Letters: Gisela’s Parents - Childhood (Before 1931)
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May 5, 1919
Versailles County.
My dear Anita,
That's a brilliant idea of yours, to sell my bank, only I'm afraid no one will buy it, because today everyone wants to sell German banks and have Swiss ones, and I also think that I'll get at most 3.50 for my bank today. And with the health insurance it is also such a lazy thing, if I get you into that business, then you get money only when you get sick, and that makes no sense, if one has no joy in life, waiting to get sick.
The only way you can get money without embarrassing your grandmother and buying a cow seems to me that you play the cello in the marketplace and let Gisela collect the money with the plate, but you can only do that when it's not raining, in case of bad weather better peel potatoes and charge at least 20 pfennigs an hour. Grow yourself a braid, as soon as it is a meter long, sell it, then you get, if you are patient, 10 meters a year, a meter is worth 30 marks, that's 300 marks, for that buy the cow, so you will make yourself milk by being smart.
Don't tell anyone, otherwise they will all do it and then there will be a milk overflow.
Your old dad gives you all a big hug! Greetings to Nunne!
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December 25, 1920
As much as I think back and forth,
I still don't know what gift
I would particularly like.
Something as grand and nice;
So I'll take this money bill
And come up with the right thing,
I'll give it as a gift to my father,
To my father, who'll buy me a present!
- (Anita accepts)Max Warburg
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3 November 1925
New York
Dear Gisella,
Since I assume that you are now living alone in Rabenstrasse and that Mother and Renate have gone, I want to report to you briefly, even if not personally.
Thank you for your letter of Sunday, October 19. Your letters are not very many, but at least they are all the more substantial. I am especially reassured that you are sleeping so well in my bed and that nothing special is happening at school, so that I am waiting for the most beautiful grades.
Here I must work a lot with head and stomach, more actually still with the stomach, than with the head. I am thinking of leaving here on the 18th of this month and will probably be in Hamburg on Friday the 27th. So it's not that long, but I won't bring Erich with me yet, he won't be in Europe until the end of February, until then he wants to go improve America even more.
The family is doing very well, they all send you their warmest greetings.
Your old father
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1 November 1927
So, my abandoned, if only until January 21, child,
Just a word to tell you that Anita is happy and my wife met me joyfully. The trip was very pleasant. Connection in Cologne, so that I was here at 3 o'clock in the morning. Weather good, although of course not as nice as in Hamburg. So howl on, if the water also scalds!
hugging you,
your father
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Dear Gisi,
The hotel has a lot of similarity with the convent school, only you don't get written up if you are late. Soelkers (?) and Champs-Elysees also have a lot of similarity.
Father
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Carlsbad,
6 May, 1927
My dear Gisi Kid,
A father who loves you should think of you on your birthday, even on the train, but I only half-did. I realized that it was a special day, because I had good dreams and also good awakening, but I did not realize the underlying reason, as though it all has to do only with me, here in Carlsbad. Maudi made it clear to me, and so I quickly sent you a telegram. May all be well with you further on! You know I am a banker (tsss…confidential) and so I calculate with percentages. A man has many qualities, and so do you, some are good, some are inferior.
Take care of a right percentage. The percentage of chutzpah may be smaller, the one of exemplary behavior larger, the strength of memory may grow in inverse proportion to the reminders that you intend to create for yourself. For the rest, “be good and pious until I come home again!” Do not run away when Reuben is there, but attract his attention to you, so that the burden will be lighter!
(Names) are enjoying the beautiful nature and learning diligently their roles, speaking slowly with a lot of pauses, especially when laughter is expected.
I hug you and your brothers and sisters, who are also my children,
Your old father
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Carlsbad, 7 October 1928
Grand Hotel Pupp
(Dear Gisi, “Pupp” comes from “doll,” it's just an abbreviation, such a lovely toy, if it's easier for you, write “doll” first and then delete the “e” anyway, so Grand Hotel Pupp(e))
Dear Anita, dear Gisela,
Well, Wozek (?) is here to send greetings to you, we haven't seen him much yet, but he immediately began to rave about our charming daughter, but says too little from what I can tell. Also many people rave about Lola, but this time no men, more women with “local” importance.
I have read your diploma, dear Gisi, with a great joy, you swiftly approach the number that every father would want his daughter to achieve, but the school will bore you, if you have to work with more zeal for more success, do it with ease, in the end the brain gymnastics is still the best sport, also one does not break one’s own bones with it.
As for your behavior, I would like you to read, but modestly, silently and with rare sharp eye that I call Gisela's eye. Be forgiving and hardworking, because you can do both, as I try to do it all my life. Carpe Diem! I try to do it without cutting meat and feed on greenery, next time I will need only grass in Klosterberg for my nourishment.
Embracing you both,
in fatherly love (as it should be!)
Father
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2 December, 1928,
17 E.18th St NYC
So, my best one of my best daughters!
My trip was not so bad, it could have been worse. Even Walter was not seasick. The Vrie in the Clesse will certainly be nice, I also had to listen to a quartet here, this epidemic of music mania is everywhere. No big difference, the same instruments. Also the babies are the same everywhere, I have to admire many and say 'say “ daddy,” say “mommy,” sometimes they say the right word, sometimes not.
I found New York changed little. Whether I see 6 car lanes side by side or 8 lanes, there is no difference, whether there are 1.5 million people or 2, the difference is not audible.
The whole family is healthy and seems to be very happy with my presence.
The fried fish go completely knee-free, Grandmas wear the skirts further down, who can work, works in the line; lots of red on the lips, purple under the eyes, pink on the cheeks, so that I so wish for blue and green…
Oh! Madness, makes me praise Pöseldorf!
In 8 days I will be back and will tell you all a lot.
I suppose you are all by yourself, so give yourself a big hug, you are really a well behaving girl — and tell Hello from me to the house.
Being in good mood (though weighing a bit less)
Your Father
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Carlsbad, 4 October 1929
My dear ones,
I hope you have heard this speech at the Sonnenband, and not only from Erich!
All the best for the new year! And to you, Gisi, best teachers and teachers! How is it possible that you are so unrecognized! How will the teaching community react to you? Mother was very kind, she said that she had a # in the following subjects, but then she chose each subject that had with a 2, the 2's seem to me to be distributed only to minor subjects and could easily be added in the head. So I wish you more understanding in such Sunday school manners!
Here little is changed, the fountains work as in Goethe’s times, it is nevertheless an elevating feeling, if one is a poet, like me, to find yourself at a fountain, on a long walk. One kisses the hand all the more heartily the more generous the hand is.
Dr. Simion calls us both “beautiful,” even if a bit tired, so he lets us walk more slowly. The apartment is the same, very cozy. Uncle Peter came to greet us, it was very nice with him, we played bridge for three, but he is so cautious that he feels like risking already at 5 aces. Katulen and Glenn (?) will have dinner with us tomorrow, we will hear some news from them. I am reading only newspapers, the death of Stresemann affected us a lot, I wrote to the (?), nothing special, you can let yourself read what I wrote. A great loss and shameful how his own party treated him. There are too many idiots! Speaking of idiots: A Jew says to a Hitler man: I know how old you are - 36! The Hitler man: Why? - “We had a half idiot in the village and he was 18!” With this joke I wish you good night.
Father
P.S. we were very happy about your two letters, dear Gisi, Anna's letters are unfortunately probably all lost again, the child has bad luck.
Father.