But the real question is, if you observe Santa Claus, does he still exist? On Wed, Dec 23, 2009 at 11:14 AM, eric drewes <figarus@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: > "DEAR EDITOR: 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. > "115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET." > > 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.