30 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



I have the best rooms of all the fellows. Our 

 sitting room is very light and comfortable, 

 with a stove and a piano, while the bedroom 

 is fixed up nice with "Old Glory" right be- 

 side my bed. We sleep with a mattress over 

 as well as under us, a feather one. Our land- 

 lady — Frau Keller — is a fine old German 

 ■woman and as neat as wax. She blacks our 

 shoes for us every night — they all do — and 

 sews on buttons, etc., whenever they arc 

 needed. I actually have to hide my high log- 

 ging boots to keep her from shining those. 



Last night I attended one of the best things 

 ever. The President of the University invited 

 us to a grand "kneipe" given in honor of the 

 Grand Duke and including every student iu 

 Darmstadt. There were over five hundred Ger- 

 man students seated, each with his colors on, 

 etc., and sitting with his fraternity. I never 

 saw so many ribbons, brass buttons and swords 

 in my life. 



They toasted the Grand Duke, and finally 

 Doc Sehenck and the B. F. S., and America, 

 and just as they finished the band struck up 

 ' ' The Star Spangled Banner. ' ' and maybe 

 we didn't get on our feet. That was a great 

 honor, I understand, as here in Germany 

 they are usually i-areful not to permit na- 

 tional airs other than their own. 



Soldiers! Lord, I never saw so many in my 

 life before. About every ten minutes a com- 

 pany of soldiers come tramping through the 

 streets with swords liauging, etc., and I be- 

 lieve, really and truly, that one American 

 citizen, not even a soldier, could lick three 

 of them at once. All they do is to march 

 and shoot fake cannons. All day long you 

 see and hear salutes. I am enjoying it all 

 very much. However, this Bohemian life 

 does not appeal to me so much. We eat in 

 caf^s, hotels or wherever we are. All the 

 people do that. The school is going fine 

 and you would die to see people eye us when 

 we wear our logging boots, etc. They think 

 we are lunatics. 



Doe is busier than a dog killing a suake 

 these days. He 's right in with the royalty 

 here, and because of that, all of these fra- 

 ternities are rushing us around. Jonesie and 

 I are the favored ones, and Doc says the 

 Corps Franconia will invite us to join soon, 

 he thinks. However, nothing doing for the 

 face slashes. I prefer American fraterni- 

 ties, and if it "s a fight I want to use my 

 mitts, not a dinky sword. I am going to see 

 a duel soon. The one this week has been 

 postponed because the police found out about 

 it. Oh, yes! I am requested to appear at 

 the police station tomorrow to give them a 

 record of my past life, etc., stating also why 

 I am here. They are always looking for 

 trouble here, it seems. I prefer the IT. S. A. 



Sunday, December 5. 

 My Dear Father: — 



This is the first Christmas we have been 

 separated, and I hope it will be the last. 

 Am sure it will be, in fact, for I have de- 

 termined that once having set foot on the 

 soil of good old Uncle Sam 's country, your 

 son will keep in close touch with his father 

 and mother hereafter. This idea of sepa- 

 rating our small family may be all 0. K. 

 during the school year, but now I want to be 

 with you and live happy ever after. 



I think I will stay here in Darmstadt for 

 Christmas. I like the place very much. The 

 school is coming fine. We have been doing 

 a lot of estimating, and to show his confidence 

 in my work, Dr. Sehenck always appoints me 

 boss of a gang of fellows. We go to the 

 woods every day with him now, and I assure 

 you it is very interesting work. Our lectures 

 are held in the Merck dining-room; it is a 

 beautiful big home, and we appreciate the 

 kindness of Mr. Merck. Doc received a letter 

 from the Grand Duke, inviting the B. F. S. 

 to hold school in the Schloss (castle). That 



shows how we stand here. Everybody kow- 

 tows to us, and we are invited to everything. 

 I have to refuse invitations from all the Ger- 

 man fraternities. They go for Jonesie and 

 me and want us to attend all their stunts. 

 We are going to a "slicing" match next 

 week, when a very good German friend of 

 ours figlits a man from another corps. We 

 are going to root for him. 



I received the Sunday ])apers and maylie 

 I didn 't whoop it up when I read that 

 Micliigan had at last conquered both East 

 and West. The German students have asked 

 us to give them an exhibition of the "manly 

 art of self-defense," so I framed up a go 

 between two of the biggest fellows of the 

 school, and we are going to give them their 

 money 's worth at our nest Sangerf est. 



One thing I learn over here is good man- 

 ners. The Germans overdo the polite and 

 the Americans do not do enough of it. Here 

 every time you go through a door with a 

 Dutchman you imitate ' ' my dear Alfonso. ' ' 

 Everything is "bitte, bitte" (if you please). 

 .Tonesie said to me the other day, ' ' If you 

 do not give me your seat, say 'bitte,' or take 

 off your hat to me when we are alone, I'll 

 wallop you." And I told him, if he did not 

 do the same to me I woidd "knock his block 

 off, ' ' so you see we are going to be polite 

 if we have to fight for it. 



I am taking German lessons, one hour every 

 morning before school. I am crazy to see 

 you both, and if I could be home with you 

 tonight I would be the happiest man alive. 

 I want this to reach you before Christmas. 

 Let it wish to you both, as well as all others, 

 a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. 

 Wednesday, December 8. 

 Dear Father; — 



Was out estimating spruce all afternoon 

 and had to walk about fifteen miles, so it 

 did seem good to find your letter here when 

 I got back. Everything is going nicely. The 

 school is great and I am learning a lot. 

