Oscar W. Gauss - 1866-01-17

Berlin Jan. 17. 1866

My dear uncle
                                I do not hear from you all much.  What I said in aunt Net's letter about writing, referred only to you and aunt.  I think some of my cousins might write to me and tell me something about your welfare.  Now and then you are mentioned in my letters from home, but nothing particular or minute.  Why don't Sis write, or as I have been taught to say, Virginia, or some of the boys?  I can't understand why it is that Henry does not write to me.  I have not had a line from him since I've been here;  I cannot think what is the cause of his silence.  I know that he has returned from Yale, but that is all.  what is he going to do?  What are his prospects for the future?  These are questions for which I feel a great interest.  For you and aunt to keep up a correspondence with me might very well become a burthen for you; but it ought not to be so with the rest.  You have doubtless read some of my letters home and out of them you have seen that I am on the whole satisfied.  The life that I lead however is not one that can please for a great length of time.  I do not think that I miss my friends at home any less that I did when I first came.  But I have become used to doing without them.  I have been away from home so long that my memory is much more active in that which I have experienced since leaving than before my departure.  I live in scenes which are of much later date than my St. Louis associations.  I do not mean to say that I have forgotten home; far from it.  But I think it is natural, when I remember how many pleasant events I have passed through here, for me to feel that there can be happiness abroad.  I don't mean to say that I have had no sad experiences here.  There has been the same mixture of light and shade which is a part of all human life.  When I think of all that has transpired since April, it seems to me to be a very long time.  Actually however these 9½ months have gone very rapidly.  You know that I spent Christmas in Hannover.  The few days that I was there were very pleasant.  Uncle Joseph was very still, but kind.  I do not think that he is altogether indifferent to religion; of course he did not speak with me on the subject.  But on Christmas day he went to church.  The have very little society; uncle works pretty much the whole time.  He took no interest whatever in arranging the tree for Christmas evening; but that evening, in his own quiet way, he showed a great deal of interest.  A thing which I did not at all expect from him, he went in and lit the tree.  He remained with us too the whole evening.  Now that Charles has left home, it is very lonesome for aunt.  These two occupy a house nearly if not quite as large as yours.  Usually they rent a few of the lower rooms to single gentlemen; just now however there is no one there.  This house, as I may already have mentioned, belongs to uncle.  While there I read a good many old letters from grandfather.  They interested me a great deal.  I confess I always had the idea that though grandfather was a great man in science, he was very little for his family.  These letters however gave me a different impression.  He showed the tenderest love and sympathy for grandmother in them.  these were letters which were in aunt Theresa's possession and were sent by Herr Stauffner to aunt Gauss with grandmother's picture last fall.  You have heard of these pictures of course.  They will probably leave Hamburg Saturday for America.  I suppose you can remember that of grandmother Gauss very well; it was taken when she was about 19 I believe.  I do not know when grandmother Waldeck's was taken.  At all events she is a great older in the picture.  I have had photographic copies of both taken and send them to you in this letter.  I shall also send one of each home.  The originals I hope will reach St. Louis in safety.  I know they will give you and pa a great deal of pleasure.  These photographs are very good indeed.  You possibly know that there is being published a new edition of grandfather's works.  Tow volumes are out and I have a copy of each for you and pa.  I shall keep them with me however until I return.  Eight volumes, if I mistake not, are to be published.  They are written in Latin and I suppose are quite difficult to comprehend.  I do not mean to say that the Latin is hard to understand, but the mathematical part of it.  I wanted to send them with the pictures, but it could not well be done.  My name goes a great way here; most every one has a great respect for it.  The simple fact of my having this name interests people in me.  I have been invited to Prof. Martin's several times this winter partly because of my name though not altogether; the fact that I am a foreigner has had some share in procuring the invitation for me.  I have been invited to a ball there next Saturday evening.  I have however already sent my regrets.  In the first place I have no idea of going to the expense of purchasing the clothing that is needed for such a matter.  These other entertainments were small and quite pleasant.  Martin is Professor of obstetrics.  There will be a reception at the house of  our ambassador next Saturday evening, for Americans; I shall probably go there.  I have not been to any yet.  I do not promise myself any extreme amount of enjoyment here in either, yet I have a desire to see how this is carried on.  Then the ambassador has been quite friendly to me; I was invited one morning to take an American breakfast in his family.  The time is drawing nigh for me to leave Berlin.  In six weeks I shall start on my Italian tour.  I think I shall try to get a little knowledge of Italian before going.  There is not time to make much progress in the language, yet a very little knowledge can be of some help.  I don't know yet what it is to travel through a country where you can't understand or say anything.  My friends here who do not know any German tell me it is very unpleasant.  As I wrote to father to-day I shall go to Vienna in the spring and stay there until the spring of 1867.  I'll come through Paris just about the time of the great exhibition there next year, or a little before.  I hope it will be early in the spring; for I would like to see it, yet I know I will be too impatient to get home to wait long.
How is Mr. Farris?  Does he get along pleasantly with his congregation?  I hope that test-oath will not be enforced throughout the state.  I hardly think they will dare to do it, if all the ministers unite in refusing to take it.  I spoke in my letter to you about the trouble that uncle Nilmack had in his church.  The result of that matter has been that an assistant has been sent to him whom he has to support.  This assistant does all the baptizing and preaches every alternate Sabbath.  this is very hard for uncle Nilmack, as he is yet hale and hearty, and abundantly able to preach.  Is aunt not well?  give her my best love.  How is aunt Gee?  Give my love to all the children.  I have frequently thought of Uncas McCluer.  I think some one wrote me that he was in Boonville preparing for the ministry.  I have written to him, but do not know whether he ever got my letter.  I have received one letter from him.

Your loving nephew      
O. W. Gauss