TRANSLATION INTERPRETATION EMAN TO ELISE JANUARLY 25, 1918

Eman Robitschek to Elise Robitschek - January 25, 1918

Transcription and translation by Werner Sepper.


	Ich habe gestern eine furchtbare Tragödie zu Grabe geleitet. Ein Vater in glänzender Lebens= und Vermögensstellung, der Leiter des grössten, österreichischen Textilienunternehmens, hatte sich aus Gram über den auf dem Schlachtfelde erfolgten Tod seines einzigen Sohnes erhängt. Er wusste, dass er das Schiksal Hunderttausender Väter teile und dass jeder Sohn an der Front in Greifsweite des Todes sei, aber ein Fanatiker des Friedens hatte er in der mörderischen Fortsetzung des Krieges nicht allein seinen Sohn fallen, sondern auch alle Hoffnungen auf die Erlösung der Menschheit zusammenstürzen sehen. An dem gleichen Tage, der ein tiefenttäuschtes Menschenherz in die kalte Erde erstarrt aufnehmen sah, haben sich die Grafen, Czernin und Hartling, die Leiter der äusseren Politik Österreich -Ungarns und Deutschland mit allem Freimut und aller Offenheit für die Erstrebung des Friedens ausgesprochen. Sie, die Sieger in ungezählten Schlachten und die Eroberer weitausgedehnter Landgebiete wollen nichts als ihren ungeschmälerten, jedoch dauernd gesicherten Besitz vor dem Kriege. Welterschütternd sind die Ereignisse in Russland. Die Sklaven, welche die Ketten gebrochen haben, kennen in Umwälzung des Bestehenden keine Grenzen. Italien, Frankreich und England können leicht das gleiche Schiksale erfahren und doch widerstreben sie in unfassbaren Verblendung dem Frieden, den sie bei einiger Voraussicht der Folgen nie hätten stören sollen.

	Yesterday I lead a horrible tragedy to the grave. A father in resplendent position of life and fortune, the leader of the largest Austrian textile firm, had out of grief over the on the battlefield killed only son hanged himself. He knew, that he shared the fate of hundred thousands of fathers and that every son on the front is within reach of death, but as a peace fanatic he not only saw the fall of his son as the murderous continuance of the war, but also the destruction of all hopes for the redemption of mankind. On the same day that saw a deeply disappointed heart being accepted into the cold earth, the counts Czernin and Harding, the leaders of the Austrian Hungarian and German foreign offices, spoke out with all frankness and openness for the attainment of peace. They, the victors of uncounted battles and the conquerors of vast territories, do not want anything more than their undiminished, although continuously secured domains, as before the war. Earthshaking are the events in Russia. The slaves, who broke their chains, do not put any limits on the upheaval of the existing order. Italy, France and England could easily share that fate and yet they resist peace with inconceivable blindness, which they should never have, with a little foresight of the consequences, disrupted.

Postcard Blog
Why should we consider this card to be part of a "postcard blog"? It is written to his Wife, Elise, and addressed to their home in Vienna at 39 Alserbachstraße. But Eman mailed it from Vienna, so he was at home when he penned the postcard; then he went to the post office to mail it. This was not a simple conversation he wanted to have with his wife. It was a statement made public by sending it through the public mail system. All his cards were dated and archived and all dealt with matters of public concern. Hence, "blog" is an appropriate, if somewhat brash description.

Personal Identity
Eman does not often write about himself directly, but sprinkles the cards with little hints for those who may be paying attention. For example, why is he a principle participant in the funeral of an Industrialist who he describes as the head of the largest Austrian textile firm? Why, it is because he, himself, is a textile industrialist: partner and sales manages for M. Robitschek & Co., a cotton spinning and weaving concern in Chocen, then in Upper Moravia, now Czechoslovakia. Mortiz Robitschek was his brother. Recollections of his Moritz' daughter, Margaret Hoenig, reveal much about family life at the large estate and nearby factory in Chocen. Read Margaret Hoenig's recollections of Robitschek family life.

