Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1917-11-23
a MESSAGE TO GARCIA.
(BY Elhert unhhardN


OF my memory like Mars at perihel-
ion.
When the war broke out between
Spain and the United States, it was
very necessary to communicate quick
ly with the leader of the Insurgents.
Garcia was somewhere in tie noun
tain Businesses of Cuba-none knew
where. No mail or telegraph mes
| sage could reach him. The President
must secure his cooperation and that
quickly.
What to do
Someone said to the President,
There is Il fellow by tie rame 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, ccaled it
up in an oilskin 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
traversed hostile country on foot
and delivered his letter to Garcia-arc
things | have no special desire now
20 tell in detail The point that |
wish to make is this: Mckinley gave
Rowan Il letter to be delivered to
Garcia; Rowan took the letter and did
not ask, "Wherc is he at?"
BY the Eternal! there is a man
whose form should be cast in deathless
bronze and the statute placed in ev-
cry college of the land 1t is not
Understanding young men need, nor
instruction about this and that. but
Il Stlttening of the vertebrac which
will cause them to be loyal to a trust.
to act promptly, concentrate their
energies: do the thing-"Carry mes
sage to Garcia"
General Garcia is dead now, but
there are other Garcias. No man who
has endeavored to carry out an en-
terprise where many hands were need
ed, but has been well night appalled,
at times by the imbecility of the av-,
erage man-the inability or unwil-
llngness to concentrate on a thing
and do it.
Slipshod assistance, foolish mat
tention. dowdy Indifference, end half
hearted work seem the rule; and no
man succeeds, unless by hook or by
crook or threat he forces or brides
other men to assist him; or, nuyhap.
God in His goodness performs a mira
Gle and sends him an Angel of Light
for an assistant.
You, reader, put this matter to a
test: You are sitting now in your
otlice-six clerks within call Sum-
mon any one and make this request:
Please look in the encyclopedia and
make brief memorandum for me
concerning the life of Correggia."
Will the clerk quietly say eyes,
sir" and go to the task?
On your life he will not. He will
look at you out of fishy eye and ask
one or more OF the following ques-
tions
Who was he?
Which encyclopedia?
Where is the encyclopedia?
Was l hired for that?
Don't you mean Bismarck?
What's the matter with Charlie do
ing it?
Is he dead?
Is there any hurry?
Sha'n't bring you the book and
let you look it up yourself?
what do you want to know for? |
And | will lay you ten TO one that
after you have answered the cues
tons, and explained how to find the
information, and why you wan it, the
clerk will 30 off and get one of the
other clerks to help him try to find
Garcia-and then come back and tell
sou there is no such man. OF course
may lose my bet, but according to
The Law of average / will not. Now. !
II you are wise, you will not bother
to explain to your assistant" that
Coreggio is indcXed under the C's. |
not in the KS, but you will smile very
Swcctiy and say, "Never mind" and
go to look it up yourself. And this in
capacity for independent action, this
moral stupidity. this infirmity of the
will. this unwillingness to cheerfullv
catch hold of the lift-these arc the
things that put puer Socialism so far
80 ''N iueuic' II itlSI VIII not act f0rl
themselves. what will they do when
the benefit of their effort IS for all?
a first mate with knotted club
seems necessary; and the dread of
getting "the bounce" Saturday night
holds many worker to his place. Adj
vertise for stenographer, and nine
out of ten who apply can neither
spell nor punctuate-and do not think
1t necessary to.
Can such a one write letter to
Garcia?
you see that bookkeeper," said the
foreman to me in large factory.
Eyes; what about him?"
well, he's fine accountant, but
if I'd send him uptown on an GRAND,
he might accomplish the GRAND ali
right, and, on the other hand, might
stop at four saloons on the way, and
when he got to Main Street would