Is there a Santa Claus?

I've read this set of two letter over several times, so thought that should be enough incentive to share it here, and perhaps find that to be sufficient goad to continue with a schedule of more regular posting. Stay tuned for that!

(Transcript of the letters follows beneath the posted pic.)

In 1897, on the advice of her father, eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon wrote a short letter to the editor of New York's now-defunct newspaper, The Sun, in which she sought confirmation of Santa Claus' existence.

 

Transcript

Question: 

Dear Editor,
I am eight 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.
115 W.95th St

Answer: 

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical 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 eternal 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 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? 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 may 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, fancy, 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 he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

via Letters of Note

Comments

[Émilie B.]

"It's alive!"
(This comment applies to Santa AND the blog.)

I hope your (you and family) Holiday season is starting off well.

Just 4 days until the kids open their presents, yay!! (I'm such a baby.)

[Mark]

So, are you just now discovering this gem? It is a great reply, no doubt.

Note: Had I been drinking anything while checking Google Reader and realizing you had posted, I might have a dripping wet laptop screen right now.

[Simian Farmer]

I'm similarly excited, Emilie. But I'm looking forward even more to dropping our boys off with their grandparents for a few days. THAT will be a great gift!

Mark, I've never seen this gem before, no. Glad that I didn't cause you to spew liquid all over your laptop screen. I would almost have felt guilt if that had been the case!

[Terri]

Veronica is going through her own doubt of the jolly guy. Wanting to believe but that damn logic kicks in. I am printing this out for her to read.....I had forgotten all about this.

[marian]

For some reason the length and, uh, depth, of your comment on BEAW made me wonder if perhaps, just perhaps... and it was TRUE!

But I'm not holding my breath.

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