8/18/2019 2-5-17-Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus

1/6

Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus

By Francis P. Church, first published inThe New York Sun

 on September 21, 1897.

We take pleasure in answering thus prominently the communication below, expressing

at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the

friends of The Sun:

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

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a

skeptical age. They do not 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

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 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 Santa Claus. The most real things

8/18/2019 2-5-17-Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus

2/6

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, 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.

http://www.nysun.com/editorials/yes-virginia/68502/  

http://www.nysun.com/editorials/yes-virginia/68502/http://www.nysun.com/editorials/yes-virginia/68502/

8/18/2019 2-5-17-Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus

3/6

Bức thư về ông già Noel vẫn lay động con tim sau hơn một thế kỷ 

 Năm 1897, một cô bé 8 tuổi gửi thư lên tờ The New Yo! "un h#i $%ng gi& Noel c' th(c

!hông$) *hông ngờ b+c thư h-c ./ t0 nên nổi ting, h2n 133 năm 4u5 .ư6c ! li mim:5 ;i/ng ?n c@m .ộng m:5 ;i/ng Dn b&i HI luCn Ye XZ t@ lời, b Jigini5 .I g6i [ con gửi thư cho tờ The "un, tờ b/o nổi ting 0 New Yo! X&o thời .im .') =ô bé Xit\ $]in ch&o 4u[ b/o) =h/u 8 tuổi) Sột

8/18/2019 2-5-17-Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus

4/6

Cô bé Virginia O'Hanlon. 

`iên tC Xiên 5nci< h5cellu< .I Xit một b+c thư t@ lời cô bé, .dng thời .ăng cFuchu>?n n&> lên K1L9L1897) Nội Eung b+c thư t@ lời\ Jigini5, c/c bn ch/un'i !hông .-ng) NhBng người như hO luôn ho&i nghi mOi th+) MO chf tin X&o nhBng gZ hOtCn mt nhZn th> X& hiu .ư6c, mc E: tj 'c c^5 hO nh# bé bit b5o) Jigini5 &, tj tu?c^5 con người, E: l& người lPn h5> tA em, tt c@ .Du nh# bé) Tong XW tG Xk .i m&

ch-ng t5 .5ng êu X& lng 4u@ng.i luôn hi?n Ei?n 4u5nh t5, nhờ .' m& cuộc

8/18/2019 2-5-17-Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus

5/6

nhBng c m/> !hô !h5n) pnh XOng c^5 tA em tên !h th giPicWng .ư6c) =h/u c' b5o giờ nhZn th> c/c n&ng tiên nh@> m-5 tên th@m c# chư5a rk nhiên c' th l& chư5 nhưng .'.Fu h@i l& b_ng ch+ng . cho _ng !hông c' chu>?n .') *hông 5i c' th hiu X& tư0ng tư6ng .ư6c nhBng .iDu !s Ei?u m& hO chư5 tng th> X&!hông th th> .ư6c tong th giPi c^5 ch-ng t5) =h/u c' th E E&ng .C Xv một c/i l-clc . tZm Hem c/i gZ !êu l/ch c/ch bên tong, nhưng tên .ời n&> c' một th giPi !s Ei?u

.ư6c b5o h^ b0i một b+c m&n !iên c m& !hông một êu ch-ng t5 mPi Xén .ư6c b+c m&n X&c@m nhCn .ư6c XA . lộng lx> hu> ho&ng bên tong) NhBng chu>?n .' c' th(c !hôngaJigini5 &, .' l& .iDu chFn th(c nht tên th gi5n n&>) %ng gi& Noel !hông c' th(c ưa Nhờ =h-5, ông Xxn

8/18/2019 2-5-17-Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus

6/6

`+c thư c^5 biên tC Xiên 5nci< h5cellu< =huch l& h&nh t5ng theo