Juxtoposition
Two interesting things found today:
1. Poem by my brother, written when he was very young, probably not in high school yet.
2. Letter by my dad's dad written to my dad and his sister (my aunt Mary).
1. Like Father Like Son
You can torture him by fire, or simply let him be.
You can shoot him in the head and watch the blood run free,
You can twist him, you can turn him, you can beat him till ya drop.
But the way of this one person is the way of his old pop.
2. [dated] January 8, 1945
Dear little Children:
Emory: I appreciated to the fullest your kind and gentle letter for my birthday. I simply hope I can live long enough to see you and Mary safely embarked on life's journey. Also, while I am at it it seems to me that you should take that course in school. You should not think so much of your own desires as you so for the good of the service. If you keep this in mind you will never be far wrong. Upon your willing obedience to the wishes of your superior officers may depend your promotion. Mother and I have a feeling that you ought to take the time off for study. I am sure that it is not wise to say dogmatically that you never intend to study any more. Every case I have involves the study of more books, only in this way can any one master any subject. Do not thoughtlessly throw the opportunity away. Do not have any arguments with the captain if he is a reasonable man. This is all suggestive from our hearts. If you have a reason for your actions based upon priciple, then stick to your principles, but never be controlled by whims. obstinancy, or headlong contrariness. If you do, you will be an ensign the rest of your naval career. These periods of special study are a part of your duty - and never forget that. And whatever may be your hopes for the future, always do the day's duty as if you epected to do the same thing all of your life. Remember Squire Bill. -- And as to your future: I am more than interested in it. When the War is over, if you have done your full duty, and you can get back to civil life I think there will be untold opportunities. Not only will China be in the building, but America will have to be rebuilt. I have many things in mind for you. If I had your age and health I could make a fortune right now.---- As to my writing: I have to spend all my energies trying to keep the wolf from the door. I have to take every little case that comes along and at night I am all in. Maybe, fortune will smile and let me have a little time off and I will do my best. ---- The country now is topsy turvey. It just is waking up to the seriousness of this war. We have lived on optimism and promises from the highest to the lowest, and the dream of invincibility is about to reach the nightmare stage. It just had to happen in a country as rich as ours and our egotism is getting a rude awakening. But we will win. --- I suppose I am getting old and grouchy, but when I see a man with the small mentality of Ed Stitinius made secretary of state, it reminds me of the first time a train ever came into Damascus. I was just a boy and all of us went down "to see the train". Smith Sppers was the engineer. Grant Broady was a negro and the town wit. He looked the situation over and then took a look at Speers. "My God", he said, "it don't take much of a man to run her, do it?" If he (Stitinius) ever expresses an original thought you can bet your last pay check that some one else is the author. And he has had sense enough to get around him quite an able bunch of assistants. But some one else must have done that for him. But it is our country and not his and we will have [?] tick all the closer to the good old flag and be all the more loyal. If each one of us will do what we can, with whatever we have, wherever we are, there will be no doubt of the result. That is why I think it might not be unwise for you to take the extra schooling.
Everything is dead around town, as you guessed, so far as the young 'uns are concerned.
I wonder if you got your tobacco, pipe, etc. Is there anything we can send you. If you should get to Pearl Harbor we know some people there who ought to make life more pleasant. Keep us advised of your plans. Is there anything we can send you? Do you get the newspaper clippings?
Mary: The foregoing is to Emory. But you are so young, imaginative, unsophisticated, innocent, unworldly - not to say ignorant - that I know you like to sit at the feet of your elders, like Emory and me, even as Paul sat at the feet of Gamalial, and learn the great lessons of wisdom, which only Emory and I can impart to you. If you will so sit long enough, and pay strict attention, someday you too may be classed among the wise ones - but do not delude yourself into thinking that you can grow so wise overnight. You have to be patient and unemotional like Emory and me.
From what the driver told me you girls had a pretty hard trip, but I think after all it is the best way to go. The mothers have been loud in their praises that some one could think up such a wonderful trip - and we all tipped the driver one buck each.
Now here is your lecture: I want you to get down to studying. And here is my philosophy for you - having kept Squire Bill for Emory : You want to be a journalist and that means hard grinding work. You can act the fool when you get to be an old woman. Take me, for example. Motto: A cat loves fish, but it doesn't want to get its feet wet. Therefore a cat can never be a journalist. There is nothing personal in this!
And now, both of you do the very best you can, and let mother and me brag: " we never got very far ourselves, but just look at our two children. They are doing what we would have liked to do".
