The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-06-03
A MESSAGE TO GARCIA.

Sometimes a man writes better than
he imagines. He touches a nerve in the
worlds mentality, and straightway his
words fly from state to state, from con-
tinent to continent, and are translated
from language to language. 1t becomes
story for all humanity. Such has
proved A Message to Garcia, published
by Ebert Hubbard in March last. 1t
has run with the rapidity of a prairie
fire all over the mainland, and is away
over in England and in Asia at the
same time.
The sermon is founded upon the fol-
lowing fact. President Mckinley want
ed, at the breaking out of the war with
Spain to communicate with Garcia. No
mall no Geographic message could
reach him. Some one suggested Rowan.
He was sent for-took the letter-asked
no observation-disclosures it and returned
with the answer. Such is the text.
The sermon emphasizes the value of
self-confidence and of acting promptly,
concentrating energy and going ahead
and doing. Hubbard says justly that
men who have important enterprises to
carry out are constantly hampered by
the 'imbecilty of the average man
the inability or unwillingness to con-
centrate on a thing and do it. Shipshod
assistance, foolish inattention dowdy
Indifference and half hearted work
seem the rule" AS an instance he puts
the following case among others. He
addresses his reader:
You are sitting now in your Office
six clerks are within call. Summon any
one and make this request: Please look
in the encyclopedia and make a brief
memorandum for me concerning the
life of Correggio.'
will the clerk quietly say. Yes,
sir, and go do the task
ION your life. he will not He will
/ look at you out of fishy eye and ask
one or more of the following questions:
/ Who was he?
What encyclopedia
Where is the encyclopedia?
Was l hired for that?
Don't you mean Bismarck?
! What's the matter with Charlie do
ing it?
rs he dead?
rs there any hurry?
"Shan't l bring you the book and let
you look it up yourself?
What do you want to know for?
And l will lay you ten to one that af-
ter you have answered the questions,
and explained how to find the informa-
ton, and why you want it, the clerk
will go off and get one of the other
clerks to help him try and find Garcia
and then come back and tell you there
/ is no such man. OF course / may lose
my bet, but according to the law of
average l will not"
MIR. Hubbard cites many more in
stances, not fanciful as this, but from
actual fact and experience, and all
point, that success depends upon the
| determination, concentration and hon
est work, doing as we'll when the boss
is away, as when he is round. The clos
ing words of the article are worth re-
production and should be weighed by
all who read them
does his work when the boss is away,
as well as when he is at home. And
the man who, when given letter for
Garcia, quietly takes the missive, with
out asking any idiotic questions, and
with no lurking intention of chucking it
into the nearest sewer or of doing aught
else but deliver it, never gets laid off, >
nor has to go on a strike for higher
wages. Civilization is one long anxious
search for just such individuals. Any
! thing such a man asks shall be grant
ed; his kind is so rare that no employer
can afford to let him go. He is wanted
i'm every city, town and village-in ev-
cry office, shop, store and factory. The
world cries out for such: he is needed,
and needed badly-the man who can
carry a message to Garcia"
There is fund of wisdom in this, and
a solid piece of advice which no one
can afford to cast aside. 1t contains
more meat than many pulpit sermons