Evening star., 1924-05-24
The Library Table
BY THE BOOKLOVER

The Pulitzer prize for the best
American biography written in 1928
has just been awarded to Prof. Mi
chael Pupin of Columbia University
for his autobiography, From Immi-
grant TO inventor" The author first
entered the United States at Castle
Garden in 1874 as a Serbian immi-
grant boy and Is now professor of
electro Mechanics at Columbia Uni
yersity, a member of the National
Academy of Sciences and one of the
foremost scientists of the United
States. His biography is not, like
Mary hntins THE Promised Land" a
continuous rhapsody on the wonder
full opportunities of America, and an
impassioned plea that these opportu-
mites be extended to all the foreign
born who desire them. Prof Pupin
appreciates enthusiastically Anne rican
democracy and American social and
educational institutions; perhaps he
appreciates them more than does the
average natiye-bOrn American, but
he realizes, though he is the most
modest of photographers, that he
brought to America qualities Of mind
and character not brought by most
i'm mi migrants.
The narrative begins with his de-
parture from his native town of Idvor,
form erly belonging to Austria-H Hun
gary, but now part of the kingdom of
the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes; his
crossing Of the stormy Atlantic dur
xha ~ in ND
ed steerage, without overcoat or head
covering except Turkish fez, and
his landing at Castle Garden with
only cents in his pocket. The Off
ciaIs at Castle Garden shook their
heads over him rather obviously, but
finally passed him because of his
statement that he knew of no one in
the new world except Franklin, Lin
coin and Harriet Beecher Stowe. One
of the officials remarked, You showed
good taste when you picked your
American acquaintances." His first
act on issuing from Castle Garden
was to spend his cents for a piece of
prune pie, which turned out to be
filled entirely with pits and disgusted
him with American bargains. A sue
cession of jobs followed, driving
mules on a Delaware farm, stamping
crackers in a cracker factory, paint
=
thing that would feed and clothe him
and enable him to save a little toward
the education he had determined upon.
The story of Michael Pupins labors,
physical and intellectual. in his eff
forts to secure the best education
America had to offer, should be an
to every ambitious boy in
the United States and a cause for
shame to every boy who is expecting
everything to be done for him and
perhaps in return is making poor use
of the education that is bestowed
upon him. A doctor in Brool>lyn, in
whose Office the boy. Michael worked,
secured his entrance to Adelphi Acad-
emy. where he made remarkable prog
ress. He had already ATTENDED evening
classes at Cooper Union and spent every
spare moment in reading and study
ing books secured from the Cooper
Union Library. He had learned by
heart the Declaration of lndepend-
ence, the American Constitution ana
Lincoln's Gettysburg speech. He had
decided to enter Columbia College in
stead of Princeton, which had wen
his first allegiance, because 1t was
Hamilton's college and be-
cause New York seemed to MIN to Of
fer every advantage as dwelling
place. He had also bee orne an ad-
nirer of the preaching OF Henry WARD
Beecher and did not wish 10 be cut
off from it. In September OF 1872,
after a summer of hard study and
the Passaic River, he presented him.
self at Columbia for his entrance e.
where he dston1shed the
examining professors by his knowing
verbatim the first two books o. the
Iliad and four orations OF cicero. y
few days later q note from the regis
trar's Office notified him that he was
admitted to Columbia College with
freedom from all tuition fees HIS
first goal in America was reached.
A novel that may be called
Swedish Main Street" is Hjalmar
Gods Orchid" The town
of wadkoping is conventional and
it's business, social and
religious life is in the hands of an
exclusive few. Into the established
tranquility of Wadkoping comes
riding II. H. Markurell, in a cart
resembles neither parent. He be-
comes the innkeeper, but does not
confine himself to his job. Little by
little he becomes possessed or the
secrets of the town and, through TINS
and some notes which he
the most prominent citizens. He is
Just prepared to use his power when
strikes him and he dis
covers that he himself is the victim
of some Of the town secrets.
x
The traditions of a great family
of scientists are being carried on
by Julian Huxley, grandson of Thorn
as Henry Huxley. His grandfather
was famous, both as an original in
yestigator and as writer of clarity,
force and charm. The grandson has
recently made notable Investigations
into animal life and has now pub
lished Essays of Biologist" a brill
liant book with an easy and at
tractive style, suggestive and en-
work for the popularlza-
tion of science. The book consists
of six essays reprinted, with revision,
from various magazines. In the first
of these Progress, Biological and
Other" the author traces the steps
in evolution in an attempt to show
how the facts of evolutionary biol
ogy provide a conception of God
based on external evidences. The last
essay, Religion and Science" has
similar theme. that the physical and
sciences provide rational
basis for what have hitherto been
only theological speculations. The
term God" he writes, Just as much
as the terms energy, say, or Justice,
has real meaning and scientifically
based sense" The other essays are
devoted to biology and sociology, ra-
tionalism and the idea of God, sex
biology and sex psychology, bird
mind, and a biologic fantasy called
Ants" This book de-
serves and is likely to have a wide
reading.
X !:
Prof. John r Commons of the Uni
yersity of Wisconsin has many ad-