Iron History

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09/18/2008 Entry: "9/19/2008: Letter from Charles A. Smith to Joe Roark- Nov 3, 1987 Conclusion."

Letter from Charles A. Smith to Joe Roark- Nov 3, 1987 conclusion.

It may be that brother Louis [Weider] did die in the manner Joe told. But I don�t think so. On the other hand, one can understand Joe�s reluctance to talk about it- of course take into consideration how things as congenital deformities and such were looked on in those days. But what strikes me as very strange is that not once, during the eight years I worked for him, did ANY of the Weiders talk about any brother than �Ben� or �Joe�.

Getting back to the class distinction in England. The following may seem absolutely beyond American understanding, but happen it did. I graduated from high school when I was fourteen. I should have gone into a prep school for a University, but my parents were working class and there was no dough. So I took myself to night school and had courses in shorthand and typing�Pitman�s shorthand, now a thing of the past. I got very very good. Look at my typing now!

At sixteen, I applied for a job at the Midland Bank as a clerical worker. Not only was I a hot shot at shorthand and typing, but I could also speak French and a little German. I went before the staff manager, a bloke whose name I will always remember, a Mr. Dawkes.

He looked at my school learning certificate and beamed. He asked me what I could do. I told him about the shorthand and typing. He exclaimed, �Remarkable or a BOY of 16�. He sat medown, dictated a short letter, asked me to type it out and beamed again when I had finished. I then told him I spoke French. So he calls some guy into his office and says, �Speak French�. I did, a short conversation with the bloke, who remarks to Dawkes I�m the real McCoy. Dawkes beams again and says, �We have a bright future for a lad like you� or words to this effect. Then we get down to the nitty gritty. Where was I born? I say Bermondsey- a dock side district. A slight frown clouds the brow of Dawkes. He then asks me what my father did for a living, and instead of me lying and saying �Sanitary Engineer�, I say �DUSTMAN� or as we call the job here GARBAGE COLLECTOR. That was it. �Sorry�, says Dawkes, �the other clerks wouldn�t hear of a lad whose father was a dustman becoming a CLERK. All we can offer you is a job as a messenger�. I huffed and puffed, being a rebel even then. My old man made me take the job. Fathers did such things in those days and would not take NAY for an answer. There I would have stayed for the rest of my life, no promotion, doing the most menial jobs heaved at me from arse wiping to getting cups of teas for those too lazy to get up off their chairs to do their own job.

At one time I was even called into the staff office and told I was �dressing above my station. When I told them that what I spent my hard earned money on was my own business, I was at once shoved onto running an elevator. I can�t help thinking how many bright young minds were thrown away like that. That�s why I got out of England. Six years combat duty and all I would come back to was the same old shit. Not for me.

Brother XXX sent me a copy of his book�and asked me to tell what I thought of it�It was the same old stuff� The Subtle Technique. This is putting washers on the bar- washers weighing a few ounces, rather than plates, the least of which scales 1-1/4.

I hollered at him for this, among many other things, including very hazy descriptions of how to do various exercises- telling him it has been used in the London lifting clubs in the 20�s and 30�s, that Ron Walker used it when training for the press- he was a poor presser. He, XXX, demurs, saying it WAS new. Finally after quoting many quotes and instances etc etc, he finally admits to me�I have his letter�that he got the idea of a 1960 IRON MAN where the Honest Nebraskan also called it the SUBTLE TECHNIQUE, a technique that is about as subtle as a falling piledriver.

XXX is most irked at me hauling his book over the white hot Smythian criticism and says if it wasn�t for the fact that he was my friend- he wouldn�t be my friend any more- sort that one out if you can. Much like Sam Goldwyn�s lyric, �A verbal agreement ain�t worth the paper it is printed on. Or his �Include me out�.

There has been a thudding silence from Brother Balik where he used to phone me at least once monthly. He is supposed to go monthly in March- his mag and not any sort of menstrual climacteric.

Jowett is not to be believed. Inspring he was, but truthful he wasn�t. He told Ottley some wild story of going to England in the 1960�s and being introduced to the Queen who complimented him on the books he had written of meeting Lords and Earls who sang hosannas to his literary accomplishments. You should read some of his letters to Ottley. Weird.

There was a time when HEALTH AND STRENGTH was published every week. In those days it had a black red and white cover. You should also remember that it was a PHYSICAL CULTURE journal as opposed to the totally lifting mags of today.

Better close for now Joe. Have a good time in Florida. Regards to the family and power to Meg�s academic pen,
Chas.