Evening star., 1899-03-11
What 1t Really Means to Garry
Letter to Garcia.
A Word FOR MEN WHO Do THINGS
Such as They Find Themselves
Always in Demand.
TOO FEW IN THIS WORLD

Elhcrt Hubbard in The Philistine.
In all this Cuban business there is one
man stands out on the horizon of my mem
ory like Mars at periheiion- When war
broke out between Spain and the United
States. It was very necessary to communi-
cate quickly with the leader of the insur-
gents. Garcia was somewhere in the mOun-
tain Businesses of Cuba-no one knew
where. No mail nor telegraph message
could reach him. The President must Sc
cure his cooperation, and quickly.
What TO do?
Some one said to the President, There's S
a fellow by the name of Rowan will find
Garcia for you. if anybody can"
Rowan was sent for and given letter to
be delivered TO Garcia.
How the fellow by the name of Rowan
took the letter. sealed it up in an oi.skin
pouch strapped it over his heart. in four
days landed by night off the coast of Cuba
from an open boat. disappeared into the
Jungle. and in three weeks came out on
the other side of the island having tra-
yersed hostile country on foot, and de-
livered his letter 10 Garcia, are things l
have no special desire now to tell in detail.
The point 1 wish TO make is this: Mckin-
ley gave Rowan a letter to be delivered to
Garcia: Rowan took the letter and did not
ask. w WheTe is he at?
BY the Eternal. there is a man whose
form shou d be cast in deathless bronze and
the statue placed in every college of the
land. II is not book learning young men
need. nor instruction about this and that.
but d stiffening of the vertebra which Will
cause them To be loyal to a trust, 10 act
promptly. concentrate their energies; do
the thing-"Carry a message to Garcia!
Gen. Garcia is dead now, but there are
other GaTCias-
No man. who has endeavored to carry
out an enterprise where many hands were
needed. but has been wellnigh appalled, at
times by the imbecility of the average man
the inability or uuwiliingness to concen-
trate on d thing and do it.
Shp-ShGd assistance, foolish tnattention,
dawdy Indifference and half-hearted work
seem the rule: and no man succeeds, un-
less by hook or crook, threat, he forces
or bribes other men to assist him; or may
hap. God in His goodness performs mir
acle. and sends him an angel of lfght Tor
an assistant.
You reader put this matter to a test:
You are sitting now in your offlce-slX
clerks within call Summon any one
and make this request Please look in the
encyclopedia and make brief memoran-
dun for me concerning the life of Correg-
Eio.
Will the clerk quietly say Yes sir and
go do the task?
on your life he will not He will look at
You out of fishy eye and ask one or more
# the following questions:
Who was he2
Which encyclopedia?
Where is the encyclopedia
Was | hired for that?
Don't you mean bismarck?
What's the matter with Charlie doing it?
Is he dFad2
Is there any hurry
SEan't / bring you the book and let you
look it up yourself2
What do YOU want to know for?
And l will lay you ten to one that after
You have answered the questions. and ex-
plaineI how to find the information. and
why you want it. the clerk viii go of and
get one pf the other clerks to help him try
70 find Garcia-and then come back and tell
You there is such man Of course,
may lose my bet. hut according to the law
of average. I will not
Now if you are wise YOU will not bother
to explain to your assistant that COrTeg-
gio Is indexed under the Cs. not in the Ks.
but You will smile sweetly and say, Never
mind. and go look it up yourself.
And this incapacity for independent ac-
ton. this moral stupidity. this infirmity OF
the Will. this unwillingness to cheerfully
catch hold and lift. are the things that
put pure socialism so far into the future.
If men will not act for themselves, what
will they do when the benefit of their ef-
fort is for all2
\ first-nate with knotted club seems
necessary: and the dread of getting the
b,unce' Saturday night, holds many work
er TO his place
Advertise for stenographer and nine out
Of ten who apply can neither spell nor
puncfuate-and do not think il necessary 10.
Can such a one write letter to Garcia?
You see that bookkeeper.'' said the fore
man 10 me in large factory
Yes what about him.
We'll he's a fine accountant, but if I'd
send him UP town on an errand. he might
accomplish the errand all right. and, on the
other hand might stop at four saloons on
the way and when he got to Main street
would forget what he hal been sent for
Can such man be intrusted to carry
message TO Garcia?
We have recently been hearing much
maudIn sympathy expressed for the down
troddrn denizen Of the sweatshOp" and the
..hOmeIesS wanderer see rChing for honest
employment and with IL all often go
many hard words for the men in power
Nothing IS said about the employer who
grows Old before his time in a vain attempt
10 get frowsy ne er-do-weIl's to do intelli-
gent work. and his long patient striving
with help that does nothing but loaf
when his back is turned In every store
and factory there Is a constant wedding out
process going on. The employer is con-
stautly sending away help" that have
shown their incapac:ty 10 further the inter
CStS OF the business. and others are being
taken on. No matter how good times are.
this sorting continues. only if times are
hard and work is scarce. the sorting is done
1iEer-bUI out and forever out the incom-
Petent and unworthy GO 1t is the survival
of the fttest- SeIf-iaterest prompts every
employer TO keep the test-those who can
carry a message TO Garcia.
I know one man of really brilliant parts
who has not the ability to manage a busi-
ness OF his own. and yet who is absolutely
worthless tu any one else. because he car
rleS with him constantly the insane sus-
pict0n that his employer is depressing or
intending To- 0pprcss him. Should a mes
sage be given him 10 take to Garcia his an
swer would probably be, Take it yourself.
and De- damned
Tonight this man walks the streets look
Ing for work. the wind whistling through
his threadoare coat No one who knows him
dare employ him. for he is a regular fire
brand OF discomfort He is imperyious to
reason. and the only thing that can impress
him Is the toe Of a thicEsoled No 9 boot
OF course | know that one so morally de-
formed i no less TO be pitied than a
physical cripple; but in our plying let US
drop tear too, for the men who are striv-
ing to carry on great enterprise whose
working hours are not limited by the
whistle. and whose hair is fast turning
white through the struggle to hold in line
o'wdy Indifference. slip-shOd imbecility.
aud the heaTtless ingratitude. which but
Tor their enterprise. would be both hungry
and homeless
Have put the matter too strongly?
Possibly l have; but when all the world
mas gone a-slumming | wish to sneak a
Word OF sympathy for the man who suc-
CeeuS-tNe man who ae-afDat ,,~o.+ -