Jon Bouman to the Bouman Family

Jon Bouman to the Bouman Family

Bouman, Jon Anthony, 1873-1958

WWP23176

1928 April 12

Letter from Jon Bouman to his family.

Gift of William C. and Evelina Suhler

Germany--History--1918-1933

Correspondence

Berlin, Germany

Rachel Dark

Denise Montgomery

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.

                                                  28 Zimmerstr., Berlin SW 68

                                                 April 12, '28

Dearest,

     Yours of Easter Monday to hand. The Easter holidays were positively brilliant here; impossible to imagine finer Easter weather, and of course the crowds out into the country were formidable; I see it was the same in London. I had the Saturday off, and worked the two holidays, which I preferred as I needed some quiet time to work on articles for which the New York office has an insatiable appetite. In fact we are almost daily requested to write articles which in former times would never be done except by a special man who could take weeks over it. They seem to think one need only turn on a tap and out comes the article.

     We are writing articles on prominent persons to a schedule of about 24 questions, and I am trying to write one on Prime Minister Woldemaras of Lithuania, but when I met him, immersed in most difficult and intricate questions of high politics, I simply hadn't the nerve to ask fool questions like: "Does he go to the movies? or, does he like tinkering with machinery??

     The Pension gave us a very good Easter Day dinner; we had coloured eggs for breakfast and at dinner there stood beside each plate a little basket of chocolate eggs and a tiny chicken or gnome.

     You will be feeding for a long time yet on the memories of your wonderful trip; something to remember when days are dull and dreary. As for Berlin, we haven't had one foggy day yet, yesterday it was very warm and there was a thunderstorm, but today it is colder again.

     About Betty, we will have to talk it over, try and find out what Reading would cost. I suppose it would be a matter of another entrance exam, too? The prospect of the expense of another long period of training for each if they all come over here, rather worries me. Of course it is all a question of money, nothing else.

     I have returned the girl's School magazine, and with it sent a little book of pictures from East Prussia. I have two copies of these, so don't need one kept.

     I hope nothing will prevent my plan to come over end of this month for Mary. Let her get her passport pictures and draw her money out of the savings bank to close the account.

     What a joke about Sylvia Pankhurst having a baby! It seemed to interest the German papers vastly.

                                                 With love to all,
                                                   thine,
                                                     Jack.

Letter

Bouman Family