A Message to Garcia and doing a job well, one that makes a difference!

This week as the old adage goes “things come around full circle,” and they did!  The Neighbors for Historic Eaton were formed way back in 1995 for our Bicentennial and the piece of literature that I tried to use as a stimulus was a simple short essay written in the late 1800’s by a man named Elbert Hubbard called “A Message to Garcia”.

The message was a simple one, …one man can do a job well and make a huge difference.

Everyone thought that trying to get a museum and historical society and Bicentennial together was basically impossible…yet it I felt it could be done if everyone did their one job.

The reality is that this is a thought that I have used over  the years continually, and especially during the Madison County Fair…I did not ask people to do a hundred jobs..just one, and do it well.

To those who don’t remember…A Message to Garcia was a short magazine filler article by Hubbard that reflected a true story of the Spanish American War.  The message was from our then President McKinley to Calixco Garcia who was a Cuban revolutionist and a leader in the Cuban insurrection against Spain, a man in change of rebels in the Cuban Hills.  McKinley sent the battleship Maine..which was later sunk..(Remember the Maine”), to remind Spain of the United States investment in Cuba.  McKinley needed the help of the rebels to force the Spanish out of Cuba….. from the essay..

“Rowan was sent for and given a letter (by McKinley) to be delivered to Garcia. How the “fellow by the name of Rowan” took the letter, sealed 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 a hostile country on foot, and delivered his letter to Garcia—are things I have no special desire now to tell in detail. The point I wish to make is this: McKinley gave Rowan a letter to be delivered to Garcia; Rowan took the letter and did not ask, “Where is he at?” By the Eternal! there is a man whose form should be cast in deathless bronze and the statue placed in every college of the land. It is not book-learning young men need, nor instruction about this and that, but a stiffening of the vertebrae which will cause them to be loyal to a trust, to act promptly, concentrate their energies: do the thing—“Carry a message to Garcia.”

This 1,500 word essay took the world by storm and today it is used by people as inspirational words, motivational works and anything else that fits.  It is basically like the Shaker saying “Do everything as if you have 100 years to live and yet you will die tomorrow.” 

When we started the “Neighbors” I told everyone including influential people we were trying to recruit for help with our projects..which included getting a small business for Eaton. the story of Roycrofters and the success of that small business in a little place called East Aurora, NY. 

The question always came back..”Well then if it was successful, what happened?”  I reply, “Elbert Hubbard went down on the Lusitannia!”

So this week Bob brought me copies of Elbert Hubbard’s book set called “Little Journeys” and I grabbed them and brought them to the museum where they will be on display…the reason..the books are filled with Hubbard’s short stories of famous people who have been a success and who have made a difference in this world with their art, literature, intellectualism and yes ….in their singular purpose of doing the job at hand to the best of their ability - like Rowan did in bringing “the message to Garcia”.

This is a trailer for a PBS series on Hubbard and the Arts and Crafts movement.

Father's Day reminds me of the Peacocks of Eaton

Well yesterday was Father’s Day and I really felt lonely and alone more than usual.  I was actually outside chopping up my 3-ton tree that was removed from my roof this week…Thank You Bartlett Tree…

The fact is, I love to chainsaw and love to split wood. Though using the axe..wedges..plural..and wood maul to bust them was a bit of a challenge considering the size and wet weight of the thing…..

I like to think that “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’, as dad taught me a lot of what I know and helped me in my many projects even working with me when I was doing contracting in the Syracuse area.

The fact is dad always said if you can read you can do almost anything…and over the years that has proved to be true.  From photography to electricity and farther beyond to house jacking and car repair…we did it all together…and now I do it alone.

Dad served in the Regular Army, National Guard, and Reserve for well over 30 years and was a leader.  My most treasured remembrance of that is my autographed picture of Patton that hangs in my office that Dad was given…by Patton.  In the Army he was truly in everything, Engineers, Tanks, Infantry, Signal Corp….

He also loved to travel which is probably where I get my wanderlust from…can’t stand to be stuck here in old Eaton without getting out and about…

When I came to Eaton in 1984 Dad came down to help install the electricity to the house (house had no’s...no water...no electricity…..many no walls...no floors…you name it and it didn’t have it.)

At that point the old restaurant in Eaton had the only pay phone in town, though the restaurant itself was just a burned out shell. So the night he stayed over in “camping conditions” in the dark, we walked to the phone to call my mother.  Since Dad had been in charge of removing explosives on bridges before  tanks crossed with Patton, you can imagine how calm a guy he was…nerves of steel…until that night!

