Life-Changing Classics, Volume III

ELBERT HUBBARD

A MESSAGE TO

GARCIA

Life-Changing Classics, Volume IIIAMessage to Garcia

Published byTremendous Life Books

206 West Allen StreetMechanicsburg, PA 17055

717-766-9499 800-233-2665Fax: 717-766-6565

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Copyright © 2002 Executive BooksAll rights reserved.

Introduction by Jason LillerCover by David Bullock/Susquehanna Direct

Contents

Introduction 5Apologia 9A Message to Garcia 15About Elbert Hubbard 32

Introduction

Andrew Summers Rowan, the inspira-tion for this small masterpiece, carried

his famous message to Cuban insurgentleader Calixco Garcia y Ignigues duringAmerica’s war with Spain—and received thedistinguished service cross for his effort.

Born in 1857 in Monroe County,Virginia (now West Virginia), Rowan gradu-ated from West Point in 1881 and spent anumber of years with the U.S. ArmyInformation Bureau in Central America. Hewas still a lieutenant when he was calledupon to render service in Cuba.

Afterwards, he continued to serveduring the Philippine insurrection, held postsat several military bases in the U.S. andtaught military science and tactics at KansasState Agriculture College.

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AMessage to Garcia

Col. Andrew S. Rowan

Colonel Rowan retired in 1909 andspent the remainder of his years in SanFrancisco, where he died in 1943. The ser-vice that he offered his country was beyondreproach and a grateful nation offered itsrecognition. His greatest contribution, how-ever, was almost certainly the inspirationthat he unknowingly provided to ElbertHubbard who immortalized the story of hisdaring mission to Cuba in A Message toGarcia, for it is through this modest essaythat Colonal Rowan has influenced the livesof countless millions.

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Elbert Hubbard

Apologia

This literary trifle, A Message ToGarcia, was written one evening after

supper, in a single hour. It was on the 22ndof February, 1899, Washington's Birthday:we were just going to press with the MarchPhilistine.

The thing leaped hot from my heart,written after a trying day, when I had beenendeavoring to train some rather delinquentvillagers to abjure the comatose state and getradioactive.

The immediate suggestion, though,came from a little argument over the teacups,when my boy Bert suggested that Rowanwas the real hero of the Cuban War. Rowanhad gone alone and done the thing—carriedthe message to Garcia.

It came to me like a flash! Yes, theboy is right, the hero is the man who does his

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work—who carries the message to Garcia. Igot up from the table, and wrote A MessageTo Garcia. I thought so little of it that we ranit in the magazine without a heading. Theedition went out, and soon orders began tocome for extra copies of the MarchPhilistine, a dozen, fifty, a hundred, andwhen the American News Company ordereda thousand, I asked one of my helpers whicharticle it was that stirred up the cosmic dust."It's the stuff about Garcia," he said.

The next day a telegram came fromGeorge H. Daniels, of the New York CentralRailroad thus, "Give price on one hundredthousand Rowan article in pamphletform—Empire State Express advertisementon back—also how soon can ship."

I replied giving price, and stated wecould supply the pamphlets in two years.Our facilities were small and a hundredthousand booklets looked like an awfulundertaking.

The result was that I gave Mr.Daniels permission to reprint the article inhis own way. He issued it in booklet form in

AMessage to Garcia

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editions of half a million. Two or three ofthese half-million lots were sent out by Mr.Daniels, and in addition the article wasreprinted in over two hundred magazinesand newspapers. It has been translated intoall written languages.

At the time Mr. Daniels was distrib-uting A Message To Garcia, Prince Hilakoff,Director of Russian Railways, was in thiscountry. He was the guest of the New YorkCentral, and made a tour of the countryunder the personal direction of Mr. Daniels.The Prince saw the little book and was inter-ested in it, more because Mr. Daniels wasputting it out in big numbers, probably, thanotherwise. In any event, when he got homehe had the matter translated into Russian,and a copy of the booklet given to every rail-road employee in Russia.

Other countries then took it up, andfrom Russia it passed into Germany, France,Spain, Turkey, Hindustan and China. Duringthe war between Russia and Japan, everyRussian soldier who went to the front wasgiven a copy of A Message To Garcia. TheJapanese, finding the booklets in possession

Elbert Hubbard

11

of the Russian prisoners, concluded it mustbe a good thing, and accordingly translated itinto Japanese.

And on an order of the Mikado, acopy was given to every man in the employof the Japanese Government, soldier or civil-ian. Over forty million copies of A MessageTo Garcia have been printed. This is said tobe a larger circulation than any other literaryventure has ever attained during the lifetimeof an author, in all history—thanks to aseries of lucky accidents.

E.H.East Aurora,December 1, 1913

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AMessage to Garcia

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Words of Elbert Hubbard...

The best preparation for tomorrow’s work isto do your work as well as you can today.

* * * * * * *

If you work for a man,For God’s sake, work for him.

If he pays you your bread and butter,Think well of him, speak well of him.

* * * * * * *

Get your Happiness out of your work or youwill never know what Happiness is.

