Recently in a Roycroft Campus docent class we had an interesting discussion about A Message to Garcia. This little missive printed in the March 1899 issue of the Philistine is what brought Elbert Hubbard the most publicity and celebrity per word of all his writings and remains one of the most published pieces in all literature.
Our class discussion centered around examples of A Message to Garcia remaining relevant to people today and finding our own Lieutenant Rowan(s) in a recent news story. First, one person had shared the "Message” with her boss who found it so inspiring that he copied it to the entire company. The same individual later in the week was at a job fair recruiting employees and met a soldier recently returned from Iraq. Since A Message to Garcia is based upon a military story she asked if he had ever heard of it. He said the army issues it to every soldier and he had a copy with him while in Iraq and knew it well.
And then there was the "Message" brought to life. That week in the local news was the story of a father and son rescuing two men capsized in the icy Niagara River. The father and son had seen the accident from their house while having breakfast and ran outdoors without shoes, dashing across backyards while keeping an eye on the victims. They came to a yard with a boat and asked the owner - standing there - if he would help them get it to the end of his dock. He asked no questions and simply helped, and the father and son rowed out and brought the two victims back to shore safely. Here we had 3 "Lieutenant Rowans" in action, asking no questions, doing what needed being done, all elements of A Message to Garcia.
We talked about whether we would consider ourselves a “Lieutenant Rowan” - personal pride often finds one identifying with the main character - or would we ask a lot of unnecessary questions, delaying our action? It is something worth considering. Are you an impediment or a facilitator? Yes, Elbert Hubbard’s report is right at home in the world of today’s business lingo. No wonder it is still published and used as an inspirational piece for the United States military. The "Message" is timeless.
What connections does A Message to Garcia have to your life? If you have never read it you can purchase your own copy at the RCC website or at the Copper Shop (31 South Grove Street, East Aurora, NY). There are several versions of the article for sale, including a printed copy of Elbert's original hand written manuscript in a wax sealed folio that was printed and assembled on the Roycroft Campus.
- Sue
We now have a copy of the 1936 movie A Message to Garcia. This movie is based on the booklet that made Elbert Hubbard and the Roycrofters famous. Therefore.....
