Introduction

In my early years I frequently visited my maternal grandparents, ``Opa'' and ``Oma'' Enters, who lived within walking distance of my home. Many times Opa was seated at their kitchen table busily writing his ``book''. All of their large family of ten children and many of the eventual total of thirty-two grandchildren knew of and discussed Opa's book. At the time no one was permitted to read it, even if the German script were decipherable by our Americanized group.

When Opa was seventy-five years old he incorporated selections from his book into a letter consisting of twenty-three sheets of paper, closely written on both sides. It was intended for his brothers and sisters and was mailed to his sister, Emma, who received it in Barmen, Germany, on April 24, 1922.

In 1970, Opa's letter was published in book form, including an index, footnotes, photographs and explanations by the editor. Part of the editor's remarks follow: ``The finding of the manuscript is connected with the following episode. At the beginning of the year 1969 a paper in Wuppertal published a short article in appreciation of Dr. Abraham Frowein and his services for the Protestant-Reformed Church of Elberfeld at the occasion of the 75th anniversary of his death. A woman reader criticized the failure of many Christians at the time of the horrible consequences of the industrial revolution that was worst in Wuppertal. The factory owners, of which Frowein was one, did not manage to solve the social questions. ... In that connection this woman reader referred to the manuscript of the Enters-letter. In the association called 'Freideutscher Kreis' someone had read aloud from this letter.''

According to Christel Kottmann, the translator, her aunt---Marie Kottmann Ströker---is a member of this group. She was so interested in this letter that she passed some of its contents on. The editor of the book then wrote to this woman reader and asked if it was possible for him to read the old letter to which she had referred. That was then the beginning of its publication as a social document.

This English translation of the published letter has its own history. In 1937 on a school marm's summer holiday, I spent some time in Germany tracing our ``roots''. At Opa's suggestion I spent two days with his sister, Emma, in Barmen, Germany. It was a happy, tearful meeting with little verbal communication because of the language barrier, but with much affection and understanding. Then, on to visit Oma's sister's grown children, the Kottmanns, in Hagen. Cousin Christel Kottmann, a teenager who had some English instruction in school, helped immeasurably in our conversations with her aunts and her father. Christel and I corresponded after the visit but with the beginning of World War II, contact was lost.

This past autumn, 1979, our friendship was renewed. Erna Eells had been corresponding with Dr. Ströker and his wife, Marie, about additional material for inclusion in the third edition of the publication. Through these connections, Christel was located in a suburb of Birmingham, England. She is now teaching school and happily established in her charming home. She invited us to spend a weekend with her. On a bookshelf I saw Opa's book and expressed my sorrow at not being able to read the German text. Christel promptly offered to summarize its contents. Instead she translated it verbatim as far as she was able and the enclosed is a copy of her loving gift to all of us. In spite of her busy schedule, she accomplished this very great task in three months. It was her first experience in translation and, I am sure, meant a sacrifice of all spare time and all school holidays to complete the task. Truly we are indebted to Christel Kottmann, who resides at [address omitted].

Distribution by families (Mailed January 31, 1980)