Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-06-20
THE STORY OF DAN AIM
A Poor Korean Farmers Son Whe
DID In Two Years the School Work
ef Four, Besides Supporting
himself by Toll -.
By GEORGE non MCCAIN
nR. PENNIMAN. Of tho University ,

- Pennsylvania: George ic. Omwake,
president Of tIrsinus; Edwin r. Sparkle,
president emeritus Of state College; DR..
Hunt. Of Bucknell; DR.. Aydelotte. Of
Swarthn,ore. and all the rest OF the disni.
taries and divines who head the universitiei
and colleges Of Pennsylvania are breathing
freer these rare but rainy days IN June.
commencement week is a thing Of the past.
They have sent the world. .menders out
INTO the stress and storm to perform their
allotted tasks.
In n few brief years. however, the nforc.
safd world members and advisers to the
Architect Of the Universe will discover just
where they get Of.
II IL an age. .old story.
1t began. possibly. with the first sradu :
ating class from Oxford 500 years or 20 ago.
1t will end when the last class Of the last
university on the last continent OF this old
earth fimbles Its imitation sheep skins and
starts forth on its final mission.
Great is youth!
Greater far, however, are its disillusion. .
ments.
7 SUMMON the cheer leaders, the mock
l heralds of academic activities!
The agile instigntors Of the rhythmic
mutations OF the undergraduate body OF
every university, college. prep or high school
that has earned the right to put a team on
the turf or a sprinter on the cindcr path.
This is a recital Of toll. not sport.
ducationaloannals overflow with stories
Of American boys who, defying lack of op.
portnnity or funds. have fought their way
to tue front.
Remark that say American boys.
nhey have everything in their favor.
They are at home. They speak the plain
language Of triumphant democracy.
They are to the manner born, though poor.
THIS Is the story of Dan Ahn.
The cheer leaders will note that the
name Is rhythmic.
Likewise that it is delightfully."- indefinite.
In the nomenclature Of the nations II
might be either German. Danish, Icelandic,
Maya. Portuguese or Dutch.
1t is neither. 1t is Korean. 1t Is the
name of boy who had n glorious faith in
America and her opportunities.
Immigrants like Joseph Prestley, philoso.
ther; the elder Belmont. tinancier: Carl
Schurz, soldier and statesman. and Michael
Pupin, scientist, and other brilliant men
whose natural talents were fashioned I'M the
lathe OF American opportunity. came here
with hereditary ability that singled them
out for distinction.
Daniel H. Aim is Of another breed and
color. He Is poverty child of the dreamy
Orient.
The men I have named above were of the
Occident; the blatant, self. .assertive, arro-
CANT Occident.
nANIEL H. AIM. of Haiju, Korea, is
- twenty -four years old.
He is sturdy. dark skinned. dark. eyed,
coarse haired, muscular. eager. intense.
When saw him he was one of forty.
seven graduates to receive diplomas at the
hands Of the principal OF one Of the leading
preparatory schools Of the East.
He is the son of a poor Korean farmer.
He is the only boy in family Of seven
In the sunrise land.
In the occasional periodical literature of
his native country he had read Of America.
1t was only casually, because the heel of
Japan has been heavy on the neck Of this
subject race.
Like Prestley and Pupin and all the rest
of that brilliant array Of Occidental gen.
fuses, this Korean farmers body yearned for
knowledge.
LIE LEFT Haiju in the hope of securing
IL an education.
Ignorant of English. he shipped on an
American vessel and arrived in San Fran.
cisco six years ago absolutely penniless.
lie did odd jobs along the Barbary Coast.
San Franciscos waterfront famed In fact
and fiction. He finally landed a job in a
paint factory.
1t was dusty, unhealthy and disagreeable.
That's why he got 1t.
He worked there for four years. mean
time taking course in English at the free
night schools Of the city.
LIE HAD heard of the great schools of
IL the East. but his ideas were indefinite.
He reached Philadelphia to find his expenses
had eaten up his savings.
In this city he had n chance meeting with
a fellow countryman that changed the whole
course of his life
His friend was graduate of the Perkio.
men School. where they help deserving boys
along the highway to higher education.
Kim. his chance friend. told him the
school authorities would aid him. And they
did.
Constantly working and studying, in two
years the young Korean completed q course
to which the average American boy USUALLY
devotes four years.
DANIEL II. AIN has only begun.
- He intends TO take civil engineering in
one Of the leading universities Of the Fast.
BY working on farm or doing anything
in the way of honest effort that will bring
him an extra dollar, this summer, he expects
to enter college this fall and ultimatelv
graduate with his degree Of c. r.
All this summer. while the rest of his class
are having good time, this lad will be
working BY day and studying by night.
After the completion of his course at col :.
lege he plans TO return to his native land
and put his engineering knowledge into
practice.
It will be strange thing If Daniel II.
Ahn does not become one of the great enei =.
neers Of Korea.
THE oldest feature of this little story is
l. pne. which ] ask the cheer leaders to
emphasize.
Dan Aim is also n PENNSYLVANIA Dutch .
man!
Oh. but he's a rare bird
In addition to mastering the English
language perfectly he has acquired a rc.
markablc proficiency in the PENNSYLVANIA
Dutch dialect.
lie can converse as hucntly with tho mn :
Of RnrkS w Hu