Evening star., 1924-11-14
FLO W E r S
For the Living
Michael Pupin
BY ROBERT EDGREN.

What is station" I asked Prof
Michael Pupin one evening when there
had been much cacklng on the radio.
Static Is an electrical instrument
tality Of God by means of which He
stimulates the activity of our atmos-
phere." he answered.
The reply was characteristic Of him,
for he is not one OF those scientists
who find science and religion in
compatible, but Is. upon the contrary.
devout. Moreover, he inherits from a
line OF Serbian peasant forbears q
distinct spirit of mysticism, a love of
the poetic and the romantic, which
contrasts curiously with the scientific
side of his brilliant mind.
Though Prof. Pupin's chief fame
with the public rests upon his theory
Of long distance electrical wave
transmission applied in practice by
his invention Of the Pupin coil which
made possible long distance tele-
phonic transmission. particularly by
underground telephone cables, he has
made important discoveries in many
nelds of science. He invented the de-
vice which reduced the time exposure
in X-ray photography from nearly an
hour to q fraction Of q second. and
this year he received the gold medal
of the Institute of Radio Engineers
of America for his discoveries in con-
nection with wave-selection and cleo
trical tuning-the term tuning" in
it's application to electricity, being, by
the way. his own.
Prof. Pupin is in every way a man
of striking individuality. He is tall
dark, powerfully built, and has q
massive head in which a great deal
goes on. Genuine. kindly. widely in
formed. he is patient In explaining
scientific matters to the uninitiated
unless the questions put to him are
obviously foolish.
Prof. Pupin," said a pretty young
lady who sat beside him at dinner,
won't you please explain the Elm
stein theory in five minutes?'
NO" said the professor with a
bland smile. but in five minutes
Will explain to you something much
more simple which is a part Of your
experience every minute of your life };
it Is the law of inertia"
Had our recent immigration law
been in force when young Michael
Pupin. then 16 years of age. landed
from a steamer in New York. he
would have been sent back, for he
had no relatives in the United States
and his entire fortune consisted of a
scent piece. This he promptly spent
on section of pruneless prUne pie,
after which he got into a fight with
some street boys who jeered at the
red fez he was wearing on his head.
So his American education began.
Last June when he received an
honorary degree from Princeton Uni
versity, he pointed out to President
Hibben the tree on the Princeton
campus beneath which he rested when
walking to New York in 1875, after
having worked for year on farms in
New Jersey. Delaware and Maryland.
In New York he painted wagons by
day and went at night to lectures at
Cooper Union, and in 1879 entered
Columbia University, where he Is now
professor of elsctro-mechanics
His autobiography, From Immi-
grant to Inventor" IS among the most
popular of recent American biog-
raphies and Is one of the most fascf-
mating books / have ever read, for
much of the philosophic wisdom and
intellectual charm Of the author have
found its way into his pages.
Prof. Pupins house at Norfolk
Conn. in the Litchfield Hills. is
Serbian castle of stone, as unlike any
other house as its owner is unlike
any other man. Besides fine pipe
organ, the house contains sculptures
and mural decorations emblematic of
Serbian life. and no experience could
be more Interesting or more stimu-
lating to the mind than to visit that
picturesque establishment and listen
to the conversation of its master, re-
gardless Of the theme on which he
talks, for Michael Pupin is not only
great scientist and a man OF great
intellect, he is a man of great soul.
Copyright. 1924