Posted on 12/23/2004 2:37:56 PM PST by jbwbubba
Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus
Editorial Page, New York Sun, 1897
We take pleasure in answering thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun:
I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If you see it in The Sun, it's so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus? Virginia O'Hanlon
Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a sceptical age. They do not believe except what they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as 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 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 if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were 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 and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you 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? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable 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 man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that 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 and abiding.
No Santa Claus?Thank God he lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!!
Still a classic...
Merry Christmas and thanks for the timeless post.
I'm sure the New York Times would have responded the same way if they got such a letter today.
Thanks for posting. Timeless.
ping to read to my kids. Thanks and Merry Christmas to all!
Just think if this was a liberal responding;
"No Virginia there is no such thing as Santa Claus. Santa Claus is a myth propagated by the Christian cabal and the imperialists to fatten their capitalist wallets every year and we must not let them win! We must fight the imperialists and do away with this Christmas! We must ban their symbols, their words and bring forth all that the prophet Mohammed has commanded of us! Allah Akbar! God is great! Once we do away with Christmas and Santa Claus, we will bring a new symbol for this time of year, "Father Fatwah". Every December 25th Father Fatwah will slide down your chimney and blow himself up! Allah Akbar"
God's Blessings to All on Free Republic and a Joyous, Blessed, and Merry Christmas!!
Thank you for this post.
BTTT
What a pleasure to see this posted here...we read this in my family every year:)
Merry Christmas!
Screaming Eagle Mom
As Chico said to Groucho, "Ha Ha Ha. You canta fool me! There ain'ta no sanity clause!"
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