现在，圣诞老人依然会在圣诞节前夜给表现良好的孩子们送来玩具和礼物。有时，孩子们会对圣诞老人产生怀疑，很想知道是不是真的有圣诞老人。1897年，一名叫Virginia O'Hanlon的小女孩就心中的这一疑问给纽约太阳报写了一封信。对于这样一封信，太阳报的编辑Francis P. Church进行了诚恳的回复。以下就是当时太阳报上刊登的小女孩Virginia O'Hanlon的来信及编辑Francis P. Church的回复：
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?
Signed Virginia O'Hanlon
The answer as published in the New York Sun was:
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
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 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 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 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.
相关单词：affected
affected解释：adj.不自然的，假装的
affected例句：
She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。
相关单词：skeptical
skeptical解释：adj.怀疑的，多疑的
skeptical例句：
Others here are more skeptical
Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。
相关单词：mere
mere解释：adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过
mere例句：
That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。
相关单词：boundless
boundless解释：adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的
boundless例句：
The boundless woods were sleeping in the deep repose of nature.无边无际的森林在大自然静寂的怀抱中酣睡着。
His gratitude and devotion to the Party was boundless.他对党无限感激、无限忠诚。
相关单词：generosity
generosity解释：n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为
generosity例句：
We should match their generosity with our own.我们应该像他们一样慷慨大方。
We adore them for their generosity.我们钦佩他们的慷慨。
相关单词：abound
abound解释：vi.大量存在；(in，with)充满，富于
abound例句：
Oranges abound here all the year round.这里一年到头都有很多橙子。
But problems abound in the management of State-owned companies.但是在国有企业的管理中仍然存在不少问题。
相关单词：alas
alas解释：int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)
alas例句：
Alas!The window is broken!哎呀！窗子破了！
Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而，真理很少带有浪漫色彩。
相关单词：dreary
dreary解释：adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的
dreary例句：
They live such dreary lives.他们的生活如此乏味。
She was tired of hearing the same dreary tale of drunkenness and violence.她听够了那些关于酗酒和暴力的乏味故事。
相关单词：enjoyment
enjoyment解释：n.乐趣；享有；享用
enjoyment例句：
Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同，我们这次访问更加愉快了。
After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话，这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。
相关单词：rattle
rattle解释：v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓
rattle例句：
The baby only shook the rattle and laughed and crowed.孩子只是摇着拨浪鼓，笑着叫着。
She could hear the rattle of the teacups.她听见茶具叮当响。
相关单词：supernal
supernal解释：adj.天堂的，天上的；崇高的
supernal例句：
The supernal ideology will not coexistence with the everyman.超凡的思想是不会与凡夫俗子共存的。
It has virtue of strong function,supernal efficiency.它具有功能强，效率高的优点。
相关单词：abiding
abiding解释：adj.永久的，持久的，不变的
abiding例句：
He had an abiding love of the English countryside.他永远热爱英国的乡村。
He has a genuine and abiding love of the craft.他对这门手艺有着真挚持久的热爱。
相关单词：nay
nay解释：adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者
nay例句：
He was grateful for and proud of his son's remarkable,nay,unique performance.他为儿子出色的，不，应该是独一无二的表演心怀感激和骄傲。
Long essays,nay,whole books have been written on this.许多长篇大论的文章，不，应该说是整部整部的书都是关于这件事的。