Whimsically and devotedly,
Fa'
1. Poem by my brother, written when he was very young, probably not in high school yet.
2. Letter by my dad's dad written to my dad and his sister (my aunt Mary).
1. Like Father Like Son
You can torture him by fire, or simply let him be.
You can shoot him in the head and watch the blood run free,
You can twist him, you can turn him, you can beat him till ya drop.
But the way of this one person is the way of his old pop.
2. [dated] January 8, 1945
Dear little Children:
Emory: I appreciated to the fullest your kind and gentle letter for my birthday. I simply hope I can live long enough to see you and Mary safely embarked on life's journey. Also, while I am at it it seems to me that you should take that course in school. You should not think so much of your own desires as you so for the good of the service. If you keep this in mind you will never be far wrong. Upon your willing obedience to the wishes of your superior officers may depend your promotion. Mother and I have a feeling that you ought to take the time off for study. I am sure that it is not wise to say dogmatically that you never intend to study any more. Every case I have involves the study of more books, only in this way can any one master any subject. Do not thoughtlessly throw the opportunity away. Do not have any arguments with the captain if he is a reasonable man. This is all suggestive from our hearts. If you have a reason for your actions based upon priciple, then stick to your principles, but never be controlled by whims. obstinancy, or headlong contrariness. If you do, you will be an ensign the rest of your naval career. These periods of special study are a part of your duty - and never forget that. And whatever may be your hopes for the future, always do the day's duty as if you epected to do the same thing all of your life. Remember Squire Bill. -- And as to your future: I am more than interested in it. When the War is over, if you have done your full duty, and you can get back to civil life I think there will be untold opportunities. Not only will China be in the building, but America will have to be rebuilt. I have many things in mind for you. If I had your age and health I could make a fortune right now.---- As to my writing: I have to spend all my energies trying to keep the wolf from the door. I have to take every little case that comes along and at night I am all in. Maybe, fortune will smile and let me have a little time off and I will do my best. ---- The country now is topsy turvey. It just is waking up to the seriousness of this war. We have lived on optimism and promises from the highest to the lowest, and the dream of invincibility is about to reach the nightmare stage. It just had to happen in a country as rich as ours and our egotism is getting a rude awakening. But we will win. --- I suppose I am getting old and grouchy, but when I see a man with the small mentality of Ed Stitinius made secretary of state, it reminds me of the first time a train ever came into Damascus. I was just a boy and all of us went down "to see the train". Smith Sppers was the engineer. Grant Broady was a negro and the town wit. He looked the situation over and then took a look at Speers. "My God", he said, "it don't take much of a man to run her, do it?" If he (Stitinius) ever expresses an original thought you can bet your last pay check that some one else is the author. And he has had sense enough to get around him quite an able bunch of assistants. But some one else must have done that for him. But it is our country and not his and we will have [?] tick all the closer to the good old flag and be all the more loyal. If each one of us will do what we can, with whatever we have, wherever we are, there will be no doubt of the result. That is why I think it might not be unwise for you to take the extra schooling.
Everything is dead around town, as you guessed, so far as the young 'uns are concerned.
I wonder if you got your tobacco, pipe, etc. Is there anything we can send you. If you should get to Pearl Harbor we know some people there who ought to make life more pleasant. Keep us advised of your plans. Is there anything we can send you? Do you get the newspaper clippings?
Mary: The foregoing is to Emory. But you are so young, imaginative, unsophisticated, innocent, unworldly - not to say ignorant - that I know you like to sit at the feet of your elders, like Emory and me, even as Paul sat at the feet of Gamalial, and learn the great lessons of wisdom, which only Emory and I can impart to you. If you will so sit long enough, and pay strict attention, someday you too may be classed among the wise ones - but do not delude yourself into thinking that you can grow so wise overnight. You have to be patient and unemotional like Emory and me.
From what the driver told me you girls had a pretty hard trip, but I think after all it is the best way to go. The mothers have been loud in their praises that some one could think up such a wonderful trip - and we all tipped the driver one buck each.
Now here is your lecture: I want you to get down to studying. And here is my philosophy for you - having kept Squire Bill for Emory : You want to be a journalist and that means hard grinding work. You can act the fool when you get to be an old woman. Take me, for example. Motto: A cat loves fish, but it doesn't want to get its feet wet. Therefore a cat can never be a journalist. There is nothing personal in this!
And now, both of you do the very best you can, and let mother and me brag: " we never got very far ourselves, but just look at our two children. They are doing what we would have liked to do".
Whimsically and devotedly,
Fa'
Labels: dad
posted by Molly at 3:46 PM
0 comments
