Here N. C. Wyeth writes to his eldest son, Nat, and Nat's wife, Caroline, about their nearly two-year-old son, Newell.
Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania
October 19, 1943
Dear Nat and Caroline,
The memories of last week with you all are not dimmed as each event stands lens-clear. The beautiful and powerful little figure of Newell dominates it all however. His personality, for one so very young, is truly astonishing to me; the clarity of it remains in my memory, as does his blonde face and figure, cameolike—in sharp preciseness and ultimate delicacy. I like to think mostly of the glow of his hair and face in the cavernous gloom of that cathedrallike woods of “the grotto.” I shall never forget him there.
Obviously he is blessed with a quick and attentive spirit. Nourish these traits by every means you can think of. This will comprise his greatest and profoundest education, no matter what imposing institutions he may encounter later on. To keep alive and to intensify his sense of wonderment and his curiosity about the simplest things—these will become and remain the most potent factors in his life, no matter what he is destined to do.
Two years after the above letter was written, N. C. Wyeth and his grandson, Newell, were killed together when a train struck the car N. C. was driving.
WILLIAM O. DOUGLAS TO
MILDRED DOUGLAS WELLS
“The only dangerous people in the world are
those who are rebels without a cause . . .”
William O. Douglas was appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States by Franklin Roosevelt in 1939. A spirited champion of liberty, Douglas believed the government should interfere in people's lives as little as possible. He was a protector of civil liberties, worked for religious and racial tolerence, and fought for equality of opportunity. As a westerner and an outdoorsman, Douglas was a modern-day environmentalist who traveled, camped, hiked, and was an ardent advocate of conservation. Energetic and controversial, he was known through his thirty-six years on the Supreme Court as a liberal dissident. He married four times, twice to women very much younger than he, and he was quite distant from his two children. Douglas once said, “I doubt I rated high as a father . . .”
Here he writes to his thirty-two-year-old daughter, herself a “rebel” in earlier days, about her son, Tyrone.
December 16, 1961
Dear Millie:
I am glad that Ty is turning out to be a rebel. Any boy who is any good has that spark in him when he is about Ty's age. The problem is to see that it does not die out, and that he retains the capacity to tell his old lady or his old man where to get off.
The only dangerous people in the world are those who are rebels without a cause, and the problem is as the years go by to find a good cause to which Ty can tie his rebellion. On that you and he can get together and come up with something pretty special and I am sure it will all work out to the best of the order.
Merry Christmas to you all.
Love,
[William O. Douglas]
First page of Alfred Thayer Mahan's letter to his daughter Helen
Love
THOMAS JEFFERSON TO
MARTHA “PATSY” JEFFERSON RANDOLPH
“The happiness of your life depends now on the continuing to please a single person. To this all other
objects must be secondary . . .”
In early 1790, Thomas Jefferson was in New York beginning his term as the first secretary of state of the United States under President George Washington. His eldest daughter, eighteen-year-old Martha Jefferson Randolph (known as Patsy), remained in Virginia with her new husband, Thomas Randolph, and her only living sibling, Maria (known as Polly). To his daughters, Jefferson was totally dedicated—particularly so since the death of their mother eight years earlier. He approved of Martha's marriage, thought his son-in-law a “young gentleman of genious, science and honorable mind” and in this missive encourages his daughter to make her husband her priority.
Although Martha and Thomas Randolph went on to have eleven children, all of whom were named by their “Grandpapa” Jefferson, their marriage was a disappointment. Thomas Randolph eventually became a congressman for the state of Virginia and later its governor, but he was considered by some to be a failure—dependent, perilously in debt, an ineffective manager of property. In the end, Martha Jefferson Randolph remained unquestionably devoted to one man above all: her father.
New York April 4, 1790
My Dear Daughter
I saw in Philadelphia your friends Mrs. Trist and Miss Rittenhouse. Both complained of your not writing. In Baltimore I inquired after Mrs. Buchanan and Miss Holliday. The latter is lately turned methodist, the former was married the evening I was there to a Mr. Turnbull of Petersburg in Virginia. Of course you will see her there. I find it difficult to procure a tolerable house here. It seems it is a practice to let all the houses the 1st of February, and to enter into them the 1st of May. Of course I was too late to engage one, at least in the Broadway, where all my business lies. I have taken an indifferent one nearly opposite Mrs. Ellsworth's which may give me time to look about me and provide a better before the arrival of my furniture. I am anxious to hear from you, of your health, your occupations, where you are etc. Do not neglect your music. It will be a companion which will sweeten many hours of life to you. I assure you mine here is triste enough. Having had yourself and dear Poll to live with me so long, to exercise my affections and chear me in the intervals of business, I feel heavily these separations from you. It is a circumstance of consolation to know that you are happier; and to see a prospect of it's continuance in the prudence and even temper both of Mr. Randolph and yourself. Your new condition will call for abundance of little sacrifices but they will be greatly overpaid by the measure of affection they will secure to you. The happiness of your life depends now on the continuing to please a single person. To this all other objects must be secondary; even your love to me, were it possible that that could ever be an obstacle. But this it can never be. Neither of you can ever have a more faithful friend than my self, nor one on whom you can count for more sacrifices. My own is become a secondary object to the happiness of you both. Cherish then for me, my dear child, the affection of your husband, and continue to love me as you have done, and to render my life a blessing by the prospect it may hold up to me of seeing you happy. Kiss Maria for me if she is with you, and present me cordially to Mr. Randolph: assuring yourself of the constant and unchangeable love of your's affectionately,
TH: JEFFERSON
SAM HOUSTON TO SAM HOUSTON, JR.
