WILLIAM HIRAM RADCLIFFE - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 11/17/1895 - HFSID 35377

WILLIAM HIRAM RADCLIFFE
The young electrical engineer describes the mood at Harvard after their football team loses to Princeton, signs name in black ink
Autograph letter signed: "Will" in black ink. 6 pages, 4½x7 folded, 7x9 flat. Perkins Hall, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. November 17, 1895. In full: "My darling Deta:- Now what would "Papa" say if he saw that - do you think he would remark about something being d-d soft? Well I should'ent wonder, but remember I'm writing to you, not to Papa, so don't you care. To begin with I cannot say that you answered my last promptly; indeed my scolding seemed to do no good and I will have to resort to other means if I find no improvement this time. Remember I'm you Grandpa now. I can understand how Harvard's defeat at Princeton might have upset you but that will never happen again "I don't think". I hope you will forgive me for saying it but it was really rotten. Nothing else can express it, at present, although that night the air around Cambridge was full of words much worse than that. I can tell you the team got a cold reception when they returned. Nobody seemed to know just why were beaten. I think it was due to a combination of unforeseen circumstances plus loss of sand. However, Princeton played a good game and it is a decidedly comforting and novel sensation to come away from this big game knowing that while defeated, we nevertheless have been beaten fair and square. Somehow or other it diminishes the sting of defeat. The game with the University of Pennsylvania next. Secondly, promises to be a hard fought battle. I don't give a care which wins although I mean to see it and back up Harvard. I wish you might be here, dear, to go with me as I know you would enjoy it. As you seem to be collecting pictures of football men, will send you the last member of the Bostonian which gives pictures of all the Harvard teams since '87 excepting this year's teams. The article of Football is also very good if you care enough about the game to read it. I can just imagine my dear little "Peachy" in all her glory. How sweet she must have looked - sweet enough to kiss, no so? Yes many times over. Now Peachy look here you cannot tell how far a frog will jump by seeing him set neither can you tell whether people are playing for chewing gum or kisses by simply watching them play, and even if they were playing for the latter you should'ent call them naughty. So neither you nor your friend think a uniform catchy. Well I can't agree with you there, especially if the uniform is pretty. To tell the truth I never had more sport with anything than I had with my dress uniform out at Saratoga a couple of years ago, where myself and another fellow spent a part of our vacation. Everything as I said before was "dead easy". Has my grand-daughter ever had her fortune told? Ha, ha, do you remember that parlor-sell and how many times have you worked at since? I sincerely hope you will get more satisfaction this time - Don't forget to let me know the result - and if you found out what that "no numerical value thing" was - Hope you did for I do the to tell you. Say Det, do you play cards any more fo fun. Percival is at present playing his little game of Poker with the fine and that put me in mind of it. However we played each other, didn't we. I really think Poker in its card sense would have been more to our purpose; we could have used chips for forfeits instead of for money as in the real game, douncher know "And now the sweet day is dead." I say Det why do you use the word retire more instead of "return to the arms of Morpheme" as you used to - that expression used to sound so sweet and I really believe you thought I made fun of it; I think of it now with short pants in my breath and wonder how you could think me so cruel. Well, my dear, both time and paper warn me to close - hoping to hear from you soon, I am, Lovingly yours". William H. Radcliffe (b. 1873) graduated from Harvard University in May 1896, and worked as an electrical engineer and professor. Radcliffe wrote Telephone Instruments, Their Operation, Arrangement and Management in 1913 and Home Study Course in Practical Electricity in 1916. Normal mailing folds. Toned. Light surface creases. Slightly soiled. Otherwise, fine condition.