{"id":33,"date":"2022-04-04T11:32:23","date_gmt":"2022-04-04T15:32:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/doctorsnotes\/?p=33"},"modified":"2022-11-17T10:14:28","modified_gmt":"2022-11-17T15:14:28","slug":"letter-from-w-e-b-du-bois-to-himself-february-23-1894","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/doctorsnotes\/letter-from-w-e-b-du-bois-to-himself-february-23-1894\/","title":{"rendered":"To Himself, February 23, 1894"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><em><strong>*THIS LETTER INCLUDES THE &#8220;N-WORD.&#8221;<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n<p><em><strong>If you are white, you should not say this word out loud.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-33-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/wav\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/doctorsnotes\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/795\/2022\/04\/my-lord-what-a-mourning-4_21_22-3.54-PM.wav?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/doctorsnotes\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/795\/2022\/04\/my-lord-what-a-mourning-4_21_22-3.54-PM.wav\">https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/doctorsnotes\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/795\/2022\/04\/my-lord-what-a-mourning-4_21_22-3.54-PM.wav<\/a><\/audio>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_125\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-125\" style=\"width: 457px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/doctorsnotes\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/795\/2022\/04\/My-lord-what-a-mourning.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-125 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/doctorsnotes\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/795\/2022\/04\/My-lord-what-a-mourning.gif\" alt=\"sheet music of My Lord What a Mourning\" width=\"457\" height=\"158\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-125\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8220;My Lord What a Mourning&#8221;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">My Lord, what a mourning,<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">My Lord, what a mourning,<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">My Lord, what a mourning,<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When the<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> stars begin to fall.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> (Sundquist, 498)<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"h5p-iframe-wrapper\"><iframe id=\"h5p-iframe-22\" class=\"h5p-iframe\" data-content-id=\"22\" style=\"height:1px\" src=\"about:blank\" frameBorder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" title=\"To Himself 1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<div class=\"h5p-iframe-wrapper\"><iframe id=\"h5p-iframe-23\" class=\"h5p-iframe\" data-content-id=\"23\" style=\"height:1px\" src=\"about:blank\" frameBorder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" title=\"To Himself 5\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<div class=\"h5p-iframe-wrapper\"><iframe id=\"h5p-iframe-24\" class=\"h5p-iframe\" data-content-id=\"24\" style=\"height:1px\" src=\"about:blank\" frameBorder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" title=\"To Himself 6\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Transcript:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Berlin, Germany,<\/p>\n<p>Oranienburgerstr 66 III l.<\/p>\n<p>23 February, 1894.<\/p>\n<p>My Dear Du Bois!<\/p>\n<p>This is my twenty-sixth birthday \u2013 a fresh cold sunshiny day spent most in my regular routine of work and musing. I did not rise till after nine \u2013 found three letters of congratulation by my plate, from Marina, Amalia, and the Schaefe girls; then the Frau R\u00e4thin came and kindly congratulated me \u2013 and so did Tante Erna. Then I strolled down to the University by way of Friedrichstrasse half intending to take a long stroll but finally ending up in the Seminar library, where tilted back in my chair I spent the time until two over Schonolla on Schulye-Delikch and Lasku, and on this Whunny-page. I came to dinner half-wondering if they all know this was <u>My<\/u> day \u2013 as I reached the room there lay a cunning little wine glass, a puppet-toy and a letter from America. As I came to the table Fraulein Braun rose and greeted me, and all spoke their good wishes \u2013 it was very pleasant. The meal ended with a big \u201cTorte\u201d in my honor. After dinner I lounged a bit straightened up my room, etc., then drank coffee and went to the reading rooms and read the Times. [Finally via Friedrichstrasse] I came home and here I am. Tonight I meet Amalia So was this day \u2013 now for the year. I confess I am not altogether satisfied with it tho\u2019 it has been in many ways wonderful. I have finally proved to my entire satisfaction that my race [forms] but slight impediment between me and kindred souls \u2013 that in spite of [illegible] curiosity, I am here free from most of those iron bands that bound me at home. Therefore I have gained for my life work new hope and zeal \u2013 the Negro people shall yet stand among the honored of the world.<\/p>\n<p>In the shiny [vocation] I to a wonderful journey \u2013 the old House towns, Hanover and the Hague with the Brocken and Boden that and finally lived long pleasant days at Cassel where a dear girl met and loved me. When I came back there were long days of anxious waiting for my second appointment as scholar\u2014it came finally and I was happy. I took a 4<sup>th<\/sup> floor room on the Ufer and had a pleasant airy summer, with work, flirtation, +c. On August first I started on my Great journey and saw old Nuremberg again, then Switzerland, and with dear Dollar went to the Columbus\u2019 home, and by the leaning tower + the Eternal City, and there to the \u201cdolce Napoli,\u201d to the Beautiful City, to the City of the Sea and to Ween and Budapest. There my dear boy left and I wandered away out to Krakau and then by Breslan to Berlin. I could not bear the thought of living alone again and so I entered the Braun pensione where I have had most pleasant companionship and family life \u2013 and the opportunity to teach an American family what a \u201cNigger\u201d is. I\u2019ve had love affairs of course (a great adventure!) a little society, and a deal of work. However the [thesis] does not suit me and the three semesters were not enough, and here I am in doubt as to my course, a bit disappointed but \u2013 I <u>will<\/u> have a <u>Philosophiae<\/u> <u>Doctor<\/u> from Berlin!<\/p>\n<p>I feel at times as tho\u2019 after all I had done little, as tho\u2019 my apprenticeship were all to long and the works of the master hand all too slow \u2013 but dogged shinning and eternal Faith in Him shall get me on man worthy of my race and my fathers.<\/p>\n<p>Du Bois<\/p>\n<p>Friday<\/p>\n<p>7:30 p. m. In my room.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>26<\/p>\n<p>Year Book.<\/p>\n<p>1894<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><i>Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. Letter from W. E. B. Du Bois to himself, February 23, 1894. W. E. B. Du Bois Papers (MS 312). Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries. https:\/\/credo.library.umass.edu\/view\/full\/mums312-b230-i046.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>*THIS LETTER INCLUDES THE &#8220;N-WORD.&#8221; If you are white, you should not say this word out loud.\u00a0 &nbsp; My Lord, what a mourning, My Lord, what a mourning, My Lord, what a mourning, When the stars begin to fall. (Sundquist, 498) &nbsp; Transcript:\u00a0 Berlin, Germany, Oranienburgerstr 66 III l. 23 February, 1894. My Dear Du [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4299,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-family"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/doctorsnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/doctorsnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/doctorsnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/doctorsnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4299"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/doctorsnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/doctorsnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":333,"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/doctorsnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33\/revisions\/333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/doctorsnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/doctorsnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/doctorsnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}