Private and Confidential
supplement to Lad:
Richard Peabody Guion
Dick seems to be inclined to sew a few wild oats more than you three older boys, and in such circumstances fathers are only a pure unadulterated nuisance – – a breed of old fogies that have forgotten their own youth, live in the past and have a warped idea of life anyway. Even though, in general way, they may be right about some things, in this particular instance they are all wet, etc. etc. You know the story. Since Dick has bought the Packard he enjoys running around with some of the boys whose parents are as little able apparently to do anything about it as I am. I don’t think Dick has enough backbone or at least is too complacent and doesn’t know when to stop, is fond of alcohol, staying out late every chance he gets with a bunch of bosom friends like Charlie Hall, Jack Fillman, etc. Yesterday after staying up until 2 AM the night before and sleeping late, he came to supper with very much of a hangover, no appetite and admitted he had drunk too much. The trouble is he does not seem to know when to stop and while there is nothing particularly wrong right now, what concerns me is what might develop if it keeps up with acceleration.
And that brings me to the idea of which the foregoing is but the stage setting. Dick is interested in things Spanish, language, music etc. He doesn’t like his present job much, I don’t like his present tendencies, and I wondered what you thought his chances might be in getting a job with Socony-Vacuum. If he were down there on the ground and applied for a job would he be likely to get something to do? Would there be a possibility of his getting a job where you could keep an eye on him more or less? I suppose there would be little chance of his being hired through the New York office in the regular channels so that he could get his transportation down paid by Socony-Vacuum, or if there were, it would probably take months and months to come about unless you had some way of requisitioning them in New York, which is unlikely as far as specifying any particular individual is concerned. Indeed my whole plan may be all wet and impossible of fulfillment which would mean I am barking up the wrong tree, but you will know best about this end of it. Maybe you have some alternate plan that would take him away from his present environment before he gets into it too deeply.
If you do see any prospect of some such plan being worked out, you won’t, of course, let on it originated in any way but spontaneously with you and in writing me you might ask how I thought Dick would like to get something to do down that way, and follow-up just as though it were your own idea. Otherwise it might do more harm than good.
And any confidential reply for my eyes only which you may write should be written on a separate sheet from your regular letter and marked confidential so that nothing will appear to be mysterious.
As you know, I had an agreement with your mother that I would carry on in bringing up the children right. I am justifiably proud of my three oldest boys and want to continue to feel the same way about the others coming along. Maybe you can help out in this instance and maybe not. My second best bet would be Alaska, but aside from the fact that Dan and Ced hardly know what they are up against themselves yet, I feel Dick would prefer the Spanish surroundings. I miss all my boys going away but I can’t let personal feelings stand in the way of Dick also leaving home if that is the best thing for him.
Naturally I’ll be much interested in getting your slant on the whole matter.
DAD
Tomorrow a letter From Aunt Betty Duryee to Lad and on Friday, another letter from Grandpa.
Judy Guion