This is what the post offices in Boston and New York do — even the postal workers themselves take some of these letters, answer them, and see to their fulfillment with the authorities. And there are many kinds of letters that reveal the psychology of children;

so these persons treat those psychological knots, or problems, in most felicitous ways. One letter attracted much attention, for its writer asked for a list of 34 toys! Very often children set down their brothers' and sisters' wishes; but there was one small boy who, after asking Santa Claus for a bicycle and a tram, added: "You had better forget my big brother, because he doesn't believe in Santa Claus!" There are some children who enclose in the letter clippings from toy magazines to make sure that Santa Claus will make no mistake when he picks out their gift! A boy from Minneapolis sent a letter containing a picture of the sled he wanted; and inside the letter were also found verses of poetry he had copied out with care, so as to express to Santa Claus how much he loves his mother, that he might be rewarded. He wrote: "Mother, my darling mother, my dear, I love you, I love you every day of the year." Look, then, at this deep feeling with which the child tries to express to Santa Claus his love for his mother, to win his favor and have his wishes fulfilled!!

And how sweet are those children who do not forget their families but think of them as well. A little girl sent a letter to Santa Claus saying: "Please send a refrigerator for my father to put his liquor in." Some letters at times show the fear and doubt in the souls of certain children: a little girl wrote, "I am very nice to my father and mother, sometimes." And there is a letter from two brothers in New York that says: "We will try to behave well until Christmas — P.S. — please hurry!" But some far-off children dread that Santa Claus may not find their houses, and so they would lose his bounty; therefore one Canadian child sent a letter and put inside it a map of his country for Santa Claus to steer by. And some are afraid because their houses have no chimney, and they know that Santa Claus drops down the chimney at night and leaves the gifts; so "Carol Ann" of "Minneapolis" wrote to him: "We have no chimney, but I will put my shoe on the bench outside — put the presents in it." Some letters, again, show the troubled state of children's souls at the coming of a new brother or a new sister. One letter says: "All the family's money went this year to buy a new sister to play with; as for me and my brother, we prefer toys." And some letters leave the choice of the gift to Santa Claus himself, the letter being nothing more than an expression of their feeling toward him... And there are some letters that show the broken, aching souls of children: a child of eight wrote a letter saying: "I wrote to you last year and the year before, but you did not answer us!"

This although the postal workers of New York itself buy toys, food, and clothing out of their own budget for 250 families, and the Boston post office comes to the aid of 40 families. Nor is that all: several clubs, too, have taken on the Santa Claus operation to help children. The Exchange Club of White Plains has played the role of Santa Claus for 14 years, and this center has received a great number of letters from believers in Santa Claus, among them a delightful letter that says: "My father does not live with us at home; please bring him something and do not forget him." There is another club in New York that has kept up the Santa Claus operation for five years; last year it bought 500 gifts for 106 children in 46 families. The most touching of the answers that reached this club came from a girl of eight who wanted a left hand, since she had been born with only one hand. Her wish was granted: they sent the artificial hand to a specialist in her town and asked him to treat her...

As for the greatest helper in this work, he is a man who loves children deeply — Mr. "Brown," who finds no pleasure to equal the pleasure of giving. The society that Brown heads began its work four years ago, when his wife asked him to stop

by the post office and bring her ten letters to Santa Claus so that she could answer them; that