New Britain herald., 1917-02-13
WORLD FAMINE IS
 FAGAN'S PROPHECY
Tells Changers to Bend Energies
 to Feeding the People
POTATO KING' A LECTURER

OO 1olh IAbouV t1lC IAhCIlC<tll Boy-Morgan Succumbs to Pneu- monia-R. R. Officials Apprecdative. Addressing the grangers of whig-
 vile at their meeting last evening,
 Joseph A. Pagan of Scott's Swamp, Connecticut'S potato king, predicted
 world famine, because of the ten-
 dency to flock from the farms to the
 cities, and urged every man who owns
 square rod of land to bend his eff,
 forts towards making it produce
 something for the human family to
 eat. MT. Pagan was invited to speak
 before the grange but instead of de-
 voting his talk to the cultivation of
 the tuber he discussed the American
 boy and his chances of getting on." Among other things he said
 T come to you tonight at the re- quest of my friend MT. Joseph w.
 Backes, and of course he like every one else thought I would speak on the subject nearest my heart (and some would say my pocketbook) po- tatoes. Of course I shall be glad to impart any information I have on this subject if anyone is particularly in- terested at this time. In my opinion everybody who owns a square rod of land ought to be interested in raising potatoes or anything else the human family can eat. believe that we are entering a world famine, and those of us who know how. should bend our energies to feeding the world. Our l efforts will not be in vain so far as profits are concerned, for I think any, l thing raised from the soil in the next 1 few years is going to bring very high
 prices.
 1 Boy Best Crop.
 l we are making history in this great country of ours,--which is noth- l ing but an infant compared to the countries of the old world with their 1 centuries behind them. A country is l measured by what she produces and ] the greatest product to my mind is l the product of the American boy, so 1 let us consider him the best crop the story of one l will give you tonight 1 Too often we hear it said that l there isn't the opportunity for the young man to get ahead that he had l in the days gone by. Most of our great men were poor ] boys and a great majority of them l came from the farms. They had none l of the luXuriess of these days, and l got what educa ton they had by the l light of the talioW candle, and in l their spare time. I can rem em Der l when most boys attended school in 1 the winter term only--and had a l good days work to do as we'll As l for school in spring, summer and fall it was entirely out of the question. 1 q want to tell you the story of the l life of one American boy. whom you
 all know, whose life and present posi- 1 tion in the world it seems to me 1 should be an inspiration to every young man.
 nor especially gifted in any direction. 1 He didn't play ball any better than 1 the average, he never was at the head l of his class in any study, he was just
 an ordinary boy. But he listened to his mother and her words of wisdom, 1 and sometimes used to tire of her l forever reminding him that procrasti- l nation was his besetting sin. that l what was worth doing, was worth do- 1 ing well,' that she wanted him to grow up a good man, and all of the other l things a fond mother will instill into
 the mind of her boy. He was lazy, for
 he says so. and his father often chided | him for lying on his stomach to pick
 strawberries. However he was much ] help to his father in saving wood, doing odd jobs about the house, and 1 som etimes assisting in grating and
 budding fruit trees.
 i "At the age of fourteen our boy was obliged to leave school without l having passed the examination in all 1 the four studies to entitle him to what 1 Is known in New York state as l Regents certificate. He failed three ] times in arithmetic but always passed
 in grammar, spelling and geography l "Nothing to Do Till Morning. He was placed in dry goods store at s2.o0 per week, arising early
 enough to build the kitchen fire at
 home and reach the store at six in l summer and six-thirty in the winter, 1 sweep out the store and clean the 1 lamps and be ready to wait on cus- ] toners at seven-thirty. A year of 1 this when he was apprenticed to @ 1 matchmaker and jeweler at s2.eo a week for the first year, s2.50 the 1 second, $500 the third and s35O the
 fourth. This also meant keeping the l whole store clean. waiting on GUS 1 toners and delivering. goods when 1 required. Upon completing his trade l he started out for himself. working 1 in dry goods store in western New York city one year, then securing a 1 position as matchmaker and jeweler 1 in 8 small nearby town at the munifi- | cent salary of s1o per week. Shortly 1 the inevitable occurred and he mar l ried. Soon after he started for him. l self. first hiring a small space with a 1 window, gradually enlargine when he moved nearer Connecticut on the l Hudson.
 "Erokc" at S5
 l All this time our hoy was losing no opportunity for self-advancement