NE day in September, 1807 there came to the office of the New York Sun the ler ter which 18 reproduced above, It was turned over to Francis P. Church. an editorial writer for the Sun, and on September 21 there ‘appeared in the editorial columns of that paper the following: We take pleasure In answering at once and thus prominently the come munication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of the Sun: i Dear Editor—1 am § 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 there a Santa Claus?” Virginia O'Hanlon. Virginia, your little friends are wrong They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do mot believe except 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 little 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 intelli- gence capable of grasping the whole of truth and kmowledge. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and gen- erosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give 10 your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as drear as if there were no Vir- ®inias. There would be no child-like faith then, no poetry, no romance 10 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 wateh in all the chimneys on Christ. Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? No- body 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 mwn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there Nobody can conceive or imagine all the won. ders there are unseen and unseeable in the world. You may tear apart the baby's rat- tie and see what makes the noise in- side, 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, omance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, is all this world there is nothing else real and abiding. No Santa Claus? lives forever. A thousand years frown row, Virginia, nay. ten times ten thousand years from now ne will con. tinue to make glad the heart of child. hood. truth; “is Thank God! he It is doubtful if Church realized. when he wrote that editorial, that he had penned a classie, Yet, such was the case, for In the years that have followed it has been reprinted, both voluntarily and by request, in thou- sands of newspapers thousands of times, It has been translated into many foreign languages (even tne Chinese!) and every year around Christmas time you will see it in print somewhere, Not only bas “Yes, There ls a Santa Claus” become a part of the American Christmas tradition, but the little eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon, who once wanted her faith In Santa Claus reaffirmed, has become a legend, and as such, some have doubted that there ever was such a girl. For the reas surance of those it may be sald that there not only was such a girl but that she still is living. The little Vir ginia O'Hanlon of 1807 is Mrs. Vir ginia O'Hanlon Douglas of today, a school teacher In New York, a widow and the mother of & daughter, Laura Virginia, who, it is needless to say, also believes that there is a Santa Claus, Since Virginia O’Hanlon’s letter was first printed letters have come to her every Christmas, from lonely people whose faith In all things Is shaken. She has become a symbol of trust and of everlasting childhood, for many of Discover New Plant Pw. few plant called “brotex,” dis covered by a British ‘gardener, Is ex- pected to revolutionize British agricul ture. Its originator says it will yield raw material for three industries, f.ber for textiles, wood cellulose for paper making, and seed for cattle food. A company is to control the production of brotex, which already bas been tested with success at paper mills. The plant is a blennial. producing POSTITASTER JAMES F. PIARTIN AT SANTA CLAUS IND. the letters are written as though she is still only eight years old. Many of them are addressed in her maiden name but they are delivered to her at the home of her father, Dr. Philip O'Hanlon, where Christmas is ob served just as It was In 1807. At that home an enterprising re porter sought her out in 1927, just thirty years after her famous lefier was written, and in a copyright ar ticle issued by the North American Newspaper Alliance, Virginia O'Hanlon Douglas reaffirmed her bellef that Frank Church was right In saying there is a Santa Claus because he is the symbol for the faith the world tives by. She sald: I wish that it could be made easier for all childrem to believe in Santa Claus, In the way that Mr. Church meant, My only doubt, when | was small, was about the identity of Santa Claus Some of my playmates were skeptical Their own parents were under suspi- cion. Bo | began te wonder whether my Christmas presents really came down the chimney, and whether the stocking at the fireplace would be filled by a picturesque oid fellow from the North pole. But I'm afraid there are many thou- sands of childrem without any confi. dence that thelr stockings will be filled by anybody. It has always been so, but it seems worse now, because the children from poor homes are taken to the big stores, by their teachers in the kindergartens and sch ‘Js. and see all of the do's and toys that more fortunate children will receive. Half dazed, the poor little things are led through aisles overflowing with