Jon Bouman to the Bouman Family
Title
Jon Bouman to the Bouman Family
Creator
Bouman, Jon Anthony, 1873-1958
Identifier
WWP23161
Date
1927 December 26
Description
Letter from Jon Bouman to his family.
Source
Gift of William C. and Evelina Suhler
Subject
Germany--History--1918-1933
Correspondence
Berlin, Germany
Contributor
Rachel Dark
Denise Montgomery
Language
English
Requires
PROOFREADING
Provenance
Evelina Suhler is the granddaughter of Jon Anthony Bouman and inherited the family collection of his letters from the years of World War I. She and her husband gave the letters to the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum in 2013.
Text
28 Zimmerstr. Berlin SW 68
Dec. 26, evening
Dearest,
I am the watchman on deck tonight, as I was Saturday evening and Sunday evening. “Holy Eve”, or Xmas eve, is the great time here; in the pension we had a large Xmas tree as tall as the ceiling, and after the “high tea” the whole company, servants included, adjourned to the branch pension in the west – end of the town for the celebration. Except myself, on duty. Sunday I had midday diner with the Bodkers; Mrs. B. had just engaged a new cook with fine references, but it turned out she couldn’t cook; fortunately found another woman whom she knew could cook, and she came to do the dinner which on account of this was very late. The turkey wasn’t up to our standard, and the new cook had done something terrible to the Xmas pudding, and neither B nor Mrs. B could carve, so I did my best with a blunt carver on the darned tough old bird. It had a stuffing which had sultanas in it, of which I don’t approve. However, all merry and when there’s carving to be done I must come and do it. Then to Lochners to tea, or rather coffee, also a huge Christmas tree and a marvelous collection of presents, naturally with 3 children, I made the acquaintance of pa and ma-in-law, a delightful old couple, also other aged lady relatives of astonishing volubility and circumference. And I became a subject of great pity and compassion: “Poor man, far from his home at Xmas time, and having to work besides, what a wicked shame! Surely there will be weeping at home??” I sighed deeply and buried my nose in a goblet of particularly good Rhine wine and said: “Yes, there surely will” And so was commiserated with no end. I was presented with a book (by Gorki) from the Xmas tree, and also with a box of cigars by Enderis (who has gone out of town to avoid the Xmas “fuss”) and today Frau Hauns bought me a present from the Pension Xmas Tree, a nice little diary. So under the circumstances I have done pretty well. Oh I forgot, every Pension guest was given a large papier mache plate with two apples, 2 tangerines and a lot of biscuits, honey cakes, chocolates and nuts, enough for a week – for me! Then of course I received the Doesje which is now adorning the weird piece of furniture that does duty as my writing desk.
It has been a quiet Xmas in the news way so that I could study the mass of material I brought from Lithuania and Latvia. The Lithuanian poetry is full of charm; herewith a sample which I copied out of a book – not my translation, of course. I have rarely read anything so deliciously quaint and with such lofty sentiment.
Love to all,
Jac.
Dec. 26, evening
Dearest,
I am the watchman on deck tonight, as I was Saturday evening and Sunday evening. “Holy Eve”, or Xmas eve, is the great time here; in the pension we had a large Xmas tree as tall as the ceiling, and after the “high tea” the whole company, servants included, adjourned to the branch pension in the west – end of the town for the celebration. Except myself, on duty. Sunday I had midday diner with the Bodkers; Mrs. B. had just engaged a new cook with fine references, but it turned out she couldn’t cook; fortunately found another woman whom she knew could cook, and she came to do the dinner which on account of this was very late. The turkey wasn’t up to our standard, and the new cook had done something terrible to the Xmas pudding, and neither B nor Mrs. B could carve, so I did my best with a blunt carver on the darned tough old bird. It had a stuffing which had sultanas in it, of which I don’t approve. However, all merry and when there’s carving to be done I must come and do it. Then to Lochners to tea, or rather coffee, also a huge Christmas tree and a marvelous collection of presents, naturally with 3 children, I made the acquaintance of pa and ma-in-law, a delightful old couple, also other aged lady relatives of astonishing volubility and circumference. And I became a subject of great pity and compassion: “Poor man, far from his home at Xmas time, and having to work besides, what a wicked shame! Surely there will be weeping at home??” I sighed deeply and buried my nose in a goblet of particularly good Rhine wine and said: “Yes, there surely will” And so was commiserated with no end. I was presented with a book (by Gorki) from the Xmas tree, and also with a box of cigars by Enderis (who has gone out of town to avoid the Xmas “fuss”) and today Frau Hauns bought me a present from the Pension Xmas Tree, a nice little diary. So under the circumstances I have done pretty well. Oh I forgot, every Pension guest was given a large papier mache plate with two apples, 2 tangerines and a lot of biscuits, honey cakes, chocolates and nuts, enough for a week – for me! Then of course I received the Doesje which is now adorning the weird piece of furniture that does duty as my writing desk.
It has been a quiet Xmas in the news way so that I could study the mass of material I brought from Lithuania and Latvia. The Lithuanian poetry is full of charm; herewith a sample which I copied out of a book – not my translation, of course. I have rarely read anything so deliciously quaint and with such lofty sentiment.
Love to all,
Jac.
Original Format
Letter
To
Bouman Family
Files
Collection
Citation
Bouman, Jon Anthony, 1873-1958, “Jon Bouman to the Bouman Family,” 1927 December 26, WWP23161, Jon Anthony Bouman Collection, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.