Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-09-27
WHERE HANDICRAFT STILL
EXISTS
By Frederic j.. Haskin.

EAST AURORA, N. Y, Sept. 24.-What is
East Aurora doing since Ebert Hubbard and
his wife went down on the Lusitania? People
come here wondering if they will find slackness
or decay in the home of the Roycrofters. In
stead, there is trim neatness about the plant,
the same busy craftsmen at work in the shops,
the same unusual atmosphere of tranquility
which somehow has always pervaded the place.
The Roycroft plant, you doubtless remember,
is the project started by Ebert Hubbard twenty
nve years ago. Hubbard had lived in the village
Of East Aurora for thirty years without giving
any signs of one day making 1t famous. He was
in the soap business then, and had he kept on
making soap would in time have been a million
aire, as his partner, Larkin, became.
But the Lire of a soap merchant palled on the
artistically inclined Hubbard. At thirty-eight he
took the first step toward retaining his indi-
viduality. He sold out and went to Harvard.
Then he started a little printing shop in East
Aurora, and with his philosophy, his writings
and his personality, he gathered about him the
Roycroft community and gradually built what is
now the Roycroft plant with $50 workers.
East Aurora was on the map in a quiet way
as a New York village before Hubbards per-
sonality began to flower. Hubbard made II
popular, and gradually East Aurora became
synonymous with Roycroft and Elbert Hubbard.
You cannot write or talk about one without I'M
plying the others. The homes of the village are
mainly the craftsmen's homes. The whole com.
munity seems to center on the shady street
where the low ivy-clad shops of the Hubbard
plant stand.
Hubbard took it for granted that the world
would recognize that he and his Roycrofters
made East Aurora what II mas 5ecome. W M,ba
hard wrote to the railroad company and ask
ed permission to make the station. sign ana
put the cabalistic Roycroft trademark on IL
beside the name East Aurora. The railroad
company was astounded at the SUGGESTION
Never had any advertising been auowed ON
station sign, and they promptly informed MT.
Hubbard of the high and long-standlng tradl-
lions of the road. But Mr.. Hubbard was NOT
yanouished. He persisted in his arguments untii
he convinced the officials that the booming ousl-
ness in railroad tickets between East aurora
and points in all directions was due 10 the f.oy-
- fA1-a o-I chat fhav NUpra lea + aurora, lOudyl
the East Aurora station is probably the only
one in the country that has a sign decorated
with a trademark.
The story of the new railroad station is an
other Hubbard story. The town had a disreput-
able-looking shack in which to buy It's tickets
and pass the time of day. But four years ago
Hubbard turned his attention to the oePot.
Every month his magazine carried an INTENSE
editorial about the awful depot situation at Edso
Aurora. one month he printed a picture of the
ramshackle station and beside it his new paiatiai
hog pen. That was too much for the rallroau.
1t surrendered and even sent the plans 1or the
new station to Hubbard for his approVai.
The Second Hubbard. -
TODAY. the guiding spirit of the Roycrotters
is Ebert Hubbard II. Externally, HuDparas
son is a sort of copy OF him, .put VIII e Enr
variations. His hair is not long as ms LatnHi'
ERA Elbertus, wore his. And the younger Ilup-
hard hears less of q resemblance to Wlllah
Jennings Bryan, than his father dld. But youns
Ebert Hubbard wears a homesPum suh Mack
brown, comfortable shoes, ana the "in o'
tie that his father affected. rhe
This tie is a sort of Roycroft badge, me
Young men who WORK III LIE ShoPo
ing, metal work, and illuminating, QUITE gene
aliv wear these flowing black or blue Ties, pa
ly, we imagine, as a concession U lne 81 dao
temperament, but more as d "u'
parted leader. I'll. hut he is
interrupted every few minutes by aernabesd in
consultations. Obviously, he Is no fgureneau III
L "Elbert Hubbard left the Roycroft plant as as a
monument he explains, land L am preserving !
&c a live monument. People have told me tnaI
I am submerging my own personality here, put !
do not agree with tnemt ot hnr neople, and /
can do things for him along that line tnae ne
never had time to do for himself; j. his
"oThe Roycroft community should go on IL ~
q until something better can replace Hanu
l believe that is a long way Off. He ouiioeo oe'
ter than he knew :, was
work. He commended that there is no such thing
AS mental labor. He said, THE man tnat mas q
lob is lucky" 1t was one OIL ms iavoliee i"
ioms and he PLAYED with the idea in all Sorts Oh
epigrams, such as Happy is that man VINO has
found his work. o DC
sacred. he was discriminating enough TO reaize
that creative work is more interesting ana sag Go
flying than purely mecnahicai instsIIed ma
chinerv for only the tedious processes. For tne
rest he believed the old simple ways Oh ooihs
Works BY Hand.
Men and women were set to work making
things by hand, spending as much ume - mI-
cessary on MISUNDERSTANDING, SAVING, OF niou
ing with no strict factory rules to orlVe thehl ~.
Hubbard further sought to insure contentmeht
and Industry by making his factory cooperative.
If a workman had a share in the pronts ne ns-
ured that there was nothing to lear from capi
tal-labor difficulties.
The shops he built of stones, which the farm
ers were glad to sell for a dollar a load. Ihey
are low, well-designed buildings, set IN green
lawns and partly covered with vines. HUBBARD
act out to make his shops attractive as anotner
means of contenting his workers., espeCiahy
the bows and girls of East Aurora. He dishked
TO sec the young people growing up restless az
home on the little. farms. Yet he dlsnked sun
more to hear that this one or that had lett Ior
the CITY. So, from the time of the hrst httle
Ishop with it's eight workers, Hubbard encouraged
and made possible artistic surroundings.
The power of suggestion was reverenced by
Hubbard. and it is everywhere employed TO keep
East Auroraites mindful of their possibilities.
Notices for every emergency and emotion are
found about the Roycroft buildings. Sucn
thoughtful sayings as THE Mintage of wisdom Is
TO know that rest is rust. and that real HE Is III
love, laughter and work. may be followed by a
more ironical warning as Your eyes ana your
ears inform you, not your tongue"
The final psychological factor in Hubpards
nroiect was that he took a vital interest IN
every phase of the work. He was always eager
70 experiment with new benefits for his Roy
%crofters. The shop gradually expanded from one
small room to a cluster of buildings. An Inn
had IN no huilt to take care of visitors. A panK