Headline: Letter from Russia
Norka, 9 October
Dear Mr. Volz:
I am finally getting around to expressing our most cordial thanks for your dear letter written from the Orbita on the day before your arrival in New York. I received your first postcard from London on an August afternoon when Pastors Eichhorn and Maier were here with me and I was able to share your lines with them.
Your letter, which we have had for 3 weeks now, has made us even more happy. I am pleased that your lifelong ambition of visiting Germany, the land of our fathers, has been fulfilled. You saw more of Germany during your short stay than I did in the 2 years that I spent studying in Leipzig. I hope that this experience remains indelibly printed in your heart as was my experience. Germany remains very much in my heart. Its terrible emergency distresses me more than our own emergency here in our country. Since 1914 not a single day has gone by without my thinking about Germany. I hope the time will come when the people understand what they owe to the German people and for that reason change their behavior towards Germany. Perhaps many years or even decades will go by but eventually the realization will occur. I would like to live long enough to see it. But enough of this!
You have probably already heard how things are going here. On the whole the harvest was a miserable failure (with the exception of those who were able to bring in a barely average harvest). In the Balzer and Frank Cantons there was a very spotty harvest. In those communities one harvested 30 to 50 Pud per Desyatin, while others, in spite of double seeding, 12 to 15 Pud. This in Frank, Norka and everywhere else. In spite of the poor harvest the people have sown much Rye and will soon be finished with the planting for the new year. But after payment of the "In Kind" tax, many have nothing or very little left over. I have already heard complaints voiced that in the best case they have enough flour for cooking but not enough for baking. A great many people even drive to Saratov to buy flour (even though it costs about 700 million Rubel per Pud) and from this they pay their "In Kind" tax. The farmers who will not be short of bread are also complaining about the emergency. The root of the emergency is disproportionate pricing; farm products are too cheap and manufactured products too expensive. 1 arschin of gingham is equal to 1 Pud of grain; 1 Pfund of butter equal to 1 spool of thread; 1 Pfund of white paint costs about 2 Pud of qheat. A few days ago we bought a quarter of a box of thin glass for our church windows. It cost 12 1/2 billion rubles, which is about what 17 to 18 Pud of the best flour would cost. We wanted to and should do more repairs to our church buildings but we cannot. With the 11,050 million Ruble (85 dollars) that we received from the Norkans in Lincoln through you, we can do a little but not much. Thus the church, its members and also its servants must suffer during this time of emergency. Outside assistance or at least some support is necessary.
You wrote of the possibility of joining with the "Quakers" to help us further. I don't think that will happen and I cannot say that I am saddened by the prospect. As necessary as it was to have outside assistance during the famine, it terribly demoralized our people, Even the war did not affect the moral fiber of our people as much as the assistance did. In any case, I want nothing more to do with these things. You know of the assaults from every quarter that we had to put up with and we were still stabbed in the back by those we helped. You have probably read the letter of Joh. Blum from Norka in the Welt-Post. My refutation is being sent out from here today. Indeed, the Editor attempted to apply some salve (his editorial remarks) to the wound this man inflicted upon me, but a scar still remains. Thus I and many along with me have sworn to never again have anything to do with any relief work that comes this way again.
In church circles we have also had to face some negative changes. Pastor Guenther has left Beideck and gone to Warenburg from where he will also serve Schilling. From Norka, I will now also serve Beideck, the home of my grandfathers. Pastor Streck went to Astrachan. Grimm is served by Pastor Eichhorn. Rumors are circulating that the former Pastor of the Umeter (Rosenberg) Parish, Hayn, will again return to the Volga Region. The shortage of suitable servants is becoming ever more apparent in our Evangelical Volga Churches. This shortage is so drastic that we are cut off from any possibility to organize in order to assist in an emergency. Everyone goes their own way and is content if they can succeed to some extent in fulfilling their duties in their own little areas of responsibility.
A mishap recently occurred in our family. Our eldest daughter, Senta, broke her right arm below the elbow. She is in bed with her arm in a splint and is in great discomfort. We are hopeful that the bone will grow together again, but her and our recovery will take a long time. God has taken her to the school of the cross at an early age. May she be blessed by the experience.
Hopefully this letter will come into your hands and you will soon please us with another detailed letter. Greetings to all of your dear family with whom we are not acquainted and all those from Norka and Huck in America who know me or at least know my name.
