Plainfield High School - Hermiad Yearbook (Central Village, CT)

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THE HERMIAD 9 FROM IMMIGRANT TO INVENTOR Uames Fanning--1 9291 T has been said that a biography is the best thing in literature. This is especially true of an autobiography because the writer can portray his own thoughts and ideas as no one else can. Michael Pupin's autobiog- raphy, From Immigrant to Inventor, is an excellent autobiography. It gives us a good idea of the thoughts of a man who set out to solve the prob- lems of natural phenomena, and succeeded. As a boy in a tiny Serbian village, Michael Pupin began to wonder at the things around him. What is light? he asked himself. This was one of his first problems and one which he has not answered to his own satisfaction even yet. The boys of the village, while watching the cows at night, signalled to each other by tapping the handles of knives stuck in the ground. Hard ground carried the sound better than soft groundg why? He found the answer many years later during his experiments with electricity. Michael soon outlearned the village school and went to a high school in a neighboring town.. There he learned what lightning was and upon his return home announced that lightning was an electrical spark and nothing else. His father arose in great indignation and denounced the heretic who daredto say that lightning was not sparks struck by the hoofs of the horses as the phophet Elias drove across the sky. The old man was pacified by his wife but Michael's thirst for knowledge was not at all lessened. He soon left high school and went to study in Budapest. He had heard of that wonderful land called America and of Benjamin Franklin and Abraham Lincoln who had lived there. Having become involved in political squabbles he decided to go to America where there was no tyranny by cruel nobles. Serbia was at that time ruled by Austria and Pupin hated all Germans and Austrians for many years after that. After nearly freezing on the journey across the Atlantic Michael finally arrived at New York with one American nickle as his entire fortune. He spent this on a piece of prune pie which he says contained more stones than prunes. If I had had five hundred dollars, he says, I should have been duped out of it in the same way because I was 'green'. He was hired the next day by a farmer and went to work with a somewhat unsatisfactory idea of America. At the farm he began to learn to speak English and at the end of a few months was able to speak it quite well. He soon left the farm and returned to the city where he met a Dutch boy of about his own age. Michael offered to paint the cart of a miserly baker for five dollars and board while doing the job. The baker was glad to get such cheap labor and quickly agreed. He did the job and left the baker's house with his five dollars and a pie for good measure. The paint washed off the Hrst time the cart was out in the rain because the painter had includedno drier. He did the job

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8 THE HERMIAD The next day the teacher returned the corrected papers, saying as she did so: I was very much disappointed in these papers, for I find that there are only three one-hundreds in the whole class of more than thirty. The three who find a one-hundred mark on their papers may come to the front of the room. . The two girls and Eddie made their way to the front of the room, the former laughing, and the latter self-conscious and ashamed. I find, continued the teacher, that there is a similarity beween these three papers that is not only evident but very conspicuous, and in view of the fact that Mr. Chapman overheard a little conversation between you three, I have entered two zeroes and only one one-hundred in my rank book. Eddie, I have not altered your mark but remember, you are too good a student to bother with girls who are low enough to cheat. Girls, I am ashamed of you ! she said. The three slowly made their way back to their seats, this time, two with their heads bowed in shame, and one who bore the look of a person who has learned a great lesson. The little girl received a mark of 98, and was exceedingly proud, for the work was her own. Eddie was obliged to stand in front of the room with the little girl, and receive congratulations-they were the smartest pupils in the class! Let me add, also, that Eddie did not lack dances at the reception for he had suddenly become a great hero in the eyes of one little girl who danced fully as well, if not better, than the two cheats. iff? A LAMENT 1Edward Bellavanee-1 9305 Why are you sad, my little man? Why do you feel so blue? I had a test, the young man said And I flunked the same as you. That is too bad, my little man, What will your father say? I do not know, the young man said, But, I'm sure l'll rue the day.

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io ri-use asaunw again for the same amount but received no pie that time. All that winter was spent in shovelling coal and painting cellars. In the spring he went onto another farm. The farmer was a deeply religious man and tried to persuade Michael to join his church. Michael, however, remained true to the Orthodox Church and early one morning left the farm without giving notice. He sat under a tree near the entrance of a college and while watching the students go to class he resolved that he, too, would enter college at the iirst opportunity. His next work was as an assistant to an engineer in a factory. The engineer was a true philosopher and gave his helper many bits of advice which were of great help to him. He was promoted to a place in the shipping room and studied nights to obtain the knowledge of Greek and Latin neces- sary for entrance to college. His main object was to pass the examinations so that he would obtain free tuition. After much hard work the examination was passed successfully and he prepared to enter Columbia. Michael had, from his farm life, developed strong muscles and these helped him to gain esteem among his fellow students by winning the Fresh- man-Sophomore lemon rush and by gaining a place on the rowing team. He quickly gained fame in the college for his proficiency in mathematics and took a position as coach for students who were not good in that subject. At the time of graduation he received a scholarship to any other college which he might choose. The English colleges were best equipped at that time for electrical study so Pupin went to England, first, however, returning to his native village to see his mother. For some time he stayed in England delving deep into the nature of electricity. He soon saw that the German laboratories were best fitted for the investigations which he wished to conduct and so, overcoming his hatred for Germans, he went there and entered the laboratory of the great Von Helm- holtz. Helmholtz explained to him many puzzling problems and when he finally left Germany his hatred for that nation had disappeared. After another visit to his home he returned to America, at last convinced that he should become a permanent citizen of that country. He then set to work in earnest and discovered new processes of great help to the world. Studies into the nature of electricity were topped when Pupin heard of the discovery of X-rays. He set to work on this subject and discovered the method of X-my photography now used all over the world. Electrical tuning, without which radio selectivity would be impossible, was another of his great discoveries, made before radio was ever thought of, Michael Pupin is now a professor in Columbia University and has gained world renown for his explanations of electrical phenomena. His mother died many years ago but he says that without her help during his childhood he would not now be the great thinker which he is.