From: Krasna, Bessarabia
1 March 1913
It is a nice thing to read a newspaper in which one finds one’s own correspondence. When for the first time I held a newspaper in my hand, the reading for me was very difficult because of the High German words. It was hard for me to understand one thing or the other. But because I was well gifted, I soon got on track of the story and it did not take me long to find out the simple meaning of the High German words. That is why practice beats studying. I did not know anything about reading a newspaper for a long, long time.
However, a year ago I was in the village administrative office, where I saw several men sitting, each having a newspaper in hand and reading it. When I saw this, I also took one and started reading in it. But I had gotten a hold of one that had so many High German words in it. Because I did not understand the words, I put the paper down right away and observed others as they read. Suddenly one of the men said: “The American newspaper is the best of all the papers that arrive here.” Then I listened and asked what kind of newspaper it was. He replied, “This here, the Staats-Anzeiger.” He handed me the paper to read. I then found out that it was Valtin [Valentin] Herrschaft’s newspaper. Knowing that, I often went to Herrschaft and listened to him read the paper and I also asked him what the simple meanings were for the High German words. As soon as I caught a little spark, then I also went over to Anton Gedak and Romel [Romuald] Dirk often, who also read the Staats-Anzeiger.
I also visited Sempfer (Semfer) and several others who read different newspapers. I got well acquainted with these papers and from among all the newspapers I always liked the Staats-Anzeiger the best. There is so much to read in it about my schoolmates and friends in America, and in every edition there is almost a whole page and sometimes more written about how things are in the Russian villages.
When later on I met the man again who had told me in the village administrative office that the American newspaper was the best paper, I told him that he was right. I also told him that I was well pleased with newspapers and that I had begun writing articles for them.
At first I thought that the waste paper basket would be really hungry and swallow my simple articles immediately because the farmers’ dialect is something special for him. But he must have felt pity and didn’t swallow an article full of truth, no matter how simple the writing. Because of the truth it was readily taken into the print shop. That’s why the truth proceeds in many ways everywhere throughout the world. However, there are many people in this world, and especially in our village, who think that the truth can be disguised with shrewdness, and assume that with shrewdness and slyness they can do anything in the world without anyone knowing it. The truth, however, begs to differ in its proverb, “Everything will come to light, no matter how stealthy it is.” This is a proverb and also the truth. If someone does not believe this, and with his politics wants to fool other people, then he will find out and say that the “farmer” was right in his article after all. When one listens and looks about in this village how things are and how some carry on without thinking of the proverb, one’s mind comes to a standstill when educated people think that the truth is blind in this world.
One cheats the other. The other, after marrying a young woman will later fool around with five others. Still another will beat his wife so badly in order for her to die, so that he can marry another. Yet with another, the wife had just died when already the following day he goes to the priest with another woman so that the priest has to say, “Why didn’t you come yesterday straight from the cemetery, while your deceased wasn’t even buried yet?”
Someone else gets himself ready to drive to the market in Anschakrak (Tarutino) and says to his wife that some woman had stopped and asked him to take her along to the market, without his wife knowing that he liked to take the other woman along more so than her. They don’t even think about the fact that they are totally blind in this situation, and that the truth is standing near by with bright eyes. Many have the luck to mess around with such things like a sow in a pile of manure and the patient truth has to silently observe and think, “Wait, we want to see who will have the last laugh.” Lust and money are the cause of all this.
Once I had a discussion with a priest about money. I said to him that if there weren’t any money then things would be bad off in the world. He said that he disagreed with me, because the money is not always looked at as the nice money, the good money, and the dear money. Quite often it is also called the damned money, because it takes away eternal happiness from many. Today I have to agree with the dear priest because I am convinced that money always creates the biggest madness. If one looks at a poor man then one can see that he is burdened with grief and sorrow about how and from where he is going to obtain his daily bread. A rich one, however, will raise his head high, red in his face like he just got freed from a chain, looking for an opportunity to cool off his rage. I have often witnessed when a fat bull was turned loose from the ropes how it raised its tail and did extensive damage to whatever it could get to. A skinny one, however, will never do that. That’s why it is better to be skinny and have less money, and do the right thing.
Looking at the world the way things are, then one can hardly tolerate it, and one wants to put the whole fracas on record. Maybe then many a person would wake up, and stop rummaging, and realize what he is doing. It will either improve for the better, or it will get worse among us. So far we have had only three taverns; however, now we have six already. Perhaps now among the new bar owners there will be some that will not pass along everything they hear. Then many shenanigans will remain unknown for a long time. Then again without taverns one will not end up in mischief as easy.
Oh, my dear friend Niklas [Nickolaus] Kahl, if I would write you the story about the two who not so long ago were in Tarus’ tavern and on their way home crossed the bridge, then you would die laughing. And how they were looking for their wives at Sempfer’s [Semfer’s] was even more exciting. I will write you about it, if I have time before the plowing. But if spring sets in soon then there will be no time.
In closing I greet you, dear comrade Niklas [Nickolaus], and all my friends in America and Canada. Also all readers and correspondents, and especially the editor, Mr. Brandt, and all those that print the newspaper.