With cordial, brotherly greetings, your
F. Wacker, Pastor
I am finally getting around to expressing our most cordial thanks for your dear letter written from the Orbita on the day before your arrival in New York. I received your first postcard from London on an August afternoon when Pastors Eichhorn and Maier were here with me and I was able to share your lines with them.
Your letter, which we have had for 3 weeks now, has made us even more happy. I am pleased that your lifelong ambition of visiting Germany, the land of our fathers, has been fulfilled. You saw more of Germany during your short stay than I did in the 2 years that I spent studying in Leipzig. I hope that this experience remains indelibly printed in your heart as was my experience. Germany remains very much in my heart. Its terrible emergency distresses me more than our own emergency here in our country. Since 1914 not a single day has gone by without my thinking about Germany. I hope the time will come when the people understand what they owe to the German people and for that reason change their behavior towards Germany. Perhaps many years or even decades will go by but eventually the realization will occur. I would like to live long enough to see it. But enough of this!
You have probably already heard how things are going here. On the whole the harvest was a miserable failure (with the exception of those who were able to bring in a barely average harvest). In the Balzer and Frank Cantons there was a very spotty harvest. In those communities one harvested 30 to 50 Pud per Desyatin, while others, in spite of double seeding, 12 to 15 Pud. This in Frank, Norka and everywhere else. In spite of the poor harvest the people have sown much Rye and will soon be finished with the planting for the new year. But after payment of the "In Kind" tax, many have nothing or very little left over. I have already heard complaints voiced that in the best case they have enough flour for cooking but not enough for baking. A great many people even drive to Saratov to buy flour (even though it costs about 700 million Rubel per Pud) and from this they pay their "In Kind" tax. The farmers who will not be short of bread are also complaining about the emergency. The root of the emergency is disproportionate pricing; farm products are too cheap and manufactured products too expensive. 1 arschin of gingham is equal to 1 Pud of grain; 1 Pfund of butter equal to 1 spool of thread; 1 Pfund of white paint costs about 2 Pud of qheat. A few days ago we bought a quarter of a box of thin glass for our church windows. It cost 12 1/2 billion rubles, which is about what 17 to 18 Pud of the best flour would cost. We wanted to and should do more repairs to our church buildings but we cannot. With the 11,050 million Ruble (85 dollars) that we received from the Norkans in Lincoln through you, we can do a little but not much. Thus the church, its members and also its servants must suffer during this time of emergency. Outside assistance or at least some support is necessary.
You wrote of the possibility of joining with the "Quakers" to help us further. I don't think that will happen and I cannot say that I am saddened by the prospect. As necessary as it was to have outside assistance during the famine, it terribly demoralized our people, Even the war did not affect the moral fiber of our people as much as the assistance did. In any case, I want nothing more to do with these things. You know of the assaults from every quarter that we had to put up with and we were still stabbed in the back by those we helped. You have probably read the letter of Joh. Blum from Norka in the Welt-Post. My refutation is being sent out from here today. Indeed, the Editor attempted to apply some salve (his editorial remarks) to the wound this man inflicted upon me, but a scar still remains. Thus I and many along with me have sworn to never again have anything to do with any relief work that comes this way again.
In church circles we have also had to face some negative changes. Pastor Guenther has left Beideck and gone to Warenburg from where he will also serve Schilling. From Norka, I will now also serve Beideck, the home of my grandfathers. Pastor Streck went to Astrachan. Grimm is served by Pastor Eichhorn. Rumors are circulating that the former Pastor of the Umeter (Rosenberg) Parish, Hayn, will again return to the Volga Region. The shortage of suitable servants is becoming ever more apparent in our Evangelical Volga Churches. This shortage is so drastic that we are cut off from any possibility to organize in order to assist in an emergency. Everyone goes their own way and is content if they can succeed to some extent in fulfilling their duties in their own little areas of responsibility.
A mishap recently occurred in our family. Our eldest daughter, Senta, broke her right arm below the elbow. She is in bed with her arm in a splint and is in great discomfort. We are hopeful that the bone will grow together again, but her and our recovery will take a long time. God has taken her to the school of the cross at an early age. May she be blessed by the experience.
Hopefully this letter will come into your hands and you will soon please us with another detailed letter. Greetings to all of your dear family with whom we are not acquainted and all those from Norka and Huck in America who know me or at least know my name.
With cordial, brotherly greetings, your
F. Wacker, Pastor
Sources
Die Welt-Post, November 15, 1923, page 2.
This translation provided courtesy of Hugh Lichtenwald.
This translation provided courtesy of Hugh Lichtenwald.
Last updated March 6, 2016.