* * * * * * *

The mintage of wisdomIs to know that rest is rust,

And that REAL LIFEIs in love, laughter, and work.

* * * * * * *

Folks who never do any more than they getpaid for, never get paid for any more thanthey do.

The hero is the manwho forgets himselffor others.

— Soldier’sTestament

AMessage to Garcia

In all this Cuban business there is oneman stands out on the horizon of my

memory like Mars at perihelion.

When war broke out between Spainand the United States it was very necessaryto communicate quickly with the leader ofthe Insurgents. Garcia was somewhere in themountain vastness of Cuba—no one knewwhere. No mail nor telegraph message couldreach him. The President must secure hiscooperation, and quickly. What to do!

Someone said to the President,"There's a fellow by the name of Rowan willfind Garcia for you, if anybody can."

Rowan was sent for and given a let-ter to be delivered to Garcia. How "the fel-low by the name of Rowan" took the letter,sealed it up in an oil-skin pouch, strapped it

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AMessage to Garcia

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Duty

Those who preach duty andwhine about it are to be pitied because they

do not know that duty is borne oflove. Duty carries its own beatitude,its call is a fanfare of trumpets. So itis with the humblest of men in war,and so should mortal virtue be.

— Soldier’s Testament

over his heart, in four days landed by nightoff the coast of Cuba from an open boat, dis-appeared into the jungle, and in three weekscame out on the other side of the Island, hav-ing traversed a hostile country on foot, anddelivered his letter to Garcia—are things Ihave no special desire now to tell in detail.The point that I wish to make is this:McKinley gave Rowan a letter to be deliv-ered to Garcia; Rowan took the letter and didnot ask, "Where is he at?"

By the Eternal! there is a man whoseform should be cast in deathless bronze andthe statue placed in every college of the land.It is not book-learning young men need, norinstruction about this and that, but a stiffen-ing of the vertebrae which will cause them tobe loyal to a trust, to act promptly, concen-trate their energies: do the thing—"Carry amessage to Garcia!"

General Garcia is dead now, butthere are other Garcias. No man who hasendeavored to carry out an enterprise wheremany hands were needed, but has been well-nigh appalled at times by the imbecility of

Elbert Hubbard

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AMessage to Garcia

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The man who revelsin difficulties is theman who knows hecan surmount them.

— Soldier’sTestament

the average man—the inability or unwilling-ness to concentrate on a thing and do it.

Slipshod assistance, foolish inatten-tion, dowdy indifference, and half-heartedwork seem the rule; and no man succeeds,unless by hook or crook or threat he forcesor bribes other men to assist him; or mayhap,God in His goodness performs a miracle,and sends him anAngel of Light for an assis-tant.

You, reader, put this matter to a test:You are sitting now in your office—sixclerks are within call. Summon any one andmake this request: "Please look in the ency-clopedia and make a brief memorandum forme concerning the life of Correggio." Willthe clerk quietly say, "Yes, sir," and go do thetask?

On your life, he will not. He willlook at you out of a fishy eye and ask one ormore of the following questions:

Who was he?

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Elbert Hubbard

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AMessage to Garcia

The man who giveshimself wholly anddisinterestedly in acrisis need never beashamed of himself,even if he is mistaken.

— Soldier’sTestament

Which encyclopedia?

Where is the encyclopedia?

Was I hired for that?

Don't you mean Bismarck?

What's the matter with Charlie doing it?

Is he dead?

Is there any hurry?

Sha'n't I bring you the book and let you lookit up yourself?

What do you want to know for?

And I will lay you ten to one thatafter you have answered the questions, andexplained how to find the information, andwhy you want it, the clerk will go off and getone of the other clerks to help him try to findGarcia—and then come back and tell youthere is no such man. Of course I may losemy bet, but according to the Law ofAverage,

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Elbert Hubbard

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AMessage to Garcia

Audacity may seemfoolish to those whoshrink back, but it isthe only possiblecourse for those whoare capable of look-ing ahead.

— Soldier’sTestament

I will not.

Now, if you are wise, you will notbother to explain to your "assistant" thatCorreggio is indexed under the C's, not inthe K's, but you will smile very sweetly andsay, "Never mind," and go look it up your-self. And this incapacity for independentaction, this moral stupidity, this infirmity ofthe will, this unwillingness to cheerfullycatch hold and lift—these are the things thatput pure Socialism so far into the future. Ifmen will not act for themselves, what willthey do when the benefit of their effort is forall?

A first-mate with knotted club seemsnecessary; and the dread of getting "thebounce" Saturday night holds many a work-er to his place. Advertise for a stenographer,and nine out of ten who apply can neitherspell nor punctuate—and do not think it nec-essary to.

Can such a one write a letter toGarcia?

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Elbert Hubbard

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AMessage to Garcia

All men envycourage, eventhose who belittleit.

— Soldier’sTestament

"You see that bookkeeper," said theforeman to me in a large factory.

"Yes, what about him?"

"Well he's a fine accountant, but if I'dsend him up town on an errand, he mightaccomplish the errand all right, and on theother hand, might stop at four saloons on theway, and when he got to Main Street wouldforget what he had been sent for." Can sucha man be entrusted to carry a message toGarcia?