“Your Ma loves you more, than she does any one else,
so you should love her, more than any one.”
Congressman and governor of Tennessee, adopted son of a Cherokee chief, frontiersman, commander of the Texas revolutionary army responsible for freeing Texas from Mexican dictatorship, twice president of the Republic of Texas, and later senator and governor of the new state, Sam Houston is an American legend. He stood six feet, two inches tall, wore unusual and sometimes dramatic clothes, spoke the Cherokee language fluently, loved classical literature, and, in the days before his marriage, had the reputation of being a hard drinker often in pursuit of women. At forty-seven years old Houston married the young and beautiful Margaret Lea, whose religious piety and belief in temperance had great influence in reforming her husband's way of life. Married for twenty-three years, the couple had eight children, the first of whom, Sam Jr., was born when Houston was fifty years old.
In 1846, when Sam Houston wrote the following letter, he was just beginning his first of nearly fourteen years as senator from the brand-new state of Texas. The issue of the day was the Oregon Country: should it be a slave territory or free. The freshman senator from Texas broke with his southern colleagues and voted for Oregon to be free. Here he writes to his son, three-year-old Sam, at home with Margaret in Huntsville, Texas.
15th June, 1846.
My dear Son,
Your Father loves you, and hopes you
are a good boy. He is very anxious to see you, and your dear Mother, as well as your dear Uncles, and aunts, and cousins. These your Pa hopes to see at home. You have not forgot, your dear Grand Ma, Uncle Vernal, and Aunt Ann. These you ought to love as much, as those who are with you, every day. You ought as a good and dear Son, to love your dear Ma, more than all others, and next to her, you should love your dear Grand Ma, and then your Pa!
Your Ma loves you more, than she does any one else, so you should love her, more than any one. You should love and obey your Father & hear all that he says to you. Your Ma, took care of you, when you were a little helpless babe. She did not sleep, when she thought you were not well, but watched you in the night. Now my son, you can never do enough for your dear Ma. Your Grand Ma, too took care of you, and loved and still, loves you, as much, as if you were her own son!
So you see my son, why you should love, your Ma, & Grand Ma, more, than all others! You should love me, too, and when I do good, you should do like me. You ought to love all your relations, and all good people, and then your good father in Heaven, will love you, and when you die, He will take you to Heaven, where you will always be happy.
My son, I send you some poetry, and if Ma, thinks well of it, she, and cousins, will learn you to repeat it to Pa, if he lives to meet his dear boy.
You must give Pa's love to ma; and a kiss to Aunt & Cousins. Thy devoted Father,
Sam Houston
SALMON P. CHASE TO
KATE CHASE SPRAGUE
“How wrong it is for those who love
not to express their love.”
A leader in the fight to end slavery, Salmon P. Chase was secretary of the United States Treasury at the time of the Civil War and chief justice of the Supreme Court during Reconstruction. He was thought to be overly ambitious; yet clearly apparent, too, were his determination and moral courage.
By the time he joined Lincoln's cabinet, Chase had suffered the nearly unimaginable loss of three wives and four daughters. To his surviving children, Kate and Nettie, he was utterly devoted. Kate Chase emerged from a lonely childhood riddled with death to become a spirited young woman. She became a companion and hostess for her father and her unbridled ambition seemed to equal his. Her marriage to one of the wealthiest men in the nation, the former governor, then senator from Rhode Island, William Sprague, was a celebrated social event in Washington during the dark days of the Civil War. Yet the Spragues' marriage was not a happy one and Chief Justice Chase, who resided in the same house with the volatile couple, tried to be the peacemaker.
Here, during the impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson, in which both he and Senator Sprague were involved, Salmon P. Chase writes to his daughter, Kate.
Washington, May 10, 1868.
My dear dear Katie,
I am ashamed that your affectionate letter has remained so long unanswered; but you know how prone I am to procrastination, and what excuses—(not sufficient however I admit)—I have lately had for it.
But my duties connected with the Impeachment are nearly over, and I will write you a few words today:
The Governor tells me that you will probably leave Narragansett very soon. He is anxious about you, and talks of going south with you as soon as the trial is ended. If he does go I will and go at once; so if you incline that way and wish Nettie to go with you please write her immediately and come home.
I was dreadfully frightened about your cold, and very uneasy about your going north when you did. The Governor says you have found the Narragansett air too bracing and his uneasiness increases mine. You must take care of yourself.
