Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 20, Number 197, Decatur, Adams County, 22 August 1922 — Page 14

SALVAGING A WAIF FROM THE NATION OF HUNGARY EDiTOR OF YEOMAN SHIELD TELLS OF RESCUE OF A LITTLE WAIF WHO IS NOW THE SECRETARY OF THE CHILDREN’S HOME COMMITTEE,

By H. C. EVANS Editor of the Yeomen Shield The Carpatheian mountains form a semi-circle, or horseshoe, SBO miles long. The wesern end of the range rests on the Danube river near Vienna. The circle is northoast, then south, ending on the same river just east of Belgrade. Lying in the pocket of this horseshoe is Hungary. The history of Hungary is one of wars, oppression, serfdom, revolts, religious intolerance. For centuries the throne of Hungary was an object of rivalry between adventurous foreign potentates. Finally, in 1867, Francis Joseph, emperor of Austria, was crowned king of Hungary, and this arrangement continued until the close of the World War. A foreign king was objectionable to many Hungarians and they began emigrating to America. Some ten years after Francis Joseph became king, a certain boy wa3 born in the foothills of the Carpatheians. He was of rugged ancestry, who eked out a meager living from the ungenerous, rocky soil of northern Hungary. Came a day that marked an epoch in the boy's life. He had often heard hi 3 father # talk with neighbors about a wonderful land where men w r ere free, where wealth abounded, where life was joyful. The boy, whose clothing consisted of a one-piece suit of course cloth, whose daily food was scant and un wholesome, whose pleasures were limited to the hum-drum of a peasant cillage, dreamed of this enchanted land away but in the west, away across a boundless ocean, where boys had money to buy tine clothes and toys and sweets and ponies. Sometimes a neighbor would leave for that far away A. N. FARMER Secretary of the Yeoman Children's Home Committee land. Sometimes a letter would be rereived from a relative or a neighbor who had gone to that land. Then the whole countryside would gather to hear the letter read. How the boy longed for the good things that were told of in those lettors —the beautiful cities, the fertile valleys, the won derful wealth! The letters said that thero were no kings in America; there were no armies; men did not have to leave their homes and spend hard years in the army; the people owned ineir own homes, their own farms; boys and girls went to school without paying for the privilege; schools were free, the people were free. Never before had such a court try been heard of. Night after night when this boy crawled onto his straw pallet, h , dreamed of this beautiful, bountiful land of the west where men we.re free —and he resolved that he would go to that land—that he would be free himself. Then came the day! For some weeks preparations ..ad been in the making for several men of the neighborhood to leave for America,, a relative of the lad among them. On the day set, all the people of the countryside gathered lo bid tho men good bye anti God speed. There was dancing and much feasting, and much drinking of the native wine. The railroad station was twenty-five miles away, and the men and their baggage were to be taken there is donkey carts. There was also much weeping when the

time to go arrived. The women foil and children, like the women folk an l children of all lands, were loath t< * i see their men leave; their hearts wen i torn, hut they were sustained by fit - promises of the men that so soon at i they acquired suflicient money fron : tho lund whose streets were pavet ; with gold, they would send for them The last affectionate good-byes wen l said, and the mule carts were unde , way. No ono knew, however, tha > buried deep beneath the rolls of ha. t gage In one of the carts was the ten - year-old lad whose history we ar , narrating. , At the station he slipped from thi 1 cart and hid himself on the train tha ■ was bound for Hamburg. Germany Here the emigrants waited thret , days for their ship. The boy kept ou . of sight, sleeping in alleys, beggint j and foraging food. He stole nboan . the ship, hiding in tho hold of tin . vessel. The ship was etui clays at se. . before ho was discovered. P The boy's relative could not sem I him homo, neither could he throv , into the sea, so he just heat him up* 5 In a few days the ship landed a r New York, and that night the em: 1 grants were sent to quarantine a s Castle Garden. I-ate at night our little stowaway , thinking the soldiers guarding tli , emigrants were holding them as prfi . oners, escaped quarantine. He ha . come to America to be free, and h . didn't propose to be kept a prisoner , 1 So it was that at midnight this lai i found himself alone on the streets o i New York! He was penniless am 6 could not speak a word of English! a Could anything be more tragic? t y German peasant boy, ten years old - just completed a journey of fivi thousand miles as a stowaway, home less, moneyless, ragged, bareheadei unable to speak our language, alon on, the streets of Now York at mic night! He had reached his goal. He ha found the promised land. He wa free. We can imagine the little fol low straightened his shoulders threw his head back, looked that bi. city square in its thousands of twink ling, midnight eyes, and defiantl; shouted, “Eureka!” Who was this lonely lad, and wlia of his future. Let us now introduce him. \ou will find his picture in thi issue of the Daily Democrat. Hi: name is A. N. Farmer, and he is seer, tary of the Yeoman Children’s Homi Committee. A friendly stairway in an alloj sheltered him that first night in Nev ork. The next day he drifted into l , saloon where liis native tongue was spoken. After a few days running er rands, cleaning spittoons and sweep ing out, he purchased a kit and took to the streets blacking boots A few weeks later he encountered his relative in the saloon. The relative took him to an attic where he was living, and gave him a bed on the floor. The boy, however, would not stand so: tho drunken jousts, the beatings the low standard of life to which he was subjected, and again lie ran away to the streets. He bad come to the land of the free, and he proposed to be free. Eleven months on the streets selling papers and blacking shoes, then the Children s Aid Society sent him west with eighteen other waifs to be placed in homes. He was given to a farmer in Minnesota, with the under standing that lie should be dent to school during the school months. After a hard summer’s work, the farmer insisted ho should work on through tho fall and winter.. This larmer din noi know the temper of the lad be was dealing with; he did not know he ha/1 run away from, the i hard linos and low standards of life . in Hungary, where boys could not . get an education; he did not know he . had run away from the dirty quaran- . tine hole at Castle Garden ho did > net know ho had run away from p, ; drunken relative in New York. The : b«y knew that if he was to be a free . man be must be frect from ignoran'ce. [ He wanted to go to school. So ha : ran stray from that man. For some mouths he was a wanderer, doing odd jobs here and there. Finally he was

