South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-06-24

him on or give him comfort as his spirit neaTed
its flight
In the Valley and the Shadow of Death, with
only loneliness, Still-darkness and the air that
he breathed falling lower and lower, he left
this message scrubbed on paper, and later found
on his corpse: "Air is getting foul but
am not afraid to die not afraid, neither for
himself nor for his wife or babe
Twenty-Five companions lived by his hand,
messengers of his life. He had made the SUI
pTeme sacrifice.
ELBERT HUBBARD who enroute to Europe
L to ascertain "who lifted the lid of from
hell" went down with the Lustania, thus fig
uring as an item in the list of aggravatons that
drew the United States into the world conflict
left it as his opinion that of all the heroes of
the SpaniSh-American war, Lieut. Andrew Sum-
merS Rowan should be especially cannOnized.
In a brochure, "a Message to Garcia in
some respects Hubbard's masterpiece
brushed aside Admirals Dewey, Schey and
Sampson, Ensign Richmond Pearson Hobson,
Col T. Roosevelt, and the rest, and centering
the vialS of his admiration upon Rowan has i'm
mortaized him, that too over an incident that
had already been forgotten.
The Rowan incident is worth repeating in
brief. It is worth repeating the more, because
by way of contrast with this modern hero, an
other has come that is mghter than Rowan.
1t appears that when war broke out be-
tween the United States and Spain ii was very
necessary to communicate quickly with the
leader of the insurgents Garcia was some
vybe in fba IF C,tLo
one knew where; no mail. no telegraph mes
sage could reach him. The president must Sc
cure his cooperation and quickly.
What to do! The records in Washington
say several drafts were made upon the army
without assured success, when someone said to
the president, according to Hubbard, ''there is
fellow by the name of Rowan who will find
Garcia for you if anybody can, and Rowan
was sent for
The message was delivered to the Young
lieutenant, he asked no questions, as to who
Garcia was where he was how he was to be
reached or when he was expected to get there,
or why! The address read, Garcia, Some
where in Cuba" and that was enough
AS to chow the fellow by the name of
Rowan" took that letter sealed it UP in an
O-skin pouch strapped it over his heart, in
four days landed off the coast of Cuba in 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, :" the
sage of East Aurora declined to relate at length
save to make the point. that President McKin-
ley gave Rowan a letter to deliver to Garcia;
Rowan took the letter and did not ask, where
is he at?'"
Which was enough. 1t is the power TO do,
the faculty to initiative. the willingness to act,
Self-relance executive judgment, a deep sense
of duty and the courage of performance that
makes a man worth while, anywhere along the
line from coal-digger to the throne.
The man who has TO be told. not only what
to do, but when to do it, and how, and why
i only haf-baked. The man who will insist
upon appending all such directions to his or
derS isn't baked at all. He converts the helper
into a mere machine and DESTROYS all his use
fulnesS in case of mergencies,-which are
things that will arise
NHANUS DUGGAN was a Lieut. Rowan
wi plus He was not lieutenant in the
l.. S. army; his military training had been nil
Military training means, if it means anything, a
training for exactly what Lieut. Rowan did.
The man of military attanmentS who would
not at least attempt to serve as Lieut. Rowan
served, would be a failure even at digging
trench under an army of masters.
The credit due Rowan is not alone that he