the most wonderful and expensive toys, rnd then they are presented to the store Santa Claus, and he asks them what they want. Timidly they speak of a doll or a drum. or some trinket of no consequence in the luxuriant stock of a big store. And they men- tion it only to be polite There may be a Santa Claus, but not for them Last Christmas there wasn't any. Isn't there some way to keep every child from being entirely disappointed on Christmas day? Couldn't the teach. ers in the schools find cut the simple, modest desires of these wistful chil. dren, and then couldn't the community provide the money to give to every small child the particular small toy that he craves? It may be impracticable more than a sentimental wish I think that ever child should have the cone fidence and faith that are typified by a belief in Santa Claus I don’t mean that perfect trust in the integrity of parents, which begins before a baby discovers the moon and the grass, and ice cream and Christmas, and ends when he finds certain packages tucked away in the closet, about the middle of December That perfect trust is lovely and touching, and something to make thougntful parents feel meek and in. adequate, but it can pase without seri- ous consequences i mean belief In people and in the goodness of life, and in the spirit of Christmas. but it is Within recent years there has been written another “Santa Claus edito- rial,” brought about by circumstances similar to those which Inspired Church's immortal bit of prose, which reassures childish faith in the good St. Nick and which, if one may safely predict what will or will not become a “Newspaper Classic,” may eventual ly enjoy a wide fame. It appeared in the Greenwood (Ark.) Democrat and reads as follows: SANTA CLAUS, IMMORTAL Six-yeur-old Opal Marie Adams heard some of her elders discussing a news item which told of the death, In a wreck, of a man who was playing Santa Claus. This news of the death of Santa Claus was heart-breaking to the little girl, Explanation by her parents were not wholly satisfying She asked her mother to see the editor of the Democrat and iearn if the news were true. . Opal Marie may banish all of her fears, for Santa Claus still lives. The man who waa killed in the wreck was but one of those hundreds of thou. sands of mortal aldes to Santa Claus fiber its first season and seeding in its second year. On suitable soll, brotex grows 6 feet Wigh In six months. If brotex is not in the “just as good” class it may bless the world, even though it should revolutionize world Industries, for doubtless It ean be grown generally, Time will tell. — Capper's Weekly, Long Time Till Next Christmas They say it Is so many days until Christmas, but the children know hetter, It's wo many years. and to men and women, all over the world these people live their un selfish lives In such communion with Claus they are selected by him es his assistants, 1be messages they bring to us come direct from him Their lives are a constant reassurance to us there is ua Santa Claus, and our wavering strengthened But these aides tal They live their pur. poseful lives and pass on Santa Claus we know 10 be immortal He has lived through all the the breath of touched savagery, live through all yet to come Claus you Jove was not killcd In the wreck is no disaster so great but that he can and will survive IL All through the horrors and sorrows of the great World war Santa Claus was in the trenches of all the armies on both sides Wherever disaster, pestilence and suffering exist, there will Banta Claus always be found bringing com- fort and happiness and none of these an instant, aor to stay his hand in his ministry to the needy. Into the homes of the poor as well as into the man. sions of the rich he pays his secret visits and sheds his cheery impartially. He may not always bring to you all the joys you wish, but in his Rreat wisdom he will bring to you those which he knows are best for you And though you, as a little girl may not see him now when he steals into your home, you will be able to see him when you have grown older And when you have visualized him you will have communed with Divinity. Your Santa Claus lives, Opal and there is no harm that can ever be. fall him. Is there a Santa Claus? town of Santa Claus, Ind. ! Nicholas, Pa.) and the story of how It came into being is interesting The town Santa Claus was first christened Santa Fe, when it 1846. One Thomas Smith, & surveyor, was called upon to plot the place, orig inally composed of seventeen town lots, Seventyaix years before that time, Shadrack Hall had bullt a tan nery there, For several years the town went by the name of Santa Fe, the popula tion increasing all the while. After families had settled in the village, it was decided to apply to the govern ment for a post office. While the re quest was being considered. postal au thorities ohserved that there was an other town in Indiana named Sante Fe. Consequently the post office de partment ruled that there could not be name in any one state, Notice to that effect was sent to the Christmas, in 1850. Immediately call ing a8 mass meeting to see what could be done about renaming the town. the citizens of Santa Fe