Berthe Schweitzer to Isaac Schweitzer, February 5, 1897

English Text

My dear Isak! Heilbronn, February 5, 1897 I cannot tell you how much you delight me all the time with your letters. They are just written as if I could take the words from your mouth and as if I would stand next to you. Yes, dear brother, first I tell you my sincere thanks that you are so paternally interested in our nieces’ business. God will certainly pay you back through your children. You will already have a part when you see how happy dear Julie is. I was very happy about her letter since it was written very cordially, really full of happiness. I am glad that you are satisfied with both inventories. You can always do it better though. I am especially pleased that Speier will not experience spitefulness [schadenfreude] in our family because of Dreifus. Do you still remember how he told you [illegible] R. [illegible] and you answered him yes, if they have to run the business, the wrath will come more and more to him. Now a different topic, you write, dear Isak, that you like the personality of Eduart from Östrich better than R’s. Now I will write you my opinion in this matter. I would prefer Reinhart though, the business and mainly also the location. Dear Isak, I have many misgivings about Östrich. First, the location, then so many people are there, the father, another brother, the daughter, etc. My Male would be like a grain of sand among so many people, who have the mouth in the right place. The Rhinelanders are adroit people in comparison to us stupid Swabians. With one man it often takes a lot of effort to pull him in a direction but where so many people meddle you do not live well. It would be better if Eduart would move to Bingen alone and trade with fruit and flour [illegible, Hebrew?]. I will give away the oxen trade cheaply, I am not interested in it. The father could keep it in Ostrich. As I said, you also don’t know whether the father or the son is the business- man. It is difficult to see well into this type of business. Dear Isak, I have always said if you have to endure the affair with R. it would be a different thing. Did you have an opportunity to speak with him since then? Today I received a letter from the 18th in which R. writes that he had an inventory and not much time to talk to all only to you still this week. [It is amazing] I even know anything at all. Thank God I am quite calm concerning this matter. Male is still so young. If it should not work out I am already comforted. Then you wait a few years then the girl and the money are more mature. Only that I don’t have to blame myself later because I had missed a good match I gave my consent right away. Maybe when V. travels to Berlin you could take things in your hand and however you do it, I will agree, I cannot say more. My husband is traveling, I hope that he will have good business deals, with very best regards from Bertha

Original text