20 Apr 1930
John Griffin to Mother and Father, Paris, France
This morning we went to high mass at the Noltre Dame and saw the Cardinals and priests roam around in gold embroidered robes, chanting monotonic Latin. Of course the church was packed. The ceremony was so mystical that I didn't know the score at all. However, the organ music was quite pretty as well as the singing. Everybody was out in their new Easter attire and it was quite a sight. This afternoon we went the Church. I think I told you that frere Thomson here was made a District President in Belgium and Frere Hansen what was in Nimes took his place here in Paris. After meeting we all - the Mormon colony of Paris - went out to eat. Then we walked home with brother Larsen, the art professor at the B.Y. and a mighty fine fellow.
Now to answer a few of your questions. You mustn't worry about not getting letters. When one hits a slow boat like that it means a big wait. I was awfully sorry to hear about Malc Watson's wife's death. It must be terrible for him. I wish I could do something for him. It seems that everyone is so helpless in cases like that. Don't worry about my eyes. Since I told you about them they have cleared up and other than tiredness they don't bother me anymore. I'll get some glasses but I would rather wait till I get home now. I was glad to hear that Ben had been notified about his mission. If he tells them he has had four years of French and makes a preference of France I'm sure he'll go there.
That's just my luck. I am elected debating manager at Weber the year they start sending out teams and I can't go there. I'm afraid that I won't have time to spend traveling around debating when I get home. I'm afraid I'll have other fish to fry and taters to butter. Tell Elsie Mae thanks a lot for her letter. What's the matter with Doney - has he broke his arm? -- and Gord. I never hear much about him anymore. It will surely seem keen to get home and see them all again. Elsie should be more considerate of her teacher. She must remember that these last few years home have awfully hard ones for Miss Lenard. She has lost her mother and had quite a time with her health. When I used to know her she was a real nice little girl and a keen dancer. I don't know whether she remembers me or not. If she does tell Elsie to tell her that John said to tell her hello, and tell Doney to fell frere Cowles Bon jour... It will seem good to go down and sling the old French at him as good as he can back at me. Once I thought that would never be possible.
I surely hope that business picks up soon. It must be terribly hard on everyone. Frere Christensen's father says it's hard on the farmers too. I'm living just as close as I can. I've only been out on one date since I arrived - the one I told you about... I can make it all right on the $50 a month, I think. I don't know how much it will cost me to come home. It took about $75 to come over besides my fare. The Church buys my ticket home but that is all. I'm threadbare for clothes but I suppose I can make it home.
Now as for this, it's only an idea, and I don't know whether you'll thank I'm, overrunning your generosity or not, but you tell me just what you think. Right soon after I get home I'm going to be needing a diamond, if not for Dot, for someone else. In Holland you can buy diamonds for a little more than half of what they cost at home. For example, for $75 you can buy a diamond worth about $135 at home. I was wondering whether it would be better to borrow the money, say $75 and buy a diamond over here. It would be a saving even if I had to pay 7 or 8% interest on the $75. What do you think. It would put me in debt quite a bit, but maybe it would be worth it. It's not that I want onbe quicker, because I wouldn't give it until it was paid for. Tell me what you honestly think about it and if I've stepped out of bounds just put me back. Thanks a lot for the job offer. I would rather work for someone outside the family - makes you feel that I could do a special good there. Anyway we'll see about that when I get home.
The reason President Woolf has never written is because as I've already said, I'm not really released. I just have a leave of absence. Frere White was asked to stay over for the completing of two churches they are building up in his district. Last week there were 7 missionaries released - Brother White among them. So I'm sure that it wasn't a shortage of missionaries that held things up.
Our school will be out right after the first of July. I don't know the date exact. My tuition cost me about $26 for the 4 months, then I'll have to pay a $5 exam fee at exam time if I take them. My high school credits were all that are necessary for entrance, but it is essential that you have a good knowledge of French too. They are regular University of Paris courses.
I can imagine that you must have enjoyed the big [Church] Centennial Celebration. I would surely like to have been home for them. Ben will be sorry in a few months that he didn't pay more attentions to things like that. It seems though that we all have to learn by experience.
Here I've filled five pages and havn't said anything about Italy. So to continue, I went down to the station about 10 bells that day in Genoa to find out that the train that left at 10:20 was only first and second class. there wasn't another train until late that afternoon with third class, so I went second. The ride from Genoa to Pisa was very pretty, all along the rugged coast where the sea is as calm as a lake. the only think is that there is an awfully lot of tunneling and so it is hard to see. There are places cut to see out, but of course the tunnel cuts out a lot. When we passed through Pisa I saw the leaving tour and then we went inland to Florence.
My impression of Florence is that of an old medieval city that hasn't yet been modernized. The buildings are all big square stone buildings, dark and somber looking. You just feel the oldness all around you. I found a cheap but nice hotel and then that night I went to a show. Dawn in Florence they still have old hacks with horses as taxies. I took one just for the experience. The driver is the typical stove-piped hat driver that you could imagine. the next day I went over to Cook's and signed up for the all day tourist tour of the city. First we visited the Medici Palace or Chapel. It is just full of mosaics and here are buried some of the famous Italian kings. From here we went to the Cathedral and saw Machaelangelo's "David" and some of his other works. More mosaics and some of the most wonderful carved icons I've sever seen. We also saw a place where there used to be a large baptismal font where were baptisms were done by immersion. The rest of the morning we spent visiting churches where we saw some famous frescos. In the afternoon we visited the old kings palace which is now a museum of art. Here we found the Madonna by Raphael and many other wonderful paintings. After this we saw some statuary that was made several hundred years before Christ. Then we took a tour around the city and came back and visited a mosaic factory and some more churches. This ended our tour so I went back to the hotel, ate and got ready to leave that night at 11 for Venice. I must tell you about the food in Italy. First they serve you a soup. With this they bring in a pot of grated cheese they you put on your soup. After this comes a big plate of either macaroni or spaghetti with more grated cheese. After this comes meat and a dessert. The "pates" (macaroni, spaghetti, etc) are surely good and you get a lot of them.
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