The Sidney herald., 1956-09-13
BY j. Hugo Aronson
Governor of Montana

ALAilOI , lNOtS. 1ONeInOT y. I1uSO
Aronson's life story, What America
Means To Me," was published in the
August issue of American magazine.
As this unusual autobiography Of a
distinguished American has received
nationwide attention, we are reprint
ing it below for our readers who
may not have seen IT'D
Forty-five years ago, I left my
wooden shoes on the dock in Sweden
and set sail for America. l, myself,
a hardly believe that a 2~0-year-old
immigrant boy-then nearly penni-
less, unable to speak a word of
English. and without so much as a
thirty-second cousin in this country
lis now Governor of Montana, one
of 48 governors in the United States.
Where but in America could anyone
have a story like mine?
If / had worked just as hard in
Sweden, / probably would be a Ten
ant farmer today, like my father and
his father before him. The good for
tune ! have enjoyed in America,
more than any man has a right to
expect, has exceeded my widest
boyhooG dreams.
Ny friends and acquaintance in
clude names that read like who's
Who; / have been successful in
business ventures; / am president of
a bank and governor of the third
largest state in area in the United
States.
Father a Tenant
When / was born, September /,
1891, in a crude log cabin, my father
lived on a tenant farm of less than
ten acres near Gallstad, Sweden. He
had to work for the landowner two
days of every week for the privilege
of living on this little plot. My
mother was required to do certain
tasks for the landowner, and as soon
as we children were old enough, we,
too, were expected to work on the
big farm. The opportunity to be a
tenant farmer was handed down
from generation to generation, with
little prospect of anything else. That
was what the future held for me.
My parents were simple, God-lov-
ing people. They gave their five
children a splendid heritage, trying
to develop in each of us qualities of
honesty, sincerity, respect for u
parents, and recognition of the rights
of others.
We children wore homespun
clothing and wooden shoes. AS soon
as we were old enough, we took our
places beside parents, working
in the fields and caring for two COWS,
a calf, a pig, and six chickens. We
walked about four miles to school
every other day. / received the re-
CURED education, completing four
lower and four upper grades and
graduating, at the age of 13, on De-
cember 2, 1904.
The next year, ! was confirmed in
the Lutheran church and appren-
ticed out to work on a large farm
for SIS a year. After working hours,
l was a lonely lad with thought di-
vided between home and the future.
To me, the future could only spell
America.
The West Drew Us
In America at that time the West
was being settled, railroads were ex-
banding westward, great industrial
developments were being achieved,
and fabulous crops of corn and wheat
we're being raised. Reports of these
echoed up and down Europe
sharp contrast to opportunities
.or the average family there.
/ could hardly wait to go to Amer
ca, but it was six years before my
gave their permission. Mean
while, / was doing a mans work for
he meager annual wage then paid in
ny country.
Finally, in 1911, when / was 20
ears old, my folks said / could go.
With my small savings and some
money borrowed from an older sis
er, l bought steerage passage to
Mass. l had SAG for passage
nd the SIS each immigrant had to
ave when he landed.
I'll never forget my fathers part
ng words, which have been my
reed since he uttered them: What .
yer you do, do it well, no matter
ow humble the task. In dealing
nth men, never make a promise if
on think you can't keep it. Always
eep a promise one you've made it."
On October Is, 1911, / left family
nd friends and set sail for America
was sick a. a puppy all the way,
ut ! didn't care. ! knew my future
'as at the end of the journey. I
A Gawky Swede i
The tall, gawky Swede, wearing
is ill-fitting homespun suit, felt rich /
lat October &c, when he landed in c
oston. I'll never forget the thrill of ]
lacing my box-toed shoes on Amer
an soil for the first time. 1t was c
ue / had little money and no
lends or family here, but I had the c
lost important thing of all-the OPP 6
ortunity of Americal / couldn't wait S
get started. j
! Immediately invested SIG of my
IS in my first ready-made suit and t
'ent So on a pair of shoes which h
ould not so clearly earmark me as Y
/ immigrant. With less than 81
in my pockets, ! took a v
Obey to Lowell, Mass, where I a
nded a job for 81 averaging more v
a month than / made in a year k
home. J
On my second night in America a
went to a school where English '
being taught to Scandinavians. C
ost of my classmates had just be- n
In. They were having a terrible il
ne with the language, but they n
lew more than / did. My blood h
rned to ice when the teacher called a
me to read. Red-faced, I strug- d
al m mouth tho ctropoa uy0rJc To n