This I Believe
Andrews, Mae E.
1952-09-21
view transcript only
And now, This I Believe, the living philosophies of thoughtful men and women, presented in the hope they may strengthen your beliefs so that your life may be richer, fuller, happier. Here is Edward R. Murrow.
This I Believe. Mae E. Andrews is a society editor. Her first byline was under the pseudonym of Dolly Madison in the New York Mail. She has also written feature articles for such magazines as Vogue and Town & Country. From 1925 to '38, she was the society publicity woman for the Saratoga Racing Association. Mae Andrews is a familiar name to residents and vacationers alike along the east coast of Florida. Since 1922, she has been the editor and publisher of the social directory covering that popular resort area. Until recently, she had a
byline in the Palm Beach Sun, and her own radio show entitled News and Views by Mae E. Andrews. She now expresses some views on her own life.
The importance of faith was brought home to me very forcibly not long ago when I lost the last member of my immediate family, a beloved sister. She was a victim of that dreaded malady cancer, and as I watched her intense suffering born with such patient acceptance, I was mercifully fortified by the Almighty to bear with complete resignation my bereavement. I was consoled by the knowledge that she was emancipated from all worldly care and sufferings, as well as the profound belief that she now dwells in one of the many mansions the divine Son of God promised us in his Father's heavenly kingdom. In my faith in God, I found a vast warehouse of reserves from which my needs could
be drawn even in this emergency, though all my other sources of supply had been depleted. I felt that I would not have had that warehouse if I had not tried to live by that faith.
This sorrowful time, likewise, recalled the legacy my father left me just before he passed away. "Darling," he said, "I have not much to leave you but my philosophy of living. Life here on Earth, no matter how long, is less than a split second in our Creator's plan. If you will live it by following the best motivations of your heart and conscience, rendering as much good and as little harm to your fellow beings as these dictate, when you near the borderline as I now am, you will be able to smile."
That brief legacy has enabled me to steer a course through some pretty turbulent currents, as well as over very shallow shoals. Of course, there have been times when I have suffered the deep hurts inflicted by misplaced trust and disillusionment occasioned by ingratitude. But fortified by my faith, out of the crucible of such experiences I have been able to forge an instrument which has served me well in instances of far greater magnitude.
I have come to regard the law of compensation as the natural law--and, as such, divine law--and that its violation must sooner or later must be penalized by retribution. In human relationships, I believe that there are three vital requisites for happiness: love, true
friendship, and respect. I know that I cannot buy these for any material consideration, rather that I must earn them by my own efforts.
I believe that those endowed with special gifts or talents should apply them constructively and that those so blessed are morally bound to utilize them to the best of their ability for the benefit of others. When I hear of corruption and betrayal of trust in high places, my first reaction is to become very discouraged. Then I think of these things I have learned from my father, from my sister, and from my own experience, and I think of the tenet of The Christophers, that "it is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness." This I believe.
That was Mae E. Andrews, a society editor who lives and works in Palm Beach, Florida.