Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 11 · column 2 of 3 · from the scan, no model involved
‘One of my most favorite
pieces about Santa Claus’
By Kathleen Snyder
Special to the Rappahannock News.
When we at the Red Cross have the occasion to notify a serviceman stationed in Iraq of his child’s birth, or to help someone who has suffered a catastrophic loss from a house fire, we can’t help feeling a little bit like Santa Claus. Many of you have felt the warmth that comes from doing a good turn for someone else, or from restoring a person’s confidence — and at this time of the year you will reach out to others in the community, and maybe you’ll feel a bit like Santa, too.
One of my favorite pieces about Santa Claus, and belief in things that can’t be seen or proven, was written by Francis P. Church of The New York Sun in 1897. Mr. Church’s editorial, “Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus” was an immediate sensation and became one of the most famous editorials ever written. After its first appearance more than 100 years ago, it was reprinted annually in The Sun until 1949 when the paper went out of business.
Thirty-six years after her letter was printed, Virginia O’Hanlon recalled the events that prompted her letter:
“Quite naturally I believed in Santa Claus, for he had never disappointed me. But when less fortunate little boys and girls said there wasn’t any Santa Claus, I was filled with doubts. I asked my father, and he
See SANTA, Page B2
93.4%