February 13th 1923

Weil im Schonbuch.
Wiirttenberg.
Deutschland.
Feb 13th 1923.
Mr. Irwin G. Bunnell.
Dear Brother:- I am out here in this little horse town of Wheelbarrow, waiting for a train to take me back to civilization.
We held a Cottage meeting here last night, and had thirty friends present. Many of them are relatives of Elder Zenger, of S.L.C. There are about 2,000 people here, but I can assure you it shows the peasantry, if it ever existed.  If you will excuse my week way, I will try and relate a few of the conditions to you.
We three missionaries came into the town at six o'clock last night, with our grips, and naturally we done our conversing in English.  It wasn't long until the report was thru Weil im Schonbuch, that the French were here, taking possession of the town.  Naturally it caused a little excitement, but it soon cooled off.
We walked down the mainstreet, and met half a dozen teams of oxen with women driving them.  The street was dark, and muddy, and there wasn't very much to be heard, except here and there the boo of an ox.
We came into Elder Zenger's Aunts place, and how surprised I was, when we met her.  She was large of stature, and built just like a man.  Her hands were large and wide, showing the hard work which she had done with them.  She had a little scarf tied around her head, and an old dirty dress on, carrying many stains with if from the cow farm.
She gave each of us a cup of milk,  the first I've got since I got to Germany.
This particular house, on the bottom floor on the right, has the cow barn, and on the left, their machinery, a small threshing machine, hay and other stuff for the animals.  We entered the farm, then climbed up a flight of stairs, and, entered a little side room, which was the living room, direct over the cow stable. The kitchen was just on the other side.  I looked out of the window, and saw the manure pile, built right up against the side of the house.  The perfume was great.
I went next, down to the meeting, and the old peasents came dragging in with their capes, shawls, wooden shoes, pipes, etc., and sat down and prepared for a good nap,- and had it while I talked.  After the meeting I went down to a rooming house and go to a neat little room which cost 200 marks.
This morning we went down to another relative, and they gave us milk.  They pulled out a loaf of bread from a drawer, about fifteen inches in diameter, and three to four inches thick and handed us each a knife, and said help yourself. It tasted fairly well. 
Their barn, was just at the side of their living rooms, but the manure pile was just under the window.  They had a flour mill, just on the other side, which was run by water power. To make white flour, the wheat had to be ground seven times.  The Mill was about the size of our Fanning Mill, but I don't think would make 500 lbs of flour in a day.
I must say though, that their living room, was clean considering the way it was built, with foot board on the floor, all warped out of shape.
I also ate dinner there, and had soup, potatoes, and sauer kraut, but the kraut was very poor.  They brought a big wash dish full of soup on the table, and we all had to help ourselves, with our own spoon with which we ate. It was the same all the way through.  
When we came back through the town again, all of the women were sticking their heads out of the windows watching us, as if we were somebody.  Often the remark was made in a sneering way,”Huh! Frenchmen!”
We met several more teams of oxen being driven by women, because it is their job here, and the men enjoy themselves home.