4A |
FRIDAY EDITION
CHANTELLE MEYER , EDITOR
| DECEMBER 24, 2021
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
Opinion
|
CMEYER @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
The First Amendment
Congress shall make no law respecting
an establishment of religion or prohibit-
ing the free exercise thereof; or abridg-
ing the freedom of speech, or of the
press, or the right of the people peace-
ably to assemble, and to petition the
Government for a redress of grievances.
“I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.” — Thomas Jefferson (1800)
Yes, Virginia:
USPS# 497-660
this 124-year-old editorial remains
relevant in the heart of childhood
T
he following editorial was first
published Sept. 21, 1897, in the
New York Sun, written in response
to 8-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon’s
poignant question: Is there a Santa
Claus?
The thoughful and heartfelt
response from then editor Francis
Pharcellus Church was printed as
an unsigned editorial and has since
become history’s most reprinted
newspaper editorial.
More than 120 years later, its
relevance remains, not just in the
lessons offered regarding the heart
of childhood, but also in the wisdom
that we recognize easily as children
but risk forgetting in adulthood —
Claus. He exists as certainly as love
unless you “continue to make glad”
and generosity and devotion exist,
your own heart of childhood.
and you know that they abound and
give to your life its highest beauty
Dear Editor,
and joy.
I am 8 years old. Some of my little
Alas! How dreary would be the
friends say there is no Santa Claus. world if there were no Santa Claus!
Papa says, “If you see it in The Sun, It would be as dreary as if there were
it’s so.”
no Virginias. There would be no
Please tell me the truth, is there a childlike faith then, no poetry, no
Santa Claus?
romance to make tolerable this exis-
—Virginia O’Hanlon tence.
115 West Ninety-Fifth St.
We should have no enjoyment, ex-
cept in sense and sight. The external
Virginia, your little friends are light with which childhood fills the
wrong. They have been affected by world would be extinguished.
the skepticism of a skeptical age.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You
They do not believe except what they might as well not believe in fair-
see. They think that nothing can be ies. You might get your papa to hire
which is not comprehensible by their men to watch in all the chimneys on
little minds.
Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus,
All minds, Virginia, whether they but even if you did not see Santa
be men’s or children’s, are little. In Claus coming down, what would that
this great universe of ours, man is a prove?
mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as
Nobody sees Santa Claus, but
compared with the boundless world that is no sign that there is no San-
about him, as measured by the intel- ta Claus. The most real things in the
ligence capable of grasping the whole world are those that neither children
of truth and knowledge.
nor men can see.
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa
Did you ever see fairies dancing on
the staff at
Siuslaw News
By Patricia Allen
Area resident
3 calling loons,
2 bald eagles,
And a lonely crow on the sea wall.
Published every Wednesday and Saturday at 148 Maple St. in Florence,
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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.
“Is There a Santa Claus?”
reprinted from the Sept. 21, 1897,
edition of The New York Sun
9 harbor seals sunning,
8 cormorants a fishing,
7 gulls a flying,
6 oystercatchers picking,
5 western grebes …,
4 common murres,
3 calling loons,
2 bald eagles,
And a lonely crow on the sea wall.
On the seventh day of Christmas,
n the first day of Christmas,
Mother Nature gave to me:
Mother Nature gave to me:
7 gulls a flying,
A lonely crow on the sea wall.
6 oystercatchers a picking,
5 western grebes …,
On the second day of Christmas,
4 common murres,
Mother Nature gave to me:
3 calling loons,
On the 11th day of Christmas, Moth-
2 bald eagles
2 bald eagles,
er Nature gave to me:
And a lonely crow on the sea wall.
And a lonely crow on the sea wall.
11 Steller sea lions swimming,
10 California sea lions rafting,
On the third day of Christmas, Moth-
On the eighth day of Christmas, 9 harbor seals sunning,
er Nature gave to me:
Mother Nature gave to me:
8 cormorants a fishing,
3 calling loons,
8 cormorants a fishing,
7 gulls a flying,
2 bald eagles,
7 gulls a flying,
6 oystercatchers picking,
And a lonely crow on the sea wall.
6 oystercatchers a picking,
5 western grebes …,
5 western grebes …,
4 common murres,
On the fourth day of Christmas,
4 common murres,
3 calling loons,
Mother Nature gave to me:
3 calling loons,
2 bald eagles,
4 common murres,
2 bald eagles,
And a lonely crow on the sea wall.
3 calling loons,
And a lonely crow on the sea wall.
2 bald eagles,
On the 12th day of Christmas, Moth-
And a lonely crow on the sea wall.
On the ninth day of Christmas, Moth- er Nature gave to me:
er Nature gave to me:
12 Gray whales breaching,
On the fifth day of Christmas, Mother
9 harbor seals sunning,
11 Steller sea lions swimming,
Nature gave to me:
8 cormorants a fishing,
10 California sea lions rafting,
5 western grebes …,
7 gulls a flying,
9 harbor seals sunning,
4 common murres,
6 oystercatchers a picking,
8 cormorants a fishing,
3 calling loons,
5 western grebes …,
7 gulls a flying,
2 bald eagles,
4 common murres,
6 oystercatchers picking,
And a lonely crow on the sea wall.
3 calling loons,
5 western grebes …,
2 bald eagles,
4 common murres,
On the sixth day of Christmas, Moth-
And a lonely crow on the sea wall.
3 calling loons,
er Nature gave to me:
2 bald eagles,
6 oystercatchers a picking,
On the 10th day of Christmas, Moth- And a lonely crow on the sea wall!
5 western grebes …,
er Nature gave to me:
4 common murres,
10 California sea lions rafting,
Merry Christmas one and all!
O
Siuslaw News
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ads, Monday 10 a.m.; Legal Notices and Display Ads, Friday noon.
Twelve Days of Christmas (Oregon Coast Style)
Guest Viewpoint
Copyright 2021 © Siuslaw News
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WHERE TO WRITE
President Joseph Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
TTY/TDD: 202-456-6213
www.whitehouse.gov
Oregon Gov.
Kate Brown
State Sen. Dick
Anderson (Dist. 5)
900 Court St. NE - S-303
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1705
Email: Sen.DickAnderson@
oregonlegislature.gov
State Rep. Boomer
Wright (Dist. 9)
900 Court St. NE, H-476
Salem, OR 97301
160 State Capitol 900 Court St.
PO Box 39000
Salem, Ore. 97301-4047
Florence, OR 97439
Message Line:
503-986-1409
503-378-4582
Email:
Rep.BoomerWright@
www.oregon.gov/gov
oregonlegislature.gov
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244 | 541-431-0229
www.wyden.senate.gov
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley
Lane County Dist. 1
Commissioner
Jay Bozievich
125 E. Eighth St.
Eugene, OR 97401
541-682-4203
Email: Jay.Bozievich@
co.lane.or.us
313 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753 | 541-465-6750 Florence City Council
www.merkley.senate.gov
Florence City Hall, 250
Highway 101, Florence, 97439
541-997-3437
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio
ci.florence.or.us
(4th Dist.)
2134 Rayburn HOB
Dunes City Council
Washington, DC 20515
Dunes City Hall, 82877 Spruce
202-225-6416
St., Westlake, OR 97493
541-269-2609 | 541-465-6732
541-997-3338
dunescityhall.com
www.defazio.house.gov