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The INDEPENDENT, December 20, 2007
The
INDEPENDENT
Published on the first and third Thursdays of each month by
The Independent, LLC, 725 Bridge St., Vernonia, OR 97064.
Phone/Fax: 503-429-9410.
Publisher Clark McGaugh, clark@the-independent.net
Editor Rebecca McGaugh, rebecca@the-independent.net
Assoc. Editor Noni Andersen, noni@the-independent.net
Opinion
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus
( This timeless classic is from the Editorial Page of The New
York Sun, written by Francis P. Church, September 21,
1897 )
To the Editor:
I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no San-
ta 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
New York
Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affect-
ed by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe ex-
cept they see. They think that nothing can be which is not com-
prehensible 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 capa-
ble 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
child-like 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 you
did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove?
Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no San-
ta 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 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 the 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 child-
hood.
Out of My Mind
by Noni Andersen
Christmas can be complicated. Most of us en-
joy the music, the baked goodies, the colors, the
lights that brighten the middle of winter and, es-
pecially, the smiles on so many faces.
Complications arise when we get caught up in
feelings of obligation. Even sincere Christians
sometimes lose sight of the message of peace
and good will amid the emphasis on the perfect
gift. Others are depressed because they can’t af-
ford the gifts our consumer culture emphasizes,
or because their families are broken. The reason
makes no difference at all; depression still
weighs them down.
Because of the flood this month, many of us
are either “camping out” in our homes or we’re
living elsewhere. When we’re fortunate, as I am,
we’re with family or friends. Still, I find it hard to
get into the spirit of the season while looking at
thousands of dollars worth of flood damage in
my home, magnified by many worse experi-
ences in the homes and lives of others.
The negatives of our most recent experience
have made me work harder to remember the
positives. Yes, they do exist.
As the water rose, my son, Clark McGaugh,
was working to get as many of my belongings up
high as possible. Without his help, I would have
lost much, much more. When I left, I took some
necessities (mostly medications and clean
socks) up to Jamie Jones home on E. Bridge
Street.
After unloading my car, I went to the Vernonia
Fire Hall, headquarters for emergency opera-
tions. There, I took over the role of Public Infor-
mation Officer (PIO) from my daughter-in-law,
Rebecca McGaugh, freeing her for other needed
activities.
The next two days were spent faxing and call-
ing television and radio stations with updates of
the local situation, or responding to media repre-
sentatives when they called or were able to get
to Vernonia.
The role of PIO wasn’t new; I did the same job
during the flood of 1996, and in other places over
the years. The best part of the job was being
able to observe how others responded to the
community’s needs.
Thousands of phone calls were handled, vol-
unteers were sent to evacuate people or to
check on their welfare. Local ham radio opera-
tors ensured no loss of communications regard-
less of infrastructure failings.
Others prepared food to keep everyone go-
ing, set up generators for people with special
health problems, took boats out on raging tor-
rents to evacuate people, maintained lists of
needs, or provided medical care.
I watched heroes and heroines, and there
were so many I can’t begin to name them all. But
a few must be acknowledged for their dedication
to the effort and for the many hours they went
without sleep in order to bring our community
through a traumatic experience. Fire Chief Paul
Epler, Police Sgt. Mike Kay, public works super-
visor Jeff Burch, Dr. Phyllis Gilmore, and Helen
Hudson, an extraordinary phone handler.