15 Apr 1930
John Griffin to Father, Paris, France
I thought I'd be home to wish you a happy birthday this year. However as I'm not I have to do next best and send a letter. If I remember right that makes three of them that have slipped by since I've been over here. My how the time does go by. It'll be most of three years that I've been away by the time I get back home.
In these last few years I've surely learned a lot of things. I guess I've changed more than in any time period of my life. When I went away I was just a kid 18 years old even though I didn't think so myself. By the time I get back I'll be almost 22. That's the age when you're supposed to change from a foolish kid to someone that has a little sense. I won't say that is the case with me, however. I really have learned a lot of life's good lessons and one of the greatest is to be able to appreciate home. that's just the trouble though. I learn to appreciate home just when I'm bound never to go back there to say for any length of time. It's like most everything else in life we learn to appreciate it, when we havn't it anymore.
Yet there is one thing though that I think I've learned to appreciate, while I still have them, and that is my parents. I learn to appreciate you more each day. When I first arrived here and saw the terrible condition of some of the people I was surely glad for my parentage. then when I got to know the people a little and found out their moral standards, I was doubly glad for my parentage and the high moral backing my parents had given me. Now that I'm going to school and form [acquaintances] with American, Austrians and most all other nationalities, I'm glad again for my parentage and training. You can't imagine the moral standards that exist among the follows over here - the American fellows as well as the rest. It's not that they willfully do wrong, but they see no wrong in what they are doing. The reason is that they've never been taught any better, and now it's a little too late.
Not very long ago I used to look back on things and think: when I get a family I'm going to be sure I can provide the necessities of life as well as a few of the comforts without so terribly much worry and strife. I used to be somewhat of an idealist and thus being a critic at the same time. I realize I've a lot to learn about those things yet. However I believe I understand better now the difficulties of raising a family and of keeping the wolf from the door. I can see that it won't be long now before I'll be doing the same thing, and now I think if I can only do as well as Dad has done. If I could have as large a family, educate them all as you have done. If I were sure I could struggle in the face of adversity the way you have and keep on struggling, half of the battle would be won for me. My aims and ambitions have somewhat changed during these last few years. I can now better realize that the really successful men are not those that have big houses and keen cars, but the men that are honest hard workers that raise a family and give to the world something besides gold.
I guess you'll think I've turned philosophical lately. Don't blame me. I'm studying philosophy at school and it is surely hard. I am certainly enjoying school a lot and I hope I'm learning something. If I can pass the exams I'm sure that the schooling here will be a help to me to go on in school. In fact with another year's schooling I could get a job teaching in junior high, but of course my ambitions are not in that direction.
I hope that business is going better now. Spring over here comes in streaks. Today it's stormy and quite chilly, but we've had some wonderful spring days. I wish I were home to help you in the spring rush. I'll be getting home right in the dead of summer when I'll be no good, and I hope though I can find me a job so that I can get out of debt and start climbing again. Mother said that Ben was planning on leaving in September. I was wondering how you were going to get him off so soon. I would like to have been home to help a little before he comes. If you think another month over here could be enough, or now, just say so and I'll come home. I wouldn't get my degree but I would get a certificate of [ ] and the schooling is always schooling...
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