The Bonne Année Bachelors

Here they are, the four French bachelors, all wishing you a Happy New Year and competing for your affections. Which one will you choose?

Bachelor #1 is named Jean-Paul. He has has dark hair and a mustache, and wears a dark suit. He timidly offers you a petite bouquet. Jean-Paul enjoys romantic dinners by candlelight and cries during sad movies. His sister adores him.

Bachelor #2 is named Jean-Claude. He has has dark hair and a mustache, and is wearing a dark suit. He also offers you a bouquet of flowers, though his is slightly larger than Jean Paul's. Jean-Claude likes to wear polka dot ties and enjoys romantic strolls in the park.

Bachelor # 3 is named Jean-Louis. He has dark hair and a mustache, and wears a dark suit. Jean-Louis enjoys boating, bawdy jokes, buxom women, and heavy drinking. As a schoolboy, he once put glue in Jean-Paul's shoes.

Bachelor #4 is named Jean-Pierre. He distinguishes himself with his dark hair and mustache. Jean-Pierre wears a dark overcoat and a bowler, and offers you flowers, a love letter, and a mystery gift inside the box. He enjoys working in the family's taxidermy business.

So, which one will it be?

And here's a sample of a romantic letter written by Jean-Pierre to his dear little Marie in 1913:

The Swabian Train

Swabia is a part of southwestern Germany that includes Ulm and Stuttgart. Like the Bavarians, the Swabians are proud of their regional customs and dialect. At the same time, they don't mind poking a little fun at themselves. This postcard from circa 1920 was illustrated by Hans Boettcher.

The rhyme at the bottom of the card is written in  Swabian dialect. Here's my best effort at making it rhyme in English:

A farmer made the choice one day

To take a trip on the Swabian train;

Goes to the counter and tips his hat:

"A ticket, please - thank you for that!"

He'd bought himself a goat that day,

And so he wouldn't run away;

He tied him with a piece of rope

To the back of the railway coach.

Streetcar Sunday - The Christmas Bus

Many people think that there was a conspiracy by General Motors and other companies, starting in the 1930s, to dismantle the nation's streetcar system so the companies could profit from increased sales of buses, tires, and automobiles.  Here is irrefutable evidence, from a 1913 card, that the trend started much earlier and was masterminded by none other than Santa. He looks so determined.

What child would want to ride a streetcar, when he could ride Daddy Xmas' gift-laden party bus instead?  Click here to read more about the Great American Streetcar Scandal.

The message to Walter Till reads:

To Brother Walter from Susan Frank Georgie Robert  + Francis Weaver we all wish you a very Merry XMas + a Happy New year with lots of love.