An Image for Both Sides of the Card

On the front of the card, this picture spills down the left-hand edge. It may be thought of either as the funeral procession referred to on the front of the card, or the leader of the Russian revolution at the head of the newly liberated Russian people, alluded to on the address side of the card.

	Der grosse Kalif wurde von einem Sturmwinde weggefegt und mit ihm alle Märchenerzähler, welche das Volk in den Glauben gewiegt hanen, dass Reiche über Arme, Schuster über Gesellen, Landwirte über Bauern und Richter über Diebe zu herrschen berechtigt seien. Als Herren erstanden der Wasserträger, der Fischer, der Eseltreiber und der Feldknecht. Die Reichen, die Meister, die Landherrn und die Richter verschwanden. Die Vermögen wurden gleichmässig geteilt, der Schuster musste die Hälfte seines Erwerbes dem Gesellen überlassen, jeder Knecht erhielt ein Stück Feld aus dem Besitze des Grundherrn und aller Diebstahl wurde als Eigentum erklärt. Damit endet vorläufig die Geschichte. Sie weiter auszumalen entzieht sich der Denkkraft des aufrichtigen Sinnes und die Märchenerzähler sind verjagt.

	The great caliph was swept away by a heavy gale and with him all the story tellers who had instilled into the people the belief that the rich over the poor, master cobblers over journeymen, landowners over farmers and judges over thieves are justified to rule. The water bearers, the fishermen, the donkey drovers and field hands rose as the masters. The rich ones, the artisans, the land owners and the judges disappeared. Their assets were divided equally, the cobbler had to cede half of his possessions to the journeymen, every field hand received a piece of land from the possession of the land owner and everything gained by theft was declared legal property. With this the story ends. To continue to paint it is beyond a sincere intellect and the story tellers are chased away.

History as Parable
When the chaos of history is too much grasp, Eman imposes order by reducing it to parable. On this card, the "great calif" is the Tzar of Russia and the "heavy gale" is the communist revolution. Eman wrote this card after the October revolution of 1917, which brought the Bolsheviks to power, but before the withdrawal of Russia from WWI at the beginning of March of 1918. In these early days, it is clear that Eman did not believe that the communist economic system could survive.

Personal Experience as a Mirror of World Experience
On the front of the card, we see the "heavy gale" of the World War shaking the boughs of Eman's social orchard to devastating personal effect. On the address side, we see it sweeping aside an imperial family and reconstituting an entire nation. This juxtaposition is not a coincidence; it takes many forms in many of his posts.

Contribution to the War Relief Fund
Eman places a 5 heller charity label on the address side of the card. It identifies itself as Offizielle Kriegsfürsorge, which may be loosely translated as "Official War Relief". It is a charity stamp used to raise funds to care for wounded and maimed soldiers who could no longer return to their units. It is "official" because this charity is managed by the state. There were also many private charities that sold denominated labels, the largest of which was the Red Cross.

Charity Label Usage
Using charity labels on your mail was a means of proclaiming publicly that you gave a cash to a specific charity, a means of giving that was very popular at the time. By using this particular label, Eman is showing that he supports the state in its efforts to care for men after their military usefulness has ended. Many of his wartime postcards bear denominated charity labels, both official and private. Check out the development of charity labels in Austria.

Intended Symbolism
The title of the scene on this label is AM DRATHVERHAU, which means "at the wire entanglement". In the context of this card, Eman is suggesting three different sorts of entanglement. (1) On the front of the card, one family's tragedy is entangled with the nations war tragedy. (2) Also on the front of the card, the fates of Italy, France and England are entangled with the fate of Russia. (3) On the address side of the card, the social classes of Russia are entangled in a war within a war, while those in ascendency are entangled in two separate wars, one external and the other internal.

Last revised 29 SEPT 2013