vila and her honey-hearted mother. They were my American mother and sister. One of my fellow-passengers pointed out Trenton to me and assured me that the boat was passing over the spot where Washington had crossed the Delaware. My appearance attracted no attention, neither on the boat nor at Philadelphia after we landed. My hat and clothes were American, but my heavy top-boots, so useful on the farm, were somewhat too heavy for the warm June days in Philadelphia. The Swiss foreman directed me to an acquaintance of his who had a small hotel in Philadelphia. He was very eager to have me take all my meals at the hotel, but my total capital of ten dollars made me cautious; besides, my days from early morning till late at night were spent in the heart of the city. No human being ever saw so much of Philadelphia during a stay of five days as I did, hunting for a job, searching new opportunities, as Vila's mother expressed it. But I searched in vain. I gained new information about William Penn and Benjamin Franklin and saw many buildings the history of which is attached to these two great names, and I wondered why Benjamin Franklin ever deserted Boston to search new opportunities in a place like Philadelphia. But he did and succeeded. I was sure that neither he nor any other human being could walk more nor pursue a job more diligently than I did, but then he was an American boy and he had a trade, and I was a Serbian greenhorn who did not know anything in particular, except to drive a pair of mules. Besides, thought I, Philadelphia might have lost its wealth of opportunities since Franklin's days. Such was my consolation while resting on a bench in Fairmount Park, near the grounds which were being prepared for the Centennial Exposition of 1876. I was lunching on a chunk of bread and thinking what would happen when my last three dollars disappeared. A husky farmer approached me and, addressing me in English, asked whether I wanted a job. "I do," said I; "I have been looking for one nearly a week, and I can't hunt much longer, because I see that my weary farm-boots are showing many signs of distress in their long daily struggles against these hot Philadelphia pavements." A day later found me in southern Maryland. I was engaged to drive a pair of mules, dragging cultivators through corn and tobacco fields. As far as skill and physical exertion were concerned, the job was easy. But the climate was deadly, and social life was even more so. The only interesting people whom I found there were those buried in the old cemetery, some two hundred years prior to that time, when South St. Mary was an important place. The only diversion I found was to read the legends on the tombstones in the old cemetery near the village church. The flourishing corn and tobacco fields suggested prosperity, but the only people who stirred and showed any activity were darkies, whose language I could not understand. I felt that as far as human speech was concerned, I was in a valley of silence, although the air was full of sounds from all kinds of insects and water-animals. Mosquitoes, gnats, and flies, and the oppressive heat of the sun made work in the fields unbearable. Many a time while driving the mules through the broiling atmosphere of the tobacco-fields I thought of the icy blasts of the North Atlantic which I had experienced on the immigrant ship less than three months before that time, and I prayed that one of those icy breaths of the polar regions might wander astray and reach the flatlands of Chesapeake Bay. My prayer was not heard, and I was happy to be still alive at the end of the month; then I took my wages of fifteen dollars and made a bee-line for the North. I hoped that in New York I might be able to catch some of the cold North Atlantic breezes and, after cooling off, pick up one of the many opportunities in the metropolis. As winter approached, jobs grew alarmingly scarce, and my money was rapidly approaching the zero level. My hallroom was cheerless and cold, worse even than my little attic in Prague. Neither the room nor its neighborhood attracted me in daytime; I preferred to walk along the endless avenues. This exercise kept me warm and gave me a chance to make frequent inquiries for a job at painters' and paper-hangers' shops. When the prospects for work of this kind appeared hopeless, I struck a new idea. Instead of walking more or less aimlessly, in order to keep myself warm and familiarize myself with the ways of the great city, I followed coal-carts, and when they dropped the coal on the sidewalk I rang the bell and offered my services to transfer the coal from sidewalk to cellar. I often got the job, which sometimes was a stepping-stone to other less humble and more profitable employment. After placing the coal in the cellar and getting my pay, I would often suggest to the owner that his cellar and basement needed painting badly; most cellars and basements do. On being informed that I was a painter out of work, the owner often yielded. The idea of a young and ambitious painter being compelled to carry coal from sidewalk to cellar at fifty cents a ton made a strong plea, stronger than any eloquence could make. The scheme worked well; it did not lead to wealth, but my room-rent was always paid on time, and I never starved. -Abridged. CLASS ACTIVITIES 1. Go through the story a second time and make a list of headings similar to those on pages 12 to 21. Then compare lists and, after discussion, agree on titles for the different parts. 2. Tell in relay the story of Pupin's experiences, using as subjects for the floor-talks the titles agreed upon in answering the first question. 3. What does Pupin mean by "greenhorn"? When does an immigrant cease to be a greenhorn? How can you know? 4. Name the experiences in America which made the deepest impression on Pupin. 5. Did Pupin wish to become an American? Explain. 6. Name ways in which Pupin's experiences were like Edward Steiner's and Constantine Panunzio's. In what ways were his experiences different? 7. Which of the three narratives did you find most interesting? Which contained the most new information? Which would make the best motion-picture? Give reasons for each of your answers. 8. Which of the three men, Steiner, Panunzio, or Pupin, seems to have shown the most good sense? the most courage? the strongest resolve to learn? the keenest sense of humor? Mention facts which support your answers. 9. Volunteer work: a. Read the rest of Pupin's story in From Immigrant to Inventor. Does Vila appear again? How did Pupin earn his way through college? Tell the class about his experiences in European universities. b. Read the rest of Steiner's story in From Alien to Citizen. How did he learn English? How did he secure an education? Did he marry "a rich American wife"? CLASS-LIBRARY READINGS EXPERIENCES OF NEW AMERICANS 1. "A Swiss Boy and His Wanderings" (Louis Agassiz), More Than Conquerors, 149–170. 2. "The Magic Touch," (Augustus Saint-Gaudens), ibid., 347-374. 3. "A New American," Compton's Pictured Encyclopedia, 4:17391740. 4. "The Americanism of Washington," The Van Dyke Book, 142–165. 5. "The American Miracle," Mary Antin, in Atlantic Prose and Poetry, 145-152. ROBERT EMMET CARROLL We came and you bade us welcome, When oppressed in the land of our fathers The Teuton and Frank as one We followed the gleam of a hopeful dream They lie, who would brand us ungrateful, That stooped like a loving mother But if cause there should ever be, Our blades like flame will defend your name We will gather like clouds of the tempest And the tread of our marching millions |