In September 1897, a little girl wrote a letter to the New York Sun Newspaper, in which she said ….
Dear Editor, I am eight years old. Some of my 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.
The letter was handed to Frank Church, a journalist who wrote for the paper’s editorial page. He was apparently a crusty fellow and it is said that with an air of resignation he took the letter and sat at his desk and wrote the reply, which was published in the ‘Sun’ on September 21 1897.
At the time, Church would not have realized his reply was to be considered one of the most beautiful letters ever written. Over the last one hundred years, it has probably been reprinted millions of times, more than any other newspaper article ever written in any language. ‘The Sun” received requests from all over America to repeat the exact text on Christmas Day.
For those who enjoy reading such beautiful lines we now publish the full text of the original reply written by Frank Church to Virginia O’Hanlon.
Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by 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 around him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole 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 it’s highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world 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 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 is 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 to 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 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”
Reproduced by eFlowersAlive Christmas 2011
No FLOWERS! Thank God! The FLOWER lives, and the FLOWER lives forever. A thousand years from now, “REAL FLORISTS,” nay ten times ten thousand years from now, FLOWERS will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.
eFlowersAlive New Year Resolution, with Natures’ Promise to ALL Real Florists
May only that Faith, Fancy, Poetry, Romance and Love of the True Spirit of Christmas bring Peace to you, yours and the World in 2012 and beyond,
from your Colleagues and Friends in the eFlowersAlive Family Circle.
Cheers and Best Wishes, the Wisdom of Flowers, …the Wise Old Owl … Ron.