the friends of the sun dear editor 1 I 1 am eight years yean old some of my little friends say cay there is ii no santa claus papa says if you see it in the sun its so please tell roe me the truth is ia there a santa claus VIRGINIA Vir virginia girda your little friends are wrong they have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age they think that nothing cart can b be which is not comprehensible by their little minds all minds virginia whether they be mens or little childrens are little in tola this great universe of ours man is a mere insect in ant in his intellect as compared with th the boundless world about hirn him as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of 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 to your life its highest beauty and joy alas how dreary would be the world worl if there were no santa claus it would be as a drear as if there were no Virg virginias Was there would be no childlike child like faith then no poetry no romance to make tolerable this existence we should have no enjoyment except in sense and sight the eter eternal rial light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished not believe in santa claus you might as well not believe in fairi fairies esl I 1 you might got get your papa to hire men to watch in all a the chimneys on christmas eve to catch santa claus but even if 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 dancing on the lawn djou ot course not but no proof that they are not there nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and in the world you may tear apart the babas 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 could tear apart only faith fancy poetry love romance can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory elory beyond Is it all real ah virginia in sit this world there is ia nothing else real and abiding no santa claus thank godl god I 1 he lives forever A thousand years from now virginia ray nay ten tim times esten ten thousand years from now he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood |