M_Boats: Poor man's roller furling... does it work?

Hi Everybody: I'm curious about something... has anybody ever used a jib downhaul to control their headsail on their boats? You know, where you tie a light line to the head of the jib abd run it through a small block at the stem of the boat. A pull from the cockpit is supposed to bring the jib down without having to send a crew forward. If you've ever tried it, does it work? It seems like a good idea, but if it worked, I'd imagine more folks would have their boats rigged that way, and it seems we never hear of anyone actually using a jib downhaul. I'd suppose you'd need halyards led to the cockpit as well. Just wondering! Best BG