Indians? These were the thoughts that comforted me, such that I, so reassured, grew from my coat.” Promised land His first major victory was over the cold, which caught him by sur- prise on the first night of the voya- ge. He hugged the ship’s funnel ea- ch night and that helped him, with hope, to first catch sight of the city from which he expected a lot... “On the fourteenth day, ear- ly in the morning, the low coast of Long Island emerged. In the colourful crowd of excited immigrants, there was probably no happier man than me when I saw the Promised Land. It was a clear, mild and sunny Mar- ch morning, and as we approached the New York harbour, it was as tho- ugh the warm rays of the sun mel- ted the cold that had accumulated in my body from constant exposure to the icy winds of the North Atlantic. I felt like a different person, and each new scene that emerged from the ship during the approach to the New World seemed to herald a warm greeting for me. The scene that then appeared in front of my eyes was new and amazing. The first impressi- ons from Budapest and Prague were pale images compared to this ma- jestic reality that appeared to me in the New York harbour... The city on both sides of the coast seemed to bubble with various jobs.” Franklin and Lincoln When he stood, without anyw- here and anyone of his own, in front of American government officials, they asked him if he knew anyone in the Promised Land. He said that he knew Franklin, Lincoln and Harriet Beecher Stowe. It was an answer that opened the door of America to him. “You picked good friends,” sa- id the customs officer, deciding to release him to pursue a new life in New York. “A young immigrant, as I was then, does not start anything until he spends all the money he has bro- ught. I had brought five cents and I immediately spent that on a slice of
plum pie, which in fact was only su- ch by name. It contained few plums and more stones! And if I had bro- ught five hundred dollars, it would only have taken me a little more ti- me to spend it, and the struggle for survival that awaited me would ha- ve remained the same. For a young immigrant, it is no misfortune to di- sembark penniless; for a young man it is not a misfortune at all to be wi- thout money, if he has decided for himself to take the road to an inde- pendent life, provided he has within himself enough strength to overco- me all difficulties with which he will be confronted,” wrote Pupin. physical work, endless learning and development to Columbia Universi- ty, where he studied and soon be- came a professor. He was a profe- ssor for a full 40 years. He wrote that his goal was to make people better than himself. Many Nobel Laurea- tes, many great scientists of the 20 th century, were Pupin’s students. “It meant a lot that this college Professorship, Pulitzer, medal His path led through gruelling was in New York, which in my imagi- nation was much more than any ot-
her city in the world. My first victory on American soil was achieved the- re, in New York, when I fought for the right to wear my red fez on my he- ad.” America didn’t forget Pupin’s contributions as a scientist and pro- fessor. In many different ways, the name of this boy from Idvor is inscri- bed among immortals on the other side of the world. The large building of the physics laboratory at Colum- bia University, a huge and prestigio- us edifice, bears his name. And not only that, but also the U.S. Depar- tment of the Interior in 1966 decla- red the Pupin Laboratories building a national historic monument. On the centenary of Pupin’s birth, Colum- bia University established the “Pu- pin Medal”, which is awarded in reco- gnition of outstanding contributions. A crater on the moon also carries Pupin’s name, and as of this year a small planet too. A Pulitzer Prize was awarded to Pupin’s autobiography, which by no coincidence bears the title “From Immigrant to Inventor”. He was the first Serb to receive this pre- stigious award. It sounds amazing that parts of his autobiography were required reading in U.S. schools for decades...
Za mladog doseljenika nije nesreća biti bez novca, pod uslovom da u sebi ima dovoljno snage da savlada sve teškoće For a young immigrant it is no misfortune to be without money, provided they have within themselves enough strength to overcome all difficulties
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