We have recently been hearing muchmaudlin sympathy expressed for the "down-trodden denizens of the sweat-shop" and the"homeless wanderer searching for honestemployment," and with it all often go manyhard words for the men in power.

Nothing is said about the employerwho grows old before his time in a vainattempt to get frowsy ne'er-do-wells to dointelligent work; and his long, patient striv-ing after "help" that does nothing but loafwhen his back is turned.

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Elbert Hubbard

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AMessage to Garcia

Impartiality is only avirtue in small men. Inmen of greater statureit is a weakness and avice. It means thatthey lack the capacityto support the rigorsof a high destiny.

— Soldier’sTestament

In every store and factory there is aconstant weeding-out process going on. Theemployer is constantly sending away "help"that have shown their incapacity to furtherthe interests of the business, and others arebeing taken on. No matter how good timesare, this sorting continues: only, if times arehard and work is scarce, the sorting is donefiner—but out and forever out the incompe-tent and unworthy go. It is the survival of thefittest. Self-interest prompts every employerto keep the best—those who can carry amessage to Garcia.

I know one man of really brilliantparts who has not the ability to manage abusiness of his own, and yet who is absolute-ly worthless to any one else, because he car-ries with him constantly the insane suspicionthat his employer is oppressing, or intendingto oppress, him. He cannot give orders; andhe will not receive them. Should a messagebe given him to take to Garcia, his answerwould probably be, "Take it yourself!"

Tonight this man walks the streetslooking for work, the wind whistling

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Elbert Hubbard

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AMessage to Garcia

The brave man’sbody is never tooexhausted to respondto his demands uponit. It always has a lastreserve.

— Soldier’sTestament

through his threadbare coat. No one whoknows him dare employ him, for he is a reg-ular firebrand of discontent. He is impervi-ous to reason, and the only thing that canimpress him is the toe of a thick-soledNumber Nine boot.

Of course I know that one so moral-ly deformed is no less to be pitied than aphysical cripple; but in our pitying, let usdrop a tear, too, for the men who are strivingto carry on a great enterprise, whose work-ing hours are not limited by the whistle, andwhose hair is fast turning white through thestruggle to hold in line dowdy indifference,slipshod imbecility, and the heartless ingrat-itude which, but for their enterprise, wouldbe both hungry and homeless.

Have I put the matter too strongly?Possibly I have; but when all the world hasgone a-slumming I wish to speak a word ofsympathy for the man who succeeds—theman who, against great odds, has directedthe efforts of others, and having succeeded,finds there's nothing in it: nothing but bareboard and clothes. I have carried a dinner

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Elbert Hubbard

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AMessage to Garcia

It is our duty to judge ourselvesmore severely than men judge us.

Whatever men say of you,whatever they do to you,

always remain serene and unangered.Seen in the quiet mind,

those words which fly so wildlywill only bear their just weight.Evil hours should be passedin the silence of Gethsemane.

Turn your eyes upon Me and do not fretabout the judgments of the world,

for your peace of mindis not at the mercy of the tongues of men.

Whatever they may think of you,you can be nothing but what you are,

and where can abide peace, truth and gloryif not in Me?

— Soldier’s Testament

pail and worked for day's wages, and I havealso been an employer of labor, and I knowthere is something to be said on both sides.

There is no excellence, per se, inpoverty; rags are no recommendation; andall employers are not rapacious and high-handed, any more than all poor men are vir-tuous. My heart goes out to the man whodoes his work when the "boss" is away, aswell as when he is at home. And the manwho, when given a letter for Garcia, quietlytakes the missive, without asking any idioticquestions, and with no lurking intention ofchucking it into the nearest sewer, or ofdoing aught else but deliver it, never gets"laid off" nor has to go on a strike for higherwages.

Civilization is one long anxioussearch for just such individuals. Anythingsuch a man asks shall be granted. He is want-ed in every city, town and village—in everyoffice, shop, store and factory. The worldcries out for such: he is needed and neededbadly—the man who can "Carry a Messageto Garcia."

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Elbert Hubbard

About Elbert Hubbard

Elbert Hubbard was bornin 1859 in Bloomington,

Illinois, and never receivedmore than a grade-school edu-cation. A self-made man inmany respects, Hubbard filledin the gaps in his knowledgethrough voracious reading, apassion which became mani-

fest in the founding of the Roycroft Shop, a pub-lishing house specializing in deluxe bindings.He wrote a series of 182 biographies under theseries title Little Journeys to Homes of the Greatand also published two magazines, ThePhilistine and The Fra, producing much of thecontent himself.

Elbert Hubbard and his wife, Alice, weretraveling to England on the Lusitania and wentdown with the ship when it was struck by aGerman torpedo on May 7th, 1915.

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Life-Changing Classics, Volume III

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A Message to Garcia has carried its simplemessage of hard work, integrity and depend-ability to readers around the world for over100 years. One of the keystones of Americanself-improvement literature, this short celebra-tion of the diligence and loyalty shown by oneman is truly a life-changing classic thatdemands to be read again and again.

A MESSAGE TO

GARCIA