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AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A PERSON
WHO INSISTED ON WRITING ONE
(Florida)
Translated from Spanish to English.
PREFACE
I wish, before anything else, to solicit of my dear readers, that they
dispense me the most cordial benevolence, since they will not have the
pleasure of reading the copy sheets of an upright literary man, but those
composed by a humble worker, who by force of sacrifices, has been able
moderately to take a little instruction, so that in this manner be able to
distinguish the world and its consequences.
My name is that of Gerardo Cortina Pinera. I was born in the City of
Havana, the second day of January of the year 1912, reasons for which you
will be able to calculate that I have at present the short age of 23 years
in the world of the living. An age which will seem short in order to
consider a person with the sufficient experience to judge the different
worldly problems; an opinion on which I differ as I believe that the world
and its consequences are the principal factors which gives to man the
experience of living.
I am the son of honorable and laborious Spaniards. My father's name was
Juan Antonio Cortina. He dedicated himself laboriously to the commerce of
grocery stores in Cuban lands, place in which he founded and procreated a
poor but honest family. He was a man of means, and for this reason our
home lacked nothing. The name of my mother was Sofia Pinera y Garcia, also
of Spanish nationality. Prosperity and happiness inhabited this my poor
home as was told to me by elders of the family, while my beloved father
had life. But unhappily, death knocked at the doors of my home, and the
head of the family went to render tribute to the mother earth. My father
did not leave much worldly treasures in the year of 1918. Four years after
the death of my father, my poor mother died, leaving in the world five
children without worldly treasures.
The older of my brothers were adopted by sisters and cousins of my mother,
and to them is attributed the affection and the compliance which to sons
is dispensed. As I was the smallest of all my relatives placed me in the
worth "Granja Dr. Manuel Delfin," place in which I followed a course of
five years' study as pupil. My teacher was Mr. Manuel Arteaga, a religious
man consecrated to the Catholic order, and due to his unwearied
persuasion, it is the reason why in the present days the small knowledge
of knowing how to place my name. In the year 1923 I left the training
school due to economical reasons and commenced learning the trade of
line-maker at the printing company of "La Habanera," house situated on the
street of Mercaderes No. 28, in the City of Havana.
For reasons that the second one of my brothers was the second operator of
my department, I was able advantageously to learn my trade in the period
of four years. It should be recorded that in order to realize this, I
found myself in the necessity of presenting documents, which testified
that I had 16 years in 1923, so that in this manner avoid that the
Secretary of Work of the Republic of Cuba should hinder my apprenticeship.
After graduating as operator in the year 1927, I worked at the house until
the month of February in the year 1928, and on the 7th day of May of the
same year, I took the ship CUBA, which brought me to this hospitable
American land, to the city of Tampa.
Upon my arrival in Tampa, I started working as waiter in a cafe, which
found itself situated in 2102,14th street. At the same time I acquired
friends, and these advised me to dedicate myself to reading at the
factories, and in this manner it was another field experimented. Months
later I went to occupy a place as Reader at the factory of Gradiaz Annis &
Co., but never leaving positive position, since the hours of reading
allowed me to render another work.
In the year 1931 I contracted nuptials
with a daughter of this city of Tampa. Her name is Esther Gomis, belonging
to a respectable and esteemed family of the Tampa society. Toward the end
of the same year 31, the terrible symptoms of the sickness of
"unemployment" commenced to sprinkle me, and for this reason I lost the
employment which I held in said cafe. I was left alone, depending upon a
small salary which I had as Reader of the small workshop of Arange &
Arange, amount which was not sufficient to purchase bread and butter. But
to increase the misfortune, the sickness of "unemployment" was nearing me
with gigantic steps, to such an extreme that two weeks later, the "lovers"
of the city of Tampa, the Mr. manufacturers, agreed at a joint meeting of
their association, to abolish the readings in the workshops because they
considered this pernicious.
