The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1919-12-08
Merits OF Military and Civil Life

Nhite HOUSE january 81 lbofs
Dear Ted: This will be long bust.
ness letter. | sent 60 YOU the esaiui-
nation papers for West Point and
Annapolis. have thought n great
deal over tho matter. and discussed
IL at great length with mother.
feel on the ono hand that ought 90
Tive you my best advice. and yet on
the other hand do not wish 10 seem
TO eonstrain you against your wishes
II you have definitely made up your
mind that you have an overmaster.
Ing desire 10 be In the navy or the
army. and that such n career IL the
one In which you Will take n really
heartfelt intercst--far more 80 than
any other-and that your creates;
chance for happiness ana usefulness
win lie In doing this one work 20
which you feel yourself especially
drawn--why. under such circum-
stances. have but little 60 say hut
| am not satisfied that this IL really
your feeling. II seemed 10 me more
as u you did not feel drawn IN any
other direction. and wondered what
you were going 10 do IN life or what
kind 81 work YOU would turn your
hand To. and wondered u you could
make a success or not. and that YOU
are therefore inclined 60 turn TO the
navy or army chiefly because you
would then have a drfinit. and set.
tied career In life. and could hope 10
10 on steadily without any great rink
OF failure. Now. IL such ~ your
thought. ! shall quote 10 you what
Captain Mahan aid Of his son when
asked why he did not send him 10
West Point or Annapolis: Il have too
much confidence Ia him 20 make me
feel that Il il desirable for him TO
eater either branch % the service
have great confidence IN you. I
believe you have the ability. ard.
above ali. the energy. the pcrssvrr.
Ancr. and the common sense. to win
out IN civil life That You Will have
some hard times and some diacour'
aginT times | have no question. but
this IL merely another way OF saying
that you will nbar. tho common tot.
Tho YOU will have to work In differ.
eut ways from thos- In which
worked. you will not have to work
any harder. nor 10 face periods Of
moro encouragement. I trust in
your ability. and especially your
character. and I am confident you
will win.
In the army ard the navy the
chance for a man 10 show great Abii.
i,y and rise above his fellows does
nc, occur on the average more than
once In n generation. When I was
down at Santiago u was melancholy
for me 20 SEQ how fosuilixcd and lack.
inx In ambition. and generally use.
less. were most 81 tho men Of my
age and over. who had served their
lives IN the army. Tho navy for the
Inst few years has been better. but
Tor 20 years after the Clvii war there
was less chance in the navy than IN
the army 10 practice. and do. work
OF real consequences. I have actually
known hcltcnants In both tho army
and The navy who were grandfstheru
men who had seen their children
married before They themselves at.
tainci tho grade 81 captain. Of
t1HfNF III" 'itANtF tte&tN tHfu" nj any
time when the man Of West Point or
Annapolis who viii have stayed In
the army or navy finds n great war
on. and therefore has the opportu.
nifty 10 rise high. Under such cir
cumsianccs. I think the man 81 such
training WHO has actually left the
army or the navy has even more
chance q rising than the man who
has remained In n. Moreover. often
n man can do "a I did the Spanish
war. even tho not n West Pointer.
This last point raises the question
about you going TO West Point OF
Annapolis and leaving the army or
navy after you have served tho rogu.
lation four years Il think that Is the
numberl after graduation from the
academy. Under this plan you would
have an excellent education and
grounding In discipline and in some