As the phone connected him to mom in the dark quiet of Eaton we heard a horrific noise...an indescribable bunch of shrieks...he jumped and exclaimed what the h..ll was that! 

I had failed to tell him that the old “Applegate” like mansion on the hill, across the street, had peacocks roaming around…and what a God awful noise they did make! 

A Close Encounter with the Battle Hymn of the Republic and a tree

Well this week I had a “close encounter” with The Battle Hymn of the Republic.  I understand that this sounds strange but there is no other way to describe it. 

Dinner party this week ended in a discussion about the Civil War..involvement of the people of the area…and the Secret Six.  Of course everyone knows about Gerrit Smith and his membership in the Secret Six, but very few actually could name the other five members.., - Thomas Wentworth  Higginson, , Theodore Parker,  George Luther Stearns, Franklin Sanborn, and Samuel Gridley Howe.  Another interesting revelation was that Julia Ward Howe the poet and writer who penned the Battle Hymn of the republic was Samuel Gridley Howe’s wife.

The Battle Hymn was certainly the most memorable song to come out of the Civil War with Lorena, and Johnny Comes Marching Home …but little else was known about it.

So as usual I gave them a run down of its history….The song was written after a ride outside of Washington DC during the Civil War…But lets let  Mrs. Howe tell it in her own words:

"One day we drove out to attend a review of troops,

 appointed to take place at some distance from the city.

 In the carriage with me were James Freeman Clarke

 and Mr. and Mrs. Whipple.

The day was fine, and everything promised well,

but a sudden surprise on the part of the enemy

interrupted the proceedings before they were well

begun. A small body of our men had been sur-

rounded and cut off from their companions, re-

enforcements were sent to their assistance, and

the expected pageant was necessarily given up.

The troops who were to have taken part in it were

ordered back to their quarters, and we also turned

our horses' heads homeward.

"For a long distance the foot soldiers nearly

filled the road. They were before and behind,

and we were obliged to drive very slowly. We

presently began to sing some of the well-known

songs of the war, and among them:

'John Brown's body lies a-moldering in the grave.'.

This seemed to please the soldiers, who cried,

'Good for you,' and themselves took up the strain.

Mr. Clarke said to me, 'You ought to write some

new words to that tune.' I replied that I had

often wished to do so.

"In spite of the excitement of the day I went to

bed and slept as usual, but awoke next morning in

the gray of the early dawn, and to my astonish-

ment found that the wished-for lines were ar-

ranging themselves in my brain. I lay quite still

until the last verse had completed itself in my

thoughts, then hastily arose, saying to myself, ' I

shall lose this if I don't write it down immediately.'

I searched for a sheet of paper and an old stump

of a pen which I had had the night before and

began to scrawl the lines almost without looking,

as I had learned to do by often scratching down

verses in the darkened room where my little chil-

dren were sleeping. Having completed this, I

lay down again and fell asleep, but not without

feeling that something of importance had hap-

pened to me."

THE song it is said made Abe Lincoln weep when he heard it and became his favorite...I told everyone this and after they left Back Street Barb Keough stayed on a bit and I so got out the computer and the guitar and we sung the verses as Mrs. Howe had written them.

Before Barb left I told her a story I loved…it goes that at one time Lincoln was at the theater and they were playing the “Battle Hymn” and it made Lincoln look up just in time to see the chandelier swinging and about to fall…he yelled for people to get out of the way…saving the day…Barb smiled and walked out to her car and left.

I thought to myself…hmm.. so I looked at the computer and found that Julia was born on May 27^th which was a couple of days earlier..serendipity I thought..

Just then the huge maple tree next to my house collapsed on to the roof and also the  driveway where Barb had been 2 minutes earlier….

Strange I thought…..perhaps the Battle Hymn had struck a cord with the powers to be…..I wonder!...Hmmm

Listen and view and see if the song does not give you a shiver when you hear it!

*****

Oh yes..Gerrit Smith is credited with signing the Bail Bond for Jefferson Davis at the end of the Civil War..but Jefferson Davis was a member of the Mason Congressional Committee investigating the Raid at Harper's Ferry and the involvement of the Secret Six...when Smith went into the insane hospital after bank drafts with his name were found in John Brown's belongings.. Jefferson Davis and the committee did not persue Smith..the other members ran for fear of indictment.. with one exception...Higginson...a brave man.

As for Smith..I believe the Bail Bond was....."Quid Pro Quo"