Jon Bouman to the Bouman Family

Jon Bouman to the Bouman Family

Bouman, Jon Anthony, 1873-1958

WWP23024

1919 March 2

Letter from Jon Bouman to his family.

Gift of William C. and Evelina Suhler

Correspondence

Paris Peace Conference (1919-1920)

Rachel Dark

Denise Montgomery

Austin Shifflett

English

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.

Dearest;

    Much interested in yours of Feb. 27 which told me of your Newcastle experiences, and glad to hear you have been able to hear of a help for the old folks; that must have taken some doing, and I think it is wonderful you succeeded to find one. I shall not be surprised if you find a house to suit us. I have not yet received the school prospectus, but printed matter takes much longer in distribution than letters, which come fairly quickly.

    I met a lot of interesting people at the Roumanian-American dinner the other day, which was presided by Take Jonescu, who was Prime Minister of Roumania during the war. I sat next to the chief priest of the Roumanian church, a picturesque person of the jolly old padre type, with a long black cassock and ditto hair. Then last night I went to a function of which you will find the programme enclosed. It was most interesting and enjoyable, especially the “bourrée” I marked, the tune of which still runs through my brain. There was a tremendous crowd, and who should I meet but that old teapot Dr. Rooseboom, who is here for propaganda purposes. I also met a young correspondent of the Amsterdam Telegraaf with whom (and his wife, who is a daughter of Holdert, the proprietor of the paper) I travelled coming to France. I heard Balfour was also there, although I didn’t see him.

    The other Sunday evening I was introduced by Frank Grundy to Monsieur his son in law, a fine type of young French soldier, tall and slim, who entertained us with army stories.

    How nice for you to stay at Mrs. Harrington’s that must have been quite a godsend, seeing the difficulties of getting accommodation in London.

    The butter scarcity here is extraordinary. Frank Grundy got a pound the other day by some chance, and he put it in his overcoat pocket. Then he had to see some people and the coat got rather crushed so he was much worried but fortunately the butter was allright. Then he took his wife to a restaurant and when they rose to go, he found he had hung his coat in dangerous proximity to a hot water pipe. He anxiously felt for the butter, but again it was allright. Then they went home by tube, packed like sardines and poor Frank thought: - well that’s done for my butter at last. But it had even withstood that pressure. So the next morning early they put the butter on a dish on the stove to melt, but the stove somehow became suddenly very energetic, and when they came into the room, there was the butter, run off the dish and all over the stove and floor! So there’s a butter story. I never get any, because, like the Spanish fleet, it is not in sight. You are certainly better off for food in England; everybody tells me so.

     Did you ever see such nonsense as what appeared in the Paris Daily Mail of 21/2 about Lady Susan? I wonder if you have seen it before, I put the clipping in my letter case to send to you but forgot about it until now. Just like that fellow Bottomley to get hold of a cock and bull story like that. I wonder if he believed it himself. 

[Enclosed clipping titled: “Lady Susan Townley. Spectator of Ex-Kaiser’s Reception."]

     Let me know if you got my last blank cheque allright and also when you cash it. I suppose you had no trouble in negotiating them with someone. I am anxious to hear how father and mother are progressing and I have been picturing you all together and having fine talks. A pity they were so shaken in health, but it would be miraculous if it were otherwise.

    I do hope you are all keeping in good trim. My love to the babies. I suppose England has come up fully to Bill’s expectations?

P.S. School prospectus just received at office. Am studying it.
J.

[Concert program titled: Conference de la Paix/ Cercle Francais de la Presse Étrangère/ Concert Artistique en l‘honneur de la Presse Étrangère]

Letter

Bouman Family