Welcome to the World, Baby Girl!

Aren’t People Wonderful?

Elmwood Springs, Missouri

1949

Neighbor Dorothy greeted her listeners with a great big “Good morning, everybody … How is everybody over at your house this morning? We’re so glad all our radio neighbors are with us because as Little Annie Rooney says, it’s going to be a Grand Dandy day. So pour yourself a cup of coffee and put your feet up. As you know, this is one of our favorite days of the year. Today is our annual Aren’t People Wonderful Day and it’s devoted entirely to all of you out there who make up this wonderful old world.

“Every year we ask all of you to send in your letters telling us the nicest thing a neighbor did for you and we have received hundreds … but before we get to our letters this morning, we want to especially thank each and every one of you who sent in money for Bernice’s Seeing Eye dog. You know, I’ll never get over how sweet people are. So many of you sent in your hard-earned dimes, and I know how hard you work for them; thanks to all of you that held bake sales, sold eggs, and you Scouts who held car washes, and all of the numerous things you did to make this wish come true. And I am happy to announce that on Friday afternoon, Bernice’s guide dog was delivered. Her name is Honey, and she is a yellow Lab and was raised and trained by Mr. Dan Martin and family of Elgin, Illinois, and, oh, I wish all of you could have been there. Mr. Martin came up the sidewalk with Honey, and when he walked up those steps with her it was like that dog knew who Bernice was. We were all out on the porch but Honey went over to Bernice and sat down right beside her, just like she knew who she belonged to. Mr. Martin said, ‘The Guide Dog Association is proud to hand over your dog … and from this moment forth she will be your faithful and loving companion until the day she dies,’ and with that he placed the lead in her hands and stepped back, and I wish you all could have seen the look on Bernice’s face when Honey rubbed her face against her hand.… Well … I just don’t have the words to describe it.… I know it must be hard for Mr. Martin to hand Honey over to someone else—he raised her since she was a puppy—but he will be here with us for a week to train Bernice how to walk with Honey … so all of you out there who have been so kind and generous, if you want to see a real miracle, drive by and you can see the three of them walking up and down the sidewalk. Yesterday they walked all the way downtown, past the barbershop, past the theater, down to the corner and back … I’ll tell you … it makes me proud to be a member of the human race.

“And now, we’d better get on with our letters because we want to try and get as many on the air as possible … so we will start with this one … and it comes to us from Reverend Raymond Rodgers of Sedilia, Missouri. He writes, ‘Dear Neighbor Dorothy, when I came back to my congregation after serving four years in the war as army chaplain, I came home not sure I could continue my ministry. I had experienced so many horrible things overseas, my faith had been shaken, and when I came home I was not the same man that had left four years ago. Sadly I expressed this to my congregation and was ready to step down as pastor when to my surprise, the next day I received a telegram that read, “That’s all right, Pastor … we are not the same congregation that you left behind, either.” And it was signed by every member of the church. Needless to say, I am still here.…’ Well, Reverend, it sounds like you have a mighty wonderful congregation and they have a wonderful pastor as well.… The next letter comes from Glaydes Speller of Moorland, Indiana. ‘Dear Neighbor Dorothy, six years ago my husband and I were with our daughter, who was deathly ill in the hospital for a heart operation. While we were gone, we heard the news that our farm home had been completely destroyed by a tornado. We were heavy of heart and when we came home to survey the damage, imagine our surprise to see a shiny white, brand-new farmhouse sitting on the same spot where our old farmhouse had been and inside was new furniture, placed in exactly the same place as the old furniture. No one in our little community will take credit for it and deny they had anything to do with it. How joyful it was to bring our daughter home to her new home! There isn’t a day I wake up in our beautiful home and don’t remember the kindness of my neighbors. I hope you read this so I can say thank you to all my good neighbors.’

“Well … I say thank you to all you sweet people of Moorland. You have truly earned stars in your crown. We’ll be right back with more of your letters, but first, in your honor, Ernest Koonitz, our Elmwood Springs band director, is going to render a tuba solo played in honor of all the good neighbors out there. So here he is now, with Mother Smith on the organ playing ‘How Great Thou Art.’ ”