Dear Ladies and Gentlemen of the Bohemian Club,
my name is Kai Blitz and I am the webmaster of the German website
www.ask1.org, one of the biggest and most diverse German internet communities. The site has many different features, such as a discussion forum with more than 8.500 registered users and 380.000 posts -- concerning everything from politics and current events to movies, sports and personal relationships -- as well as its own editorial staff that publishes well researched articles on some of the topics which are being discussed in the forum section of the page.
The reason I took the liberty of sending you this letter on behalf of ask1.org is that there has been quite some debating going on in the forum with regards to the owl as your official symbol. Even though many theories were brought forward regarding this question, as common with such matters, one theory was as good or bad as the other and all were nothing but speculation.
E.g. the German brotherhood organization 'Schlaraffia', founded in Prague in 1859, has the eagle-owl as its official symbol. Schlaraffia's distinct goal is 'to cultivate the fine arts as well as to constitute an atmosphere of friendship and humor' -- and judging by the list of its members, including Gustav Mahler and Franz Lehar, they were quite successful. If I am informed correctly, the Bohemian Club is, or at least originally was founded in 1972 as, a club with a similar agenda regarding the cultivation of the fine arts. Furthermore, the region surrounding Prague, where Schlaraffia was founded, is historically referred to as 'Bohemia' so that a connection between the two organizations doesn't seem impossible. Others argue that 'Bohemian' refers to the French term 'Bohème' that describes an artistic and individualistic lifestyle.
You could do me, as well as the site's editorial staff and of course the users, a big favour by replying to this letter and commenting on the origin of the name 'Bohemian Club' as well as the owl as your official symbol.
Thank you very much for your time,
Kai Blitz
Webmaster of ask1.org
