McFarland, David M. to Chas. T. McFarland – 1917

Though the letter is undated, the envelope is postmarked November 19, 1917 from Boston. David was at college and wrote on Beta Theta Pi letterhead. David was a student at MIT at the time.¹Transcribed from the original by Mary Briggeman
 
Sunday
 
Dear Father:
 
I wrote you a letter Friday night and forgot to mail it until this morning.
 
In view of the unsettled condition of things I think it is about time for me to enter or prepare to enter some branch of the service. It looks very much as if Congress will pass a new draft law as soon as it meets and I most certainly do not want to be a private in the draft army. That is my idea of the most miserable thing that could happen to a fellow. I have decided that I should like to enter the navy and try for an Ensign’s commission. With this object in view I wish you would please see or write Congressman Butler and see if he can get me some sort of an appointment to one of those Naval Schools where they train men to be Ensigns. There is one at Harvard and I don’t know how many more. It is not the glitter of brass buttons or any little event that has prompted me to reach such a decision, but it is my conclusion after several months of logical thinking. I don’t know whether your ideas have changed since last summer, but I hope they have.
 
There is too much of this spirit in the world of “let the other fellow do it.” I have trouble with it in the affairs of the fraternity, I see its effects in our daily life, and I do all I can to fight against it.
 
As you have two boys, I feel it is my duty to get into this scrap and do my little bit to help along a most righteous cause. It is not as if I were an only child . It is unfortunate that the world had to be turned upside down just at the time when you had hopes of my starting out for myself and making good, but I guess we are not the only ones who are so affected.
 
I think you will find that Grandmother would be willing for me to go and also most of the rest of the family. It is only on your account that I have not done something already.
 
I could go on and write all night just what I think about this matter, but I want to know first that you will consider my proposition.
 
The only thing that will worry me in a physical examination would be my eyes. Yet can see very well with my glasses and I think I could get by. The unfortunate part of it is that I might not be able to pass an officers examination and yet they would take me in the draft.
 
This thing about exempting chemists and needing them more in chemical work seems to be all bunk. Plenty of graduates of Technology with several years of chemical experience have been drafted and are now lowly privates. They thought the same thing as you did but they were sadly mistaken. No doubt they should have been exempted but the point is that they were not. All of the level headed fellows in school have already applied for some branch of the service or are getting ready to do so.
 
Don’t sit down and write me the thoughts that will first come into your mind. Consult the rest of the family and some others who have sons in the service. See what they think about the thing.
 
I am not anxious to leave school at once, in fact, I should like to stay here until June. What I want to do is get in an application which will probably not call into service until that time, but I want to get something done so that I shall not get left when the time comes.
 
I hope you will take this letter in the right spirit and will consider carefully a decision which may have a great effect on my future life.
 
With love,
Your son,
David

Sources & Notes

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  Transcribed from the original by Mary Briggeman