A Farmer
From: Petrofka (Mathildenthal), Bessarabia
4 March 1913
When you open this or that number of the Staats-Anzeiger, you will find so many reports from here and there, so that one really doesn’t know to which report to reply. With so many options one certainly prefers those that mention your name. That is why I read the article in #31 from Estevan in Canada written by Blasius Mueller, to whom I want to say that his greetings made me very happy. The same holds true with Joseph Plotzky in North Dakota. It feels good, to hear something once in awhile from former fellow countrymen in the Staats-Anzeiger and how they are doing in the New World.
I do wonder why Jakob A. Kopp in Morton County, North Dakota is not a reader of the paper and why he doesn’t correspond even though he is a good writer. These lines are also meant for my other friends who live over in the New World dying away. There is my half-brother Anton Dirk, the son-in-law of Jakob Kopp (not Jakob A. Kopp) who knows how to write very well, and his father-in-law is even better, since he used to be the managing secretary in the Russian Colony Krasna for many years. But since they live in the New World they seem to have vanished. Well, did the earth open up and swallow them? If these gentlemen were not readers of the paper that would puzzle me. I could report a lot in the paper to those gentlemen and the readers in general. It would be a great favor to me if one or the other of the readers could convey my greetings to these friends.
All readers of this paper should tell their neighbors and friends, who perhaps don’t know about the Staats-Anzeiger yet, about this paper and win them over as readers. Wherever this paper puts its’ roots it will also stay there, since it delivers valuable reading material for everyone. How nice it is when you hear something from this or that friend who you have thought of as dead or vanished. All of a sudden there is a sign of life from them!
Also my Uncle Jakob Dirk (father of Anton Dirk and the brother of my father) could perhaps still be alive in the New World and I would be pleased to hear something from my half-brother Anton. It is odd that only a few of the numerous friends in America are writing. There is my brother Jakob Dirk, my nephew (my sister’s son) Lorenz Dirk, Ignatz Gross, my son-in-law’s brother-in-law, but no one writes in the paper. One almost has to think that they are so preoccupied to collect and hang on to the dollars that they have no time left over to think about relatives and friendships. Wake up my dear friends and read what pleasantries the Staats-Anzeiger brings to us. Then your mind will change too and once again we can have contact with each other and can report about what is going on in our lives.
I would like to ask my brother Jakob and my nephew Lorenz for their pictures. That really would be a sign of friendship. I have only one brother who has been living in America for almost 15 years and he has never written to me. I am sure that this happens rarely in this world! I can’t imagine that he has a reason to keep silent. If he has a reason I would like to know about it. When I was still a teacher I would write to him repeatedly. I did not receive an answer and I did stop writing. The same thing happened with my Uncle Jakob and my nephew Lorenz Dirk. Also ………Text missing………
The translator assumes the writer is Romuald Dirk.
From: Emmental, Bessarabia
8 March 1913
My last letter appeared in Issue #20. I had asked for a Virgin Mary calendar that has not arrived yet.
Looks like the neighbors and friends, who may not know of the Staats-Anzeiger, should be introduced to it and perhaps become readers of the paper too. This paper is here to stay and to get deeply rooted, as it contains invaluable material. It is so precious to be able to hear about friends and locate long lost folks when one had no idea of their whereabouts and whether they were dead or alive. So my Uncle Jakob Dirk, son of Anton, could well be living in the new world now. It would be nice to hear from him and half brother Anton. It is strange that out of all those friends who went to America, very few give a sign of life!
Then there is my brother Jakob Dirk and my nephew, son of my sister, Lorenz Dirk, the brother-in-law to my son-in-law Ignatz Gross. None of them contact the paper! One has to assume they are busy collecting dollars and have no time to think about friends and relatives any more.
Wake up dear friends, and read all the positive things in the Staats-Anzeiger and your attitude will change. You can make contact again so we can exchange what is going on in our lives. I would like to ask brother Jakob and nephew Lorenz to send me photos. Now that would be a great sign of friendship.
I have one single brother who has been in America for almost 15 years and has never written to me! That's rare in this world! I see no reason for him to be silent. If there is a reason, I would like to know it. When I was still teaching I wrote to him repeatedly and never received an answer. Uncle Jakob and nephew Dirk are also silent.
Last week there was a theft in the village. The thief was caught red-handed. I will write more of that as the story develops. Thou shalt not steal! It is not a given pastime.
What shortens boredom? Work! What makes time unbearably slow? No work. What makes the debts? Suffering and waiting. What makes a winner? Not to procrastinate! What makes honor? Defending oneself. Which evening is the longest? Saturday.
Greetings also to Eugenius Riehl! I want to thank him for providing me with the address for Barnabas Steiert. Peter Volk needs to know that his brother has come home and was married.
Greetings to my old mother and to my brothers in Canada!
I would like to know if Joseph received the present I gave Adam MĂĽller to give to him? Joseph could write a bit more and I shall do the same.
Greetings to all the readers as well.
Sincerely,
Zachäus Kopp, son of Martin