The Marietta journal. (Marietta, Ga.) 1918-1944, 1919-05-23
fine HUMAN INTEREST
STORY OF "NEICHBORS"

Neighbors," Thurman Miller, edlto
of the Wilmington (Ohio) News
prints the story below, which is. tn
best we have read in long time.
If you will read this little story
you will yourself be better frien'
and neighbor. We most hearth,
commend it to you.
81 have been, in the newspaper bus
mess now just nine years. The pas
six of them have been very busy, We
very delightful, years to me as edito
of this paper-the home paper for thu
people of Clinton county.
81 say this about myself merel!
to prepare the way for saying tina
during these years | have written hun
dreds of cards of thanks for people
who found, when they came to the
office with an obituary, that the pub.
lie expression of thanks to neighbors
and friends was lacking; for people
who had been i'll a long time and re-
covered, for some who had met with
calamity, like the burning of the
home or their barn, or some accident.
81 did this work for the good peo-
pie always with what kindness was
natural to me, but at that it was done
in a very perfunctory manner and
with as much brevity as dispatch. l
understood that the people were doing
it in sincere gratitude, and | was will
ling to help along the best l could,
busy as l always was.
"But until the past month l have
never appreciated what card of
thanks means; have never known
what 'neighbors and friends actually
mean.
''You will understand that have
not failed to appreciate my neighbors
and my friends-they have been the
Joy of my life, but actual dependence
upon them and continued kindnesses
from them, coming from scores and
hundreds of people is new expert
ence for me and one that has brought
a new light upon life.
"For example my next-door neigh
Dor for five weeks has fired my fur
mace, carried out the ashes, kept my
two noisy boys for days and nights at
a stretch, extended the use of his tele-
phone when mine had to be discon-
nected, and in addition given us the
full output of his milk factory be-
sides doing me and my stricken fam
lily a thousand and one kindnesses-
and all l coud do was to lie there and
say, thank you,' not being able to go
on and explain that some day | was
going to get even some way!
"And since have been able to be
up and around the house for week,
l have begun to understand how it
came that l didn't die like so many
people did couldn't die! There was
no logic in my dying-dying and leav-
ing my family and Wilmington and
all my friends and neighbors? I'm
possible l have found during the past
ten days what the poet mean when
he said that 1T is only in the agony of
parting that we look into the depts
of love-
"They tell me that / went down
into the valley, where the shadows
are long and dark, but the going and
the return have brought new appreci-
ations of many thingszof life, OF
home, of friends and of everything.
81 now understand about the cards
of thanks as l never did before. l
appreciate the sincere gratitude that
prompts the good people to express
publicly their thanks to their friends
and neighbors, and let me say, if l
were not in a position where l can
commander column at will, per-
haps would be sending the newspaper
a card of thanks, just like everybody
else does.
81 have come to the conclusion that
/ am in favor of widening the frame
of the old motto that contains the
words, God, Mother and Home so as
to make room for 'Neighbors and
Friends
"When / get to heaven, which /
will if my plans do not go amiss, l
expect to select some oldest inhabl-
tant like Abraham or Noah-some-
body who has seen the place build up
from a small institution-to show me
about, and l have it in my mind that
when we turn into the most beautiful
boulevard in heaven, where every
thing gives one the impression of
being somewhat better and finer and
more restful than any other separate
part of the place, shall ask my es-
cort what this place is, and l have a
notion he'll say: That's the best part
of heaven-that's reserved for neigh
bOrs and friends
LOST-A Cloth Bag Pocketbook con.
tanning about $33. Think it was
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