Letters sent by Ernst Maass in Berlin, Germany to his first cousin, August Maas, in Walnut Grove, MN. See page one for additional information about these letters
[The accession numbers (A/N) are for reference and cataloging purposes.]
A/N MAA10 - [translated by Gene Maas with corrections by Eugene M. Wiese Wabash, IN]
Ernst Maass
Finkenkrug b/Berlin
Mainstr. 49
17 August 1955
My dear August,
For you the 23rd of August is the most memorable day of your life. I
have written to you on this day every year. Apparently, however, my
letters did not arrive to you, or your replies have not reached me. This
year, however, you will be 70 years old, and that is an occasion for me to
think about you particularly, and to wish and hope that your health is up
to par, and that you can spend a happy and festive day in the circle of
your family. With increasing age, that is indeed the thing. Some of the
men in the Maass family have reached a great age and were always healthy
and happy until the natural wear and tear of life prepared them for the
end. My father only reached an age of 54 years, however, and died suddenly
of a heart attack, while his brothers, Fritz in Eichenwalde and Heinrich
in Gollnow lived to well over 70 years at that time. The other brothers I
have not kept track of; your father, who saw me at the time in 1892
shortly after my birth in Potsdam, went then with his family to America,
as well as father’s sister.
[Note: It was Carl Erdman Maass who went
to America in 1892, not Julius. Ernst may have been confused].
Of my father’s descendents I am now the
only man left, besides my two sisters who live in Berlin. But we are also
approaching the Biblical age. I will be 64 years old next March, and am so
sprightly, that to this point in time I can still practice my
administrative duties, and I hope in my retirement to bring many more
years to a close insofar as my bones don’t bring an end to my reckoning.
As long as I was still vocationally active, I always took the cure at a
spa each year, and in that way prevented any worsening of my ailments. But
when I began my retirement, I had to give up the cure since no one sent me
there any more, and I was not able to pay for it out of my own pocket. But
nevertheless I do not lose courage and I have good hopes. Indeed, I have
my beautiful little house and the lovely garden here in Finkenkrug, and I
would like to believe that our living conditions will improve here from
year to year, so that with my small pension and the support of my boy, I
will have a bearable life in my later years. That is all the more
necessary since I must continue to live for my 33-year-old daughter, who
from childhood has been mentally retarded as a consequence of infantile
paralysis, and is constantly dependent on her father and mother. But that
is the only worry that we have. My wife, who has had to suffer through
many illnesses in her life, is, despite their consequences remains the
soul of the family and the ever-caring mother. She is now also 60 years
old and has the intention to outlast all of us. By and large we are all
happy and content, and hope that every day will be better.
My sister, Hanna, is in good health and feels well, but she has
concerns about her husband, who has been ill for years, which prevents him
from working at his job. At present he has been home already for half a
year, so he is not well off financially, and is dependent on the support
of his children. With my sister, Else, it is turned around. She is
financially secure, but must do a lot for her health. At present she and
her husband are in treatment. Two years ago she lost her daughter, a
medical student, due to infantile paralysis.
So much, now, for the three of us of the family Maass who are still
living. [Enclosed are] a few pictures of us, showing us on trips and at
home, and in which you can see that we are enjoying many beautiful hours.
The top photo shows Ernst and Frieda at the Kyffhäuser Castle ruins in 1954.This picture was described as being taken in their garden in 1954 with relatives and acquaintances -- seated on the left are Ernst's daughter; Marianne and his wife, Frieda; standing next to Ernst is Inge, his daughter-in-law. The others are unidentified.
You have an entirely different life over there. You live over there in
the country, and are nevertheless connected closely with the whole world.
You surely have a television set, and you not only hear, but you can also
see what takes place in the world and can form an opinion about everything
for yourself. And then you can get in the car, and drive anywhere you
like; and can visit relatives and acquaintances any time you like. So far
we cannot here. The war left us behind on every hand, and set limits that
can be surmounted only with great difficulty and fuss. Nevertheless we
hope that these borders will one day fall, and all Germans will find
themselves together once again. Perhaps it will be soon, or perhaps it is
still a long road ahead. The time of the Atomic Age may bring a lessening
of the fear of atomic war, and the arrival of mankind at the age of
reason. Also atomic science may become more widespread, and political
antagonism will fade into the background. When mankind is progressed so
far that we can at any time take a trip to the Moon or to Mars, then we
will not be hindered by earthly borders since they will be unnecessary and
outmoded. And if at that time I can not visit you in America, then we will
meet perhaps somewhere above in the universe. May we both experience that!
That makes me think of how much we have already experienced in the signs
of technology. Indeed, in my youth here in Berlin, I have traveled with
the horse-drawn streetcar, and the horse-drawn bus, and then traveled on
the first subway, and have seen the first airplane on the Tempelhof field;
have been astonished by the first electric light bulb; and have seen how
simple farm machinery was changed by militarily-minded men to the
contrary, to have turned these achievements into modern war machines. But
that should all be past now. When one now turns the atom into bombs and
the destruction of mankind, that destruction of mankind should be so
horrendous that every nation would have great fear of their use, and
therefore to my mind, the politicians would, with one accord, no longer
decide to use military conflict.
My dear August, now I have once again reported to you about times in
the old homeland, and conveyed my thoughts about the present time. I
sincerely hope that you receive my present lines, and that you can read
them in good health. I know that your writing in the German language now
gives you some difficulties, but nevertheless, I would be very pleased to
receive a few lines from you. I also sincerely hope that everyone in your
family is in good health and good spirits and that your life over there
fulfills all your desired wishes.
With all best wishes I congratulate you on your seventieth year
birthday and I am as always
Your cousin, Ernst Maass
If you answer me, then please address it as follows:
Mr. Ernst Maass % Sandfass [etc.]
Berlin Friedenau
Bundesallee 78
That is the dwelling of my sister in West-Berlin. I am also sending
this letter from West-Berlin, so that it actually arrives to you.
[Note: these photos were found among the letters, but it's not certain
these are the ones to which Ernst was referring. Updated 3/15/2011
Letters sent by Ernst Maass in Berlin, Germany to his first cousin, August Maas, in Walnut Grove, MN. See page one for additional information about these letters
