Source: Das Nordlicht, 26 May 1921 · 📰

Letter: Balmas, Bessarabia
15 April 1921

Dear Nordlicht:

Slowly your lovely rays illuminate many households in Balmas. The first issue always comes to our teacher and your correspondent Romuald Dirk, but we hope that soon many households will be blessed with this paper. I am certain that our friends and relatives across the Big Water can do something about subscriptions. It happens frequently that people want to borrow his paper for an hour or so, but many times he has it out to someone in Hirtenheim. You just cannot imagine what a joy the gift of the Nordlicht paper would mean to the villagers here who sit in their misery and grief. But when the postman comes to town, all get excited and race for the village office to get a glimpse of the paper. I am sure that someone over there will show some mercy and send a subscription here or there.

During the past seven months that Mr. Dirk has been teaching here, he has brought some life to our friends here and there. We are very grateful for his efforts. We anticipate the lifting of the border closure any time now. As soon as the Russian border is open the Nordlicht may unfold all its rays illuminating the bleakest little corner of Russia.

Mr. Michael Müller sent me a dollar in a letter last winter. I have given teacher Dirk half of it for postage, as one should always support people serving others. I sent a letter last January to my brother Christian Merk [Merck] near Karlsruhe, North Dakota, McHenry County, but it was returned. The address must not have been correct. So I wrote another letter adding “KARLSRUHE”, but if it comes back again, I will have to ask my brother for a better address. (*Editor’s note: No wonder it didn’t get there. The post office is in Karlsruhe. If that is not reflected on the letter, it can’t be delivered. McHenry County, which contains Karlsruhe, is comprised of 944,640 acres or 1,512 square miles and the county has more than two dozen post offices. So unless the post office is named on the letter, the mailman cannot deliver.)

I would also like to hear from my friends Emmanuel, Ignatz, Andreas and Michael Schneider either by mail or through this paper. I can tell the brothers that I have been to the Cherson District in 1918 and visited their mother and brothers there. They were all healthy, but since then all is quiet behind the locked border.

In closing, I would like to remember my uncle Joseph Ziegler and send him and his family greetings from family and myself. We are all of good health.

I will close for now and write again as the Northern Lights (Nordlicht) shine on me.

Johannes Merk [Merck]