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT, TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 1022

idnpted by Mr. and Mrs. George W. I Farmer, of Spring Valley, Minn., who tave hint tv home and treated him ns hough he was their own child. He lived the life of n farmer boy, ;olng through the public schools, .stier he taught in tho country schools tnd earned money for college. Atended tho University of Minnesota tnd Curleton College, graduating in 1899. For more than twenty years le taught school —went tiie long, hard ■vuy from pedagogue in the old one•oom country school, professor in high schools and normals to superintendent >f city schools. Was called back to hat great city that came near subnerging him that night he stood alone m its streets, and engaged in edu•alional research work for the New York Bureau of Municipal Research. Conducted surveys of rural and nornal schools of Wisconsin for tho tate board of public atliairs. Made mmerous other school surveys, as n expert, in different parts of the Tnited States. Recognizing his ability, one ot Vnterlca’s foremost business conems, the National Cash Register Co., ailed him to reorganize its educa iuiial and sales training departments. During the war he was assistant in he government’s food conservation ppartment, and later was connected nth the war camp community seriee Professor Farmer has, and has ad, many other important positions a community service. It is this man —this man who was limself a homeless wait who was raised by foster parents; who has livd with and taught children for wenty-flve years; who has children f his own; who has made a study of hild life; who has the heart of a aving woman and the mind of a tronge man; whose strength and deermination have grown with the ears since that crucial night he tood alone in Tiur metropolis—it is his man who has been chosen to eip make the Yeoman campaign for he conservation of child life in Amerca. 'HE YEOMEN’S TWENTY YEAR PAYMENT LIFE CERTIFICATE fContinued From Page 1, Section 3) ent cost plans have no reserves and arn no interest. The more interest, aimed the less the cost to the mem■er. The only advantage with the orms that cost more in the end is hat the payments are easier to make s time goes on. On the other side, many people find j t highely desirable to complete their ayments in twenty years instead of aving them continue throughout j fe, and it was tiiis feature that first I ave the plan its popularity. It is he factor more often stressed by the j alesman or deputy. It is the only!I rgument needed in most cases to ell the protection, and it is probable! hat many field men are making a uceess w twhtinet ecpdA Cudsq I uccess with twenty-year-payment c-er- j I ificates without considering the ultinate lower cost and other features. | Then,* with larger reserves and j reater interest earnsings the mem-1 ler under this plan lias more opporunity to participate. in excess ir. j erest, and tho societies adopting the ' lividend plan of distributing surplus fill soon demonstrate this factor. Oi j curse the extended and paid-up insur j tnce and surrender values are larger ban in other forms, and this is an ad/antage. These features ccfuld be described and explained in greater deail, and other merits could lie brought 'erward in a longer article, but we i would like to have some friend of this'! dan write a volume on the twenty-1 • ear-payment life certificate. It would be an educator for field' men toon paying many times its cost in more business. Children More Poorly Cared for Than Animals (Continued From Pago 1, Section 3} the most wurth while business in the world. Competition along this line will be unique, for while we shall all try to lead, we will not tear down or throw obstacles in the way of our competitors. We will lie glad if our competitors succeed, and will add glory to our gladness if we outrun them.” Secretary Davis says there is no competition. Tragic a3 that may be, it is not nearly so tragic as the tact that there is no co-operation. Secretary proposes competition in the care of children. 1 propose co-opera-tion . I propose, and I move, Mr. President, that the chair appoint a committee of five whose duty it shall be to confer with officers and representatives of fraternal societies, with other organizations concerned in the welfare of children, with individuals, or groups of individuals, with state and national officials, for the purpose of outlining a program under which the forces and influences concerned may co-operate in the conservation of the, child life of America.

WELCOME Brotherhood of American Yeomen We deem it a great privilege, this day, to join our hands with of our fellow citizens of the City of Decatur and the great State of Indiana, and bid hearty welcome to the Officers and Directors of the great Yeomen Fraternity, and the thousands of visitors who have come here to pay a wonderful homage to i American Childhood. A's ' v * Your cause, this day, is a worthy one. Service to the unfortunate children of our country, and aid to those among you who need assistance. What a wonderful lesson this should leave in the community which is so signally honored with a visit from you, as you go on your mission of mercy. y £ iy In our quarter of a century service to the people of this community, we believe, we have come to understand what it means to cater to the happiness of boyhood and girlhood. And our success has come, in no small measure, from the enthusiasm with which they have accepted and endorsed our clean, pure, healthy products. * We are inspired by this great lesson which Yeomenry brings so close to our hearts today. We hope that it will be our privilege to go forward with Yeomenry, to serve childhood and protect them, and to co-operate with our fellow citizens in bringing into the lives of our youths, greater happiness and greater safety. CON TER ICE CREAM CO. H. L. CONTER L. F. CONTER L •x'f •\ ' ,* 1 Y >. \ 4 **'’’■«,*,* v . . \