More about Math's Diary!

Wow. I spent a good part of Saturday with Louise, Math Hesch's daughter (Math was my grandpa Anton's brother). It was a totally fun day, and I wonder how two people can talk that MUCH without collapsing...lol

I still can't believe it, but she allowed me to take Math's diary home with me so I could scan every page. It's truly a sacred trust. To hold that notebook in my hands...to know it went with him on the Olympic, and on the trains, in London and Berlin and Guschwitz where his mom was born, to realize it spent time in his breast pocket at the Wintergarten, and in the parks with the girls he met...that he reached for it when he saw the zeppelin overhead, and when he visited Franz Hortsch, and when they put their feet in Russia.... Wow.

If you recall, Math's grandaughter Joanie transcribed what he wrote (see the pdf file on the sidebar--scroll down) but she left out the German parts. Now, I see why: some parts were written by new friends they met, and they're often written in the old script, Suetterlin, which Michael Hortsch says hasn't been taught in German schools for over 80 years.

BUT, Suetterlin is exactly what Larry and I have been "reading" in those Bohemian church books for over a year, so we can mostly figure out what it says.

Sometimes, ya just gotta be grateful for the way stuff works out.


Here's the 10th image from the diary (approximately pages 12-13) where Math mentions something he read in the Hortsch saloon , and something else he read in Oppeln:

Larry, the MASTER of web-searching, realized the words from the tavern were somewhat repetitive, and just like that, he found this, c. 1900. This picture, or something very like it, was what Math saw:
Ah. You want to know what it SAYS, huh?

"Wo Glaube da Liebe-Where there is Faith, there is Love
Wo Liebe da Friede-Where there is Love, there is Peace
Wo Friede da Segen-Where there is Peace, there is Blessing
Wo Segen da Gott-Where there is Blessing, there is God
Wo Gott keine Noth-Where there is God, there is no adversity".

(Edit: Since that poster/saying was fairly common in Prussia then, we found the translation online, when someone else asked for a translation. I copied the translated verse, without checking line for line..

Michael Hortsch wrote: "The Blessing you found on-line is the one Math found in the Hortsch inn. However the version you printed has one additional line. Math's transcribed version goes directly from peace to God, no blessing in between". LOL

(No, we haven't figured out what the Oppeln quote says yet...lol)

Thanks, Michael!!

12 days