Jon Bouman to the Bouman Family
Title
Jon Bouman to the Bouman Family
Creator
Bouman, Jon Anthony, 1873-1958
Identifier
WWP23121
Date
1922 April 16
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
Sunday night April 16
(1923-crossed out)
1922
Dearest,
Easter Sunday; here I am alone in the office; there is no news, -- a good opportunity for writing. I am wondering what you all have been doing, or will be doing, during the holidays. The weather here has completely changed; it began on Thursday, and on Good Friday it was so warm that my lighter overcoat was a burden. Both yesterday and today again were fine and warm; one can almost see the birds in the parks coming out.
We have been quite busy though; on Good Friday a cable came from New York asking us to elucidate a certain political aspect which meant a good deal of research and other work, and even today, Sunday, I had to see the former governor of German East Africa at his house. I also met his wife who is a New Zealand lady whom he married in New York. They now belong to the “new poor” and she said she couldn’t afford to subscribe to the Times which she always used to read.
Yesterday Edwin Wilcox came to see me; I had left my card with greetings in his pigeon hole at the hotel desk; he still has a room at the Adlon. He looks very fit, he wanted me to go with him to Potsdam where he has a boat. Of course as he writes for a paper that doesn’t appear on Sunday, he had the day off but I couldn’t join him as I had work to do.
A letter today from Mr. Collins who has heard definitely now from New York that Day is to succeed Easterling, and he is communicating with Smith as to how soon he shall go. I suppose this is a point of etiquette, as Smith is the chief of the bureau here, and he has to have his say in the matter. Smith is of course at Genoa, so I suppose I shall be here another fortnight or thereabouts.
I am getting used again to the old game of double-locking everything, which is an awful nuisance. I keep forgetting that I have locked a door, and rush back in alarm to find that of course I have done it. Since someone stole a typewriter here, Enderis has had two locks put on the front door, necessitating two keys and three different manipulations, and another door is secured from the inside by a hook, in addition to the usual lock. It is a nuisance to have to lock and unlock when I am here alone, if I have to go to the lav.! It was just on such an occasion that Moloney’s overcoat was stolen, so I am not taking any chances.
I haven’t been to any more theatres but must make up my mind to see one or two plays before I quit. There is “Parsifal” and “Faust” (as a drama) and several other things I want to see,
Also some good historical films; one about Frederick the Great, a very patriotic one which generally leads to a fight among the audience, between monarchists and republicans.
Now that the weather has turned fine, Enderis and I motor out to some swell eating place of an evening. Where they do you well! Yo ho and a bottle of rum! At one place we just had a dinner of soup, meat, vegetables, and sweets, and a bottle, and it cost us pound 50 for the two of us – that is, peace value. At present rates, less than a pound. But everything was perfectly done, and perfectly served, an aesthetic joy. You can imagine that only profiteers, correspondents, and other hogs are to be found at those places.
Enderis has just blown in, so goodbye to peace and quiet! With love to all – I’ve just bought a nice present for Bill!
Thine,
Jack
(1923-crossed out)
1922
Dearest,
Easter Sunday; here I am alone in the office; there is no news, -- a good opportunity for writing. I am wondering what you all have been doing, or will be doing, during the holidays. The weather here has completely changed; it began on Thursday, and on Good Friday it was so warm that my lighter overcoat was a burden. Both yesterday and today again were fine and warm; one can almost see the birds in the parks coming out.
We have been quite busy though; on Good Friday a cable came from New York asking us to elucidate a certain political aspect which meant a good deal of research and other work, and even today, Sunday, I had to see the former governor of German East Africa at his house. I also met his wife who is a New Zealand lady whom he married in New York. They now belong to the “new poor” and she said she couldn’t afford to subscribe to the Times which she always used to read.
Yesterday Edwin Wilcox came to see me; I had left my card with greetings in his pigeon hole at the hotel desk; he still has a room at the Adlon. He looks very fit, he wanted me to go with him to Potsdam where he has a boat. Of course as he writes for a paper that doesn’t appear on Sunday, he had the day off but I couldn’t join him as I had work to do.
A letter today from Mr. Collins who has heard definitely now from New York that Day is to succeed Easterling, and he is communicating with Smith as to how soon he shall go. I suppose this is a point of etiquette, as Smith is the chief of the bureau here, and he has to have his say in the matter. Smith is of course at Genoa, so I suppose I shall be here another fortnight or thereabouts.
I am getting used again to the old game of double-locking everything, which is an awful nuisance. I keep forgetting that I have locked a door, and rush back in alarm to find that of course I have done it. Since someone stole a typewriter here, Enderis has had two locks put on the front door, necessitating two keys and three different manipulations, and another door is secured from the inside by a hook, in addition to the usual lock. It is a nuisance to have to lock and unlock when I am here alone, if I have to go to the lav.! It was just on such an occasion that Moloney’s overcoat was stolen, so I am not taking any chances.
I haven’t been to any more theatres but must make up my mind to see one or two plays before I quit. There is “Parsifal” and “Faust” (as a drama) and several other things I want to see,
Also some good historical films; one about Frederick the Great, a very patriotic one which generally leads to a fight among the audience, between monarchists and republicans.
Now that the weather has turned fine, Enderis and I motor out to some swell eating place of an evening. Where they do you well! Yo ho and a bottle of rum! At one place we just had a dinner of soup, meat, vegetables, and sweets, and a bottle, and it cost us pound 50 for the two of us – that is, peace value. At present rates, less than a pound. But everything was perfectly done, and perfectly served, an aesthetic joy. You can imagine that only profiteers, correspondents, and other hogs are to be found at those places.
Enderis has just blown in, so goodbye to peace and quiet! With love to all – I’ve just bought a nice present for Bill!
Thine,
Jack
Original Format
Letter
To
Bouman Family
Files
Collection
Citation
Bouman, Jon Anthony, 1873-1958, “Jon Bouman to the Bouman Family,” 1922 April 16, WWP23121, Jon Anthony Bouman Collection, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.