Jon Bouman to the Bouman Family

Title

Jon Bouman to the Bouman Family

Creator

Bouman, Jon Anthony, 1873-1958

Identifier

WWP23146

Date

1927 September 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

Dearest;-

I think I told you before that I was writing a financial able each week; this job was given to me because no one wanted to tackle it. We telegraph this to London, and someone writes a London article and Paris another.

Smith wrote Enderis that the Berlin financial cable wasfar sperior to Paris, and even to London. He didn’t know I had written it, but he knows now.

“They’ll never let you go now,” said Bodker of Reuters. And it looks like that, as Smith has further written Enderis that it is Mr. K. Cooper’s wish that I should bemoved. So we’ll have to make the best of it – how. I can’t quite see yet. But we will talk it all over in about article about girls who accept similar jobs being expected to do a lot of housework. I daresay there are such cases, therefore as I say we would need to make very sure that there would be no exploiting. Meanwhile she can go on with the training.

Your pound 50 would be helpful, for a time, at least, because I want you to have that for our own. Maybe a time will come when I can replace the engagement ring the burglars stole, alas. Perhaps Arthur can give you an idea when you may expect the money.

Yes, it was the Bosman family this young couple reminded me of. I had forgotten it at the time.

It’s funny how Germans love the kolossal. I see a shop which has a notice that large ladies are specially catered for, and one men’s shop, where “Englisch is spoocken” sells waistcoats, proudly announces that they have all sizes “up to the largest stomach – circumference” (Bauchumfang). One cannot imagine an English flaunting such things in a shop window!

Willie Aumonier rolled up here last night where I found him in the bar of his hotel, where he is staying with a couple of friends. He wants me to take round Berlin tonight, which is likely to cost me more than results warrant, but I suppose it has to be done. He seems inclined to be festive!

One evening I went to a cathedral concert again, but it didn’t please me as much as before, although the violin accompaniment was fine. But I like a cello better.

The wife of Ruttle of the Exchange Telegraph Co., he tells me, has just arrived to stay some time with her husband; their child being at boarding school in England.

Bodkin is still a grass widower; it seems from all I hear that Englishwomen at first never like Berlin, but they like it better after a time.

Will have to see how it reacts on you, when the time comes.

With love to all,

Thine,

Jack

Original Format

Letter

To

Bouman Family

Files

http://resources.presidentwilson.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/1927-09-26.pdf

Citation

Bouman, Jon Anthony, 1873-1958, “Jon Bouman to the Bouman Family,” 1927 September 26, WWP23146, Jon Anthony Bouman Collection, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.