 Doc has placed me at the head of a gang 

 of fellows, so that now I only direct the run- 

 ning of lines, etc., while the new men do 

 the work. This is good practice for me, as 

 it gives me a chance to see all the phases, 

 and is less mechanical. The B. F. S. is going 

 to be recognized as a wonderful school in the 

 future. We study our botany in the univers- 

 ity laboratory, with Dr. Carl Sehenck, an 

 authority on tree botany, as teacher. 



I must now tell you about a great experi- 

 ence I had yesterday. You remember I 

 wrote that I was invited to attend a Ger- 

 man sword l)out (monsun). Well yesterday 

 morning at 0:30 Jonesie and I were awakened 

 by three members of Corps Franconia. They 

 were to have their fight then and came to get 

 us. Everything was carried on in secret, be- 

 cause of the police. They led us three miles 

 out of the city, to an old inn. Here were 

 assembled members of the other corps. We 

 saw five bouts, and lastly, one saber bout, 

 and I never want to see anything so brutal 

 again, or to hear people knock American foot- 

 ball and prize fighting as being brutal. 



In America it is science and an even chance, 

 always, between opponents. Here there is 

 little science, no one is a victor, no one gets 

 excited looking at it, and both contestants 

 get cut up always. The sword bouts were 

 the most bloody and least dangerous. Here 

 the contestants have their breast, neck, arms 

 and eyes protected, but their faces and heads 

 are bare. The first bout was between two 

 freshmen who had not fought before. They 

 were fine looking boys when they began. 

 When they finished one had eleven big cuts 

 on his face, the other had his head split 

 open, so that the top was like the lid of a 

 box, and his mouth was slit, and he had a 

 hole through one cheek. 



I saw five bouts like that. There were five 



Americaus of the school there and we almost 

 fainted, but we had to stick it out, for fear 

 of showing ourselves "yellow." The saber 

 bout was awful. Here the contestants were 

 fighting because one insulted the other, and 

 tliie other handed Mm his card, which was 

 torn up. These men had their chests bare, heart 

 and all, and unprotected; faces, heads and 

 arms also were unprotected, even the eyes. 

 Their elbows, shoulders and the arteries of 

 their necks were covered. They were to 

 fight twenty minutes unless one got injured 

 s(j he could not go on. Eesult : One fellow 

 got his arm almost cut in two and broken 

 after three minutes fighting, and. had to stop. 



Two doctors were in attendance ; they sewed 

 up tlie slices on all the men as they finished 

 fighting, and in the cuts they put caustics, 

 etc., to make them look fierce, at the direc- 

 tion of the man wounded. The swords were 

 like razors, and often you could see the hair 

 fly, as they cut hair instead of flesh. Only 

 in the saber match did one man get out free 

 from cuts ; everyone else who fought got 

 sliced, and the floor looked like a slaughter 

 ]ien. I sure was disgusted when I left, and 

 ]iroud of our American style of "the manly 

 art of self-defense. ' ' The contestants can- 

 not move when fighting; they must stand still 

 ilirectly opposite each other, looking straight 

 ahead and slash. The man who gets first 

 lilood is supposed to win, but it is always 

 a chance. 



In the sword bouts they are allowed three 

 strokes at a time; then they must pause, 

 which corresponds to a round iu boxing. It 

 sure was awful, but I am glad I saw it, 

 for I learned that few foreigners ever see 

 this, and it is considered a great honor. These 

 Franconia fellows are great chaps, all good 

 looking, except for their wounds. Everyone 

 in a corps must fight at least three times 

 Nine out of ten business men in Germanj 

 are all cut up. Doc Schneck has a cut over 

 his forehead, I learned. However, he "cut 

 it out ' ' after that one and went to America. 



We heard today that Mr. Defebaugh, of 

 the American Lumberman, is dead. Doc is 

 all broken up about it, as he was a great 

 friend of his, as well as of the Biltmore 

 Forest School. We sure are all sorry and are 

 awaiting the papers to see if the news is 

 authentic. 



Wish I could be with you all at Christmas 

 time. Think I will remain in Darmstadt. 



Dec. 15, 1909. 

 My dear Father: — 



I sure was glad when I received two let- 

 ters from you today. Was just starting for 

 field work when they came and I felt rather 

 lonesome all morning, so thev sure did go 

 well. 



Today I worked like a horse, estimating 

 pine, boc had me run a strip with a gang 

 of fellows, and my estimate checked to the 

 dot with that of the German foresters, so 

 I am getting good, I think. We do a lot of 

 estimating over here and that is the very 

 thing I wanted. It is getting cold tonight 

 for the first time this year. 



After field work I went with the gang to 

 the swimming pool (it is a peach), and after 

 a good swim we had a beefsteak supper. 

 Living expenses over here are not much 

 cheaper than in America; eating costs more, 

 for we eat in restaurants and caf^s all the 

 time. 



Let me advise you not to take the Bank- 

 ers ' Association cheeks abroad ; take Ameri- 

 can Express but not Bankers ', as there is 

 only one bank in town where they will cash 

 these, and at few hotels in Germany. Ex- 

 press checks can be cashed anywhere. I had 

 a deuce of a time getting money iu Eotter- 

 dam, wliile all the other fellows came out 

 fine. Christmas day I will stay here. Doc 

 gives us five days' vacation then, and I think 