The distinguished "lovers" of Tampa presented the excuse that in the
tribunes of the respective cigar factories, reading was made of radical
works, and Communistic newspapers, without knowing that such books and
dailys were subject to the strict censorship of the American government.
It is, therefore, demonstrated that, with the occurence of the
"censorship", the Mr. Manufacturers, were wanting of the truth, as to my
thinking, and it is very humble, but gifted with the sincerity that
characterizes a Christian, as I believe that if the government of the
United States permits such foreign works in this country subject to the
postal franchise, and for a greater democracy, consents also that
newspapers be edited with communistic principles. There is no reason why
manufacturers of foreign origin should restrain the democracy given by
this sovereign country that reading is given to literature that pleases
the people, always and whenever it conforms with the laws of censorship.
I the Mr. manufacturer had no other reason than the one given, which I do
not believe, as I esteem that they presented unfounded reasonings, or
wickedly inclined, and on taking such measures of abolishing the readings,
they threw on the streets more than 40 fathers of family, and converted
them as Federal government charges. I believe that they made a double
evil, since they did not pay the aforesaid readings in the workshops, as
it was the working cigar-maker who sacrificed his earnings to sustain what
they qualified as the bread of instruction.
By means of these tribunes, the working cigar-maker received great and
advantageous teachings which permitted them to increase their cultural
knowledge; and would have permitted them to penetrate clearly the
government plan of the President of this great American nation, who at
first, on directing himself to the workers of his country, asked them
highly that they should group themselves in institutions so that in this
manner they should help in his plan of helping the workers.
As it will be well understood who reads me, the Mr. Manufacturers
abolished the readings for some obscure reason, which they cannot sustain
on
[Missing Page]
of Sofia, so that in this manner, remember in my little daughter my lost
mother.
In the same year of 1932 I went to form part of that great conglomeration
of unemployed who belonged to the offices of the National Emergency
Council, known as the offices of the Relief. Although I realized prowess
to see if I could provide myself with a stable position in any place, and
in anything, all my realized efforts resulted sterile to obtain my
purpose. Meditating greatly what would result to the world, if it
continues through the taken trail, I passed in spiritual meditation, the
rest of this year 1932.
Another year had passed over the inhabitants of the planet, and we found
ourselves already in the year 1933. Sad year for me, since it was in this
year, and on the date always marked on April 2, in which the angel of my
home disappeared from this world. The death of my daughter planted
uneasiness and restlessness in my home, and yet forgetting that Christian
faith which asks resignation of man before the purpose of the Divine
Father, the afflicted hearts of all the family is the hour which
unfortunately has not been able to find such a balm of consolation.
After the second anniversary of the death of my little daughter, I
continued occupying my place in the line of the immense conglomeration of
unemployed, in hope probably that the spirits of men, badly treated by the
present social developments, they should [revest?] themselves of
sufficient force so that in this manner they will find themselves ready to
defend with the required energy, the right that every man has of
benefitting of that which the earth produces.
It is to be lamented that human beings have persisted in making of man a
slave of man. This is to be lamented became Christ said through his
apostles that man is made to benefit of that which the world produces but
not that men should make a slave of him.
In this governmental system, so inappropriate, man finds himself relegated
worse than the beasts, since these fortunately eat daily, while man
encounters great want of tranquility to obtain a piece of bread to give to
his small children, and give thanks it can be obtained. But a day will
arrive, said Christ, in which those who ask for justice will be attended
to, and such a thing I presume will not be delayed.
I must advise that if in these moments I force my mind to realize this
mission, I do not do it solely to satisfy a spiritual expansion, but to
carry out the petition that my dear and special friend, John Ferlita,
chief of the Sociological Study of the department of Federal Relief, who
approached me so that I would write my humble opinion of the evolutionary
state of this town and the whys of its actual conditions.
Text from: Library of
Congress, Manuscript Division, WPA Federal Writers' Project Collection
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