an
essay written by
American editor, publisher and author, Elbert
Hubbard (1856-1915). It tells the story of a
man named
Rowan who, during the Spanish-
American War (1898), was asked by the
president of the United
States to
deliver a
message to the Cuban rebel
leader,
Garcia, in
Cuba. No one knew where
Garcia was, but
Rowan, asking no questions, went to
Cuba, disappeared into the jungle and came out three weeks later, "
having traversed a hostile country on foot, and delivered his letter to
Garcia." Originally published in 1899 in one of
Hubbard's
magazines, the
essay became enormously popular among businessmen, who distributed copies to their employees to provide
inspiration, and it was said to have sold over 40