In 1897, a young Virginia O’Hanlon in New York City asked her father if Santa Claus was real. Rather than give his daughter a straight answer, he turned to the trusted local media The Sun in New York, and encouraged her to send them a letter.
Rather than drop Virginia’s letter on the crank pile, one of the Sun’s editors, Francis Pharcellus Church took a stab at giving her a reply. His editorial, published Sept. 21, 1897, remains the most reprinted editorial ever to run in any newspaper in the English language. In that spirit, Clarksville Now is sharing their exchange with our readers:
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?…