Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-07-24
An Interesting Personality:
Elbert Hubbard

The editor of the Cosmopolitan
Magazine has invited me to write al
article for publication about mysel
and the work in which / am engaged
And the questions naturally arise
Who am l, and what have / done
that the intelligent public of Amer
lea should take an interest in what
am doing?
think | am honest enough I,
sink self, to stand outside my owl
personality, and answer the proposi
ton. Let me begin by telling
what l am not, and thus reach tn,
vital issue by the process of elimina
ton.
First. am not popular in ''Soci
ety." and those who champion m,
cause In my own town are plain, un,
pretentious people.
Second. / am not q popula.
writer, since my name has never beer
mentioned in the "Atianfic," "Scri6
ner's," "Harper's," "7He Century,
or the ladies Home Journal" But
as a matter of truth, it may not bt
amiss for me to say that / have
waited long hours in the entry-way
OF each of the magazines just named
IN days agone, and then been handed
the frappe and bowed out,
Third. l am not rich, as the
world counts wealth.
Fourth. AS an orator am with.
out the graces, and do scant Justice
to double breasted Prince Albert
Fifth. The Roycroft Shop, to the
making of which my life is dedica.
ted, is not SO large as to be conspic.
nous.
Sixth. Personally, l am no ten.
thousand-dollar beauty the glass OF
fashion and the mold of form are
far from mine.
Seventh. / have never committed
capital crimes, and although the
blackmailer has recently camped up
on my trail, l have chilled his zeal
and dampened his ardor by a willing.
meas to "tell ALL"
Eighth. My virtue has never been
of SO extreme type as to challenge
attention.
Then what have / done concern
ing which the public wishes to know
Simply this;
In one obscure country village ]
have had something to do with stop-
ping the mad desire on the part of
young people to get out of the coun-
try and flock to the cities. In this
town and vicinity the tide has been
turned from city to country. We
have made one country village an
attractive place for growing youth
by supplying congenial employment,
opportunity for healthful recreation,
meeting-places, and an outlook into
the world of art and beauty.
All boys and girls want to make
things with their hands, and they
want to make beautiful things-tbey
want to ''get along"-and I've sim
ply given them chance to get along
here, instead of seeking their fortune
in Buffalo, New York or Chicago.
They have helped me and I have
helped them; and through this mu-
tual help we have thriven il mind,
body and estate.
BY myself / could have done
nothing-and if ! have succeeded, it
is simply because | have had the aid
and cooperation of cheerful, willing,
loyal and loving helpers. Even now
as l am writing this, in my cabin in
the woods; four miles from the vii.
lage, they are down there at the Shop,
quietly, patiently, cheerfully doing
my work-which work is theirs also.
No man liveth unto himself alone !:
our interests are all bound up to.
gether, and there is no such thing as
a man going off by himself and COR
good.
When / came to this town there
was not house in the place that had
a bathroom with hot and cold water
attachments. Those who bathed swan
IN the creek in summer or used the
family wash-tnb in the kitchen in
winter. My good old partner, Ali
Baba, has always prided himself on
his personal cleanliness. He is ar
rayed in rags, but, underneath, his
hide Is clean, and better still, his
heart is right. Yet, when he first
became member of my household
he was obliged to take his Saturday
night tub out in the orchard, from
spring until autumn came with with
cred leaves. He used to make quite
an ado aoout the Kitchen, heating
the water in the washboiler. Sir
pals of cistern water, gourd of
soft soap and gunny-sack for fric-
ton were required in the operation.
Of course the Baba waited until af.
ter dark before performing his ablu.
tions. But finally his plans were
more or less disturbed by certain ris-
ing youth, who timed his habits and
awaited his disrobing with o'erripe
tomatoes. The bombardment and