While the world of newspapers within which I work is often fraught with bitter competition (something that does not seem to affect the weeklies in this part of the world as much,) the collegial nature of newspersons world-wide means that we often will give a nod to a truly great piece of writing.
However, out of all the news pieces ever written, one stands out amongst all others as a truly immortal piece of work.
Known world-wide, and depicted in films, radio and television, I am talking about the most reprinted newspaper column ever.
Surprisingly, it isn't the report by Bob Woodward of the Washington Post that exposed the Watergate scandal and caused the fall of the Nixon presidency.
It also wasn't the June 13, 1971 edition of the New York Times article which began the release of the Pentagon Papers, which spoke of the executive decisions that led to, and continued, American involvement in Vietnam.
Instead, the most immortal piece of work to ever find itself in a newspaper was an editorial response to a Letter to the Editor, which was published on the editorial page of New York's The Sun newspaper, on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 1897.
Appearing in the middle of the third column on the seven column page, the Letter to the Editor was signed by Virginia O'Hanlon, aged eight, and was titled, 'Is There a Santa Claus?'
Without going into the letter, and its corresponding answer, too deeply, the ten-cent version is that Virginia had heard from classmates that Santa Claus was not real.
Disturbed, Virginia claims she had recalled how her father had said before that if you saw it in The Sun, than it was the truth, she therefore decided to write the letter and ask the question, 'Is there a Santa Claus?'
The newsman who was responsible for the dramatic and timeless answer penned in response to Virginia's query was veteran newsman Francis Pharcellus Church.
Church, whose brother was the owner of The Sun, had been involved in journalism and editorship since he and his brother, William Conant Church, had established the Army and Navy Journal in 1863.
Church and his brother had also collaborated on the founding of the magazine Galaxy in 1866, however here it seems that Church's publishing efforts ceased, as his biographies point to Church being in his brother's employ for the remainder of his career.
Church, who died in 1906 at the unfortunately young age of 67-years-old, seemed to have a certain amount of artistic aspiration, despite his history with news media.
A member of New York's famous Century Club, Church would have rubbed shoulders with some of the leading literati of the day.
In fact, when reading his response to the earnest appeal from young Virginia to provide a truthful answer about Santa Claus, Church's language and sentiment seems so honest, sincere, and passionate that it is impossible to doubt him.
"No Santa Claus! Thank God! He lives, and he lives forever," Church had written in his response. "A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood."
As the lead editorial writer for The Sun back when Virginia sent her quizzing missive, Church was handed the letter, and at first bristled at having to answer it.
In 1924, Church's managing editor from back in 1897 admitted he had assigned Church to write the response, and reported further that while Church had at first pooh-poohed the idea of writing a response, he ended up completing it in a very short period of time.
In a short space of column-inches Church, who had been a war correspondent during the American Civil War, managed to answer Virginia's question, and continue on right to the philosophical heart of what Christmas is about. Church not only answered little Virginia's letter, he did so with a style and panache that will ensure his editorial response continues to be the most reprinted piece of newspaper work well into the new century.
Church passed away, but was survived by his wife, Elizabeth Wickham Church.
The couple had no children.
Laid to rest in a location that was as literary as his response (Church's place of final requiescence is in the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, in Sleepy Hollow, NY,) his grave is overtopped with a large, gray granite stone.
Etched deeply into the surface of this stone, the words that would no doubt please any newspaper writer appear, "A Noble Man Full Of Grace And Truth."
Thank you Francis Pharcellus Church for your eternal contribution to the meaning of Christmas.