How I wish you would take a different view of your social duties, & cease exposing yourself, by attending those wretched night parties. You could do so, I think, & lose nothing in any respect.
Most of all I long to see you an earnest Christian woman—not only religious but happy in religion. I realize painfully how far short I come of my own ideal; but I am not on that account the less desirous that you should excel where I fail. One thing I am sure of that true faith in Christ is the only thing on earth really worth having; and the only thing that we can carry from earth.
How I do love you my darling! My whole heart seems to go toward you while I write and tears come into my eyes. How wrong it is for those who love not to express their love. I remember how often you have felt hurt by my apparent indifference to what interested you: and I feel sorry that I ever occasioned any such feelings to you. I see now in your husband something of that which I blame on myself. But I know how strong my love really was, and I know how strong his is. And I am very glad that, while you have sometimes forgotten that the happiness of a wife is most certainly secured by loving submission & loving tact, you, generally, conquer by sweetness. I never saw him so much affected as by the difference that occurred between you just before you went away. He was almost unmanned—moved to tears. I have not thought it best to refer to it; but try to make my society pleasant for him & hope I succeed. You must love away all his reserve—and help yourself to do so by reflecting how generous, self sacrificing & indulgent a husband he has been to you. How few husbands would consent to such absences, & be at once so liberal & thoughtful. If he were only a true Christian he would be nearly perfect.
The final question on the impeachment is ordered for Tuesday—day after tomorrow, and it is probable that it will then be taken. My own judgment & feeling favors acquittal; but I have no vote & do not know how the Senators will vote. It seems to be that there is very little balance of probability either way. It is not impossible that something may occur to postpone the question a day or two. It will require parts of two days probably to complete the vote when begun. The question is to be taken on each article and it may be that some articles will be divided. The form of the question to be put by me on each article to each Senator is “Mr Senator——— How say you? Is Andrew Johnson President of the United States guilty or not guilty of a high misdemeanor as charged in this article?”: and each Senator must rise in his place & answer “guilty” or “not guilty.” It will take about half a minute for each Senator & there are fifty four Senators—say 25 minutes to each article & there are 11 articles, making with the time required for reading about 6 hours. Shan't I be tired?
Goodbye my darling—kisses & dear love for Willie—don't let him forget grandpa.
Your affectionate father
S P CHASE
After Kate engaged in a well-publicized affair with Senator Roscoe Conkling, her marriage to William Sprague ended. Her life went into a tailspin, and by the time of her death at fifty-eight years old, she had become a social recluse living in destitution.
ALFRED THAYER MAHAN TO
HELEN EVANS MAHAN
“Like yourself, I am naturally indifferent to others;
and for many years I thought it almost
something to be proud of.”
Adm. Alfred T. Mahan, naval officer and historian, was the world's greatest authority on sea power. His book The Influence of Seapower Upon History, published in 1890, revolutionized the way military and political leaders worldwide considered the importance of their navies. In it, Mahan convincingly demonstrated for the world that “command of the sea” determined the power of a nation.
Slender and erect with blue eyes, a bald head, and a carefully trimmed Vandyke beard, Alfred T. Mahan lectured his three children on everything from medical practices to which authors were acceptable to read. (William Shakespeare and Walter Scott were approved; Mark Twain was not.) Mahan's manner was shy and reserved, cold even, and he himself never successfully established close friendships. Yet he readily advised his daughters on the subject. Here he writes to his eldest child, seventeen-year-old Helen.
Newport
July 9, 1890
Do not read this
till you are quiet in
your own room.
My dear Helen:
Mamma has told me that you had asked her how you could make yourself care for persons whom you do not naturally lo
ve. The question shows a recognition, on your part, of a feature of your disposition which we have noticed for some time, and concerning which you need some advice.
In the first place, my dear child, you must not allow yourself to be worried about this trait of your character, which renders you indifferent to most persons, as though it were a fault, or a sin, for which you are originally responsible. It was born in you, without your will. But while it is not a fault, it is a very serious defect, against which you are bound as a Christian to strive, as earnestly as you would against any other natural defect, or weakness.
You will notice that indifference to other people, the failure to be moved by their happiness or sorrow, though not as bad as hatred, or ill-will, to them, is nevertheless as much opposed to that charity, or love, which our Lord and His apostles dwell upon as the great distinctive grace of the Christian character. It is well to note this. Like yourself, I am naturally indifferent to others; and for many years I thought it almost something to be proud of. I did not meddle with other people's business, which is undoubtedly a good thing; unfortunately, in me it was due to the fact that I did not care anything about their business, whether it went well or ill. It is only very lately that I have realized that it is not enough to refrain from, and keep under, bad or unkind feelings toward others; charity demands that we have toward them feelings of kindly interest; of sympathy; even of affection, in accordance with the relationship which they bear to us, as relatives, as friends, or as neighbors.
Posterity: Letters of Great Americans to Their Children Page 5