Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-07-24

- sAs0asht ohu VIC DtIuI kiXI
!. thousand copies of Little JOURNEYS
1 each month. Most of the "Journey
booklets are returned to us for bind
ing, and nearly one-half of the "Phil
istine Magazines" come back for tb
same purpose. The binding of thes
publications is simple work, done b
the girls and boys we have educate,
, In this line.
There are no skilled people in tb
hoycoft Shop, except those who bay
become so since they came here, witt
one single exception. This excep
tion is Mr.. Louis III. Kinder, maste
book binder, who spent seven wears
apprenticeship in Leipsic learuin,
his trade.
Our motto is NOT HOW CHEAP
BUT HOW GOOD.
This is the richest country tb,
world has ever known, richer far pc
capita than England-lending mone'
to Europe. Once Amerlcans wer,
all shoddy-pIoneers have to be, I'm
toid--bnt this is now true of only ,
part of us. AS men aud women in.
crease in culture and refinement, the,
want fewer things, and they wan
better things. The cheap article,
WILL admit, ministers to a certain
grade of intellect; but if the mar
grows. there will surely come a time
when, instead of a great many chear
things, he will want q few good
things. He will want things thai
symbol solidity, truth, genuineness
and beauty.
Truth demands certain express
sion, and too much had been said on
the other side about the downtroddep,
honest man looking for work and
not being able to find it. Men are
needed, loyal, honest men who will
do their work-"the world cries out
for him-the man who can carry a
message to Garcia"
The Roycroft Shop and belong
ings represent an investment of
about two hundred and fifty thous-
and dollars. We have no liabilities,
making 1t strict business policy to
sign no notes, or other instrument of
debt, that may in the future prove
inopportune, and tend to disturb di-
gestion. We began in June 1895,
with a capital of three thousand dol
lars. During 1897 and 1898 con-
verted certain real estate holdings
into cash and added thirty-one thous-
and dollars to the venture; but the
net profits since beginning, six years
and six months ago, have been some
thing over two hundred thousand
dollars, with a good living for every
body thrown in.
Fortune has favored us.
First, the country had got tired
OF soft platitudes, silly truism and
undisputed things said in such a
solemn way. So when the Philisfine
stepped into the ring and SAID in no
uncertain tones what its editor
thought, thinking men and women
stopped and listened. Editors of
magazines refused my manuscript
because they said it was too plain,
too blunt, sometimes indelicate-it
would give offense, subscribers would
cancel, ct cetera, ct cetera, 30 they
respectfully declined my manuscripts.
To get my thoughts published 1 had
to publish them myself; and people
bought for the very reason for which
the editors said they would cancel.
The readers wanted brevity and plain
statements-the editors said they
didn't
The editors were wrong. They
failed to properly diagnose demand.
l saw the demand and supplied it
for consideration.
So much for the foresight and
worldly wisdom of some editors.
And this love of the work done
by the marriage of hand and brain
can never quite 60 out of fashion
for we are men and women, and our
hopes and aims and final destiny are
at last one. Where one enjoys, all
enjoy; where one suffers, all suffer.
Say what you will of the cold
ness and selfishuess of men, at the
last We long for companionship
and the fellowship of our kind.
We are lost children, and when
alone and the darkness begins to
gather, we long for the close rela-
tionship of the brothers and sisters
We knew in our childhood, and cry
for the gentle arms that once rocked
US to sleep. Men are home-sick
amid this sad, mad rush for wealth
and place and power. The calm of
the country invites, and we would
fain do with less things, and go back
to simplicity, and rest our tired heads
In the lap of Mother Nature.
The thing that pays should be the
expedient thing, and the expedient
thing should be the proper and
right thing. That which began
with us as a matter of expediency is
often referred to as "philanthropy."
| do not like the word, and wish to
state here that the Roycroft ia in no
sense a charity do not believe in
giving any man something for MOTH
ing. You give man dollar and the
man will think less of you because he
thinks less of himself; but if you give
him q chance to earn a dollar, he
will think more of himself and more
of you. The only way to help people
is to give them chance to help
themselves. So the Roycroft Idea is
one of reciprocity, mutuality-you
helm me and 1,ll ha1n vou We u,;ll
not be here forever, anyway: soon
Death, the kind old Nurse, will come
and rock us all to sleep, and we had
better help one another while we can:
we are going the same wav-let's go
hand in hand.-Elbert Hubbard, in
Cosmopolitan Magazine.