decided to give their village the name of Santa Claus Santa Claus, Ind, is in Spencer county, twelve miles from the Ohio river and about four miles from Lin coln City, near the boyhood home of famous Nancy Hanks Lincoln memo rial. It has about one hundred Inhab tants, hoasts a milk and cream sta. tion, a blacksmith shop and a combi nation general store and post office over which Mr. Martin presides the most interesting thing about Santa Claus, Ind, is the fact that year that post office is flooded with letters to Santa Clans from children not only from all parts of the United States but from Canada, Mexico and other foreign countries as well, Mr, Martin has been postmaster for twenty-seven years and In that time has played Santa Claus to millions of children. For he reads all letters he receives from children and, if he has time, answers some of them “Mostly, they're just gentle remind ers to Santa,” he says. “Sometimes I run across queer requests for gifts One boy asked for a baby elephant.’ On rare occasions he receives letters after Christmas, thanking Santa for past favors. During the Christmas season parents wishing to make the Yuletide more realistic often mali boxes of addressed and stamped let ters to the Santa Clans post office to have them posted with the official “Santa Claus” postmark. Many per sons interested In unusual stmnp can. cellacions write to the postmaster, nek ing him to cancel stamps on enclosed envelopes and return them by mall, Poverty at Christmas Time A few nights before Christmas our five-year-old boy sald: “Mother, we aren't very poor, are we? But I think we must be kinda poor.” “Why do you say that, dear?” 1 asked “Well, weil, I think we must be kinda poor, the way I need toys” Sr a The Christmas Stocking It Is not the longest stocking that contains the best Christmas gift Berries Without Thorns Promised Blackberries and Dewberries Being Tested by Many Scientists. (Prepared by the United States Department of Agriculture.) Blackberries and dewberries without thorns has been a subject of Interest to plant breeders for a number of years. Doubtless those who have either of these fruits are In with the efforts of the it now looks as If it were to be done, according to George M. Darrow of culture, Two thornless varleties—the Cory and the Austin thornless on the market In have met wianth fairly These thornless types years good SUCCERS, ities only, Recent Developments. One of the most recent develop thornless Pollard, a the frults Is the work of E. L. fruit grower of California. In sports of the Young dewberry on his place. He tested six of these this year and all but one proved to be worth The one exception proved to be apparently as good In every way as the original Young, and all propaga- tions of this sort were thornless, “The success of this grower In find: says Mr. Darrow, blackberries of each section. All thorn- Many Advantages. “Thorniessness In the dewberry 1s ad- only in lowering the cost of training, but what Is more Im- portant, also In reducing thorn Injury be obtained with thornless Oregon Evergreen and Hima- Investigations looking to the devel opment of thornless blackberries and of workers at state experiment sta- tions Is Easily Estimated To estimate the yolume or number over the stack This last the stack. hese three er. and from one-quarter to one-third of this product will give the number the stack. If the stack slants toward the top from close to the bottom of the stack, one fourth of the product is taken: if the its height and then slopes toward the The mast difficult problem Is to es- One rule states that when hay has stond than month It requires cubic feet of hay to make a ton, when if has stood one month 512 cubic feet, one feet, Are in Legume Family Nitrogen gatherers belong to the leg. most of which the air and of soll ni when plowed from These crops, In order that the plant may ob- tain its nitrogen from the air the soil must originally contain or must be inoculated with a special type of bac. teria, the presence of which is noted by the growth of nodules upon the roots through which the nitrogen is obtained. Agricultural Notes Most fungous or bacterial parasites thrive best where moisture is plenti- ful. . » Ld Calves fed at shorter Intervals are also less subject to digestive disor. ders, * & @ Not all plants need a “sweet” soll; some do better at a falrly high degree of acidity, It pays to know your plants. .« 8s » When they get to using rustless Iron and steel in agricultural implements, the sky-roofed machine shed will not take its toll so rapidly. . se Weed patches In grain fields should not be treated with sodium chlorate until after harvest when they need not be disturbed further with farm machinery, . . The first and most important step in gathering the materials for use in manure-heated hotbeds is the manure IN CABINETS — The best American cabinet makers — famous for sound design and sincere workmanship are cooperating to meet the demand for Atwater Kent Screen(irid Radio in fine cabinets like these, Also in compact table models— For batteries, $62. 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Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers