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Special Report
Walking to America
A Fourth of July remembrance of one boy’s journey to the land of his dreams.
(Page 2 of 4)
America. A place where people would ask of him not “who are you” but “what can you do.”
Sam made up his mind to keep going. In desperation, Sam simply left Birmingham and started walking yet again. To Liverpool, for a boat to America. And, so goes the tale, he took with him the money he had from selling sponges. A polite way of saying that he simply skipped town with the money.
On a passenger list — “Schedule A —Names and Description of Passengers” — there is a listing for a 19-year old laborer born in “Russia” — i.e., Warsaw, Poland. Sam, whose English was rudimentary and handwriting poor, was marked down as “Sam Goldberg,” passenger number 90 with the destination of “New York.” On November 26, 1898, the Dominion Line’s ship Labrador, with Sam Goldfish (Goldberg) on board, slipped away from the Liverpool docks, headed out into the Irish Sea, stopped briefly in Londonderry, Ireland, to pick up more passengers and finally headed due west — to Canada.
Sam sailed steerage for fifteen dollars, the money giving him either an “iron berth, a hammock or… (a) cot.” His clothes were his sheets and blanket. The belly of the Labrador was both airless and badly lit, the combination of little air and light with the storm-tossed North Atlantic in winter making most of the passengers sick.
At three-fifteen in the afternoon of December 4, 1898, the Labrador sailed into the harbor of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Whether “Sam Goldberg” jumped ship that day, or stayed aboard while the Labrador sailed on to St. John, New Brunswick, is unclear. What is clear is that Sam walked the rest of the way to his destination. On January 1, 1899, records his Declaration of Naturalization, he is believed to have crossed the U.S. border somewhere in the vicinity of Milltown, Maine. Yes, it is possible Sam even crossed illegally — the records are incomplete. But quickly enough, after the requisite time, he made himself known to authorities and became, eventually, an American citizen.
The snow on the ground when Sam crossed the border that January 1st was deep, the air freezing cold. Sam would later recall, writes his biographer, that upon entering America “he literally got down on his hands and knees and kissed the ground. He did not know a soul within four thousand miles.”
On he walked, trudging “through more snow than New England had seen in ten years. Sometime in late January 1899, he arrived in Manhattan, his head full of the stuff on which American dreams are made.”
Sam had no money. But at last he was on his way to becoming what he had always dreamed of becoming.
An American.
THERE’S MORE to Sam’s story. Much more. You might recognize Sam’s name today not as Schmuel Gelbfisz or Sam Goldfish or Sam Goldberg but as Samuel Goldwyn. That’s right, the Samuel Goldwyn of the legendary Hollywood movie studio MGM — Metro Goldwyn Mayer. And of Samuel Goldwyn Productions. The Sam Goldwyn who made his way from New York to California to become in the 1930s the King of Hollywood. Author Scott Berg tells Sam’s story in his book Goldwyn: A Biography. Out of companies bearing Sam’s name poured film after film after film in the Great Depression lionizing America and American values.
It was Sam’s company that made Mickey Rooney a star in that classic of American stories, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. It was Sam’s company that took Mickey Rooney from Huckleberry Finn to the serial of films immortalizing an American boy who lived with his All-American family in the All-American town of Carvel, Idaho — Andy Hardy. It was Sam’s company that told the tale to Americans of Dorothy (Judy Garland) believing “there’s no place like home” in The Wizard of Oz. It was Sam’s company that distributed Gone With the Wind.
In 1940, Republican presidential candidate Wendell Willkie, whom Sam was supporting over FDR’s third-term bid, saw Sam’s film The Pride of the Yankees. The film starred Gary Cooper as the fatally stricken New York Yankee great Lou Gehrig. Instead of simply focusing on Gehrig’s baseball career, the film opened with the story of Lou Gehrig’s immigrant parents, featuring Lou’s mother, a cook who worked at a Columbia University fraternity to pay for her son’s education so he could become an engineer. Gehrig became a baseball player instead — when his mother needed an operation and he accepted an invitation to play for the Yankees, using his signing money to pay for her operation.
Said Willkie to Sam, both acutely aware that Europe was already engulfed in a war that was on the verge of bringing in America: “Sam, you have done something very important here. You help democracy everywhere by showing what opportunities there are in America.” Replied the man who had trekked across half of Europe to realize his dream of coming to America:
“Why shouldn’t I — who knows better than I do the opportunities in America?”
The opportunities in America.
About the Author
Jeffrey Lord is a former Reagan White House political director and author. He writes from Pennsylvania at jlpa1@aol.com.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (16) | Leave a comment
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SCMike| 7.3.12 @ 7:09AM
Fitting and timely.
Thank you.
TLP| 7.3.12 @ 8:13AM
Big Deal.
We have Jewish Movie Moguls too, ya know. They're all Liberals, now, and they make lots of Movies about America.
How it Sucks. How it's Racist, and Evil, and Greedy, and Exploiting the rest of the world to pay for all of the Golden Toilet Seats that ONLY Rich Republicans sit on.
They make Movies of America's Armed Forces RAPING little Girls in Vietnam, and Murdering Innocent Civilians in the dead of night, in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Syriana. In the Valley of Eli. Jarhead. Full Metal Jacket. Platoon. The list is ENDLESS.
George Clooney. Mark Wahlberg. William DeVoe. Ben Affleck. Tommy Lee Jones. Not a Veteran in the bunch. There never is.
Everything is a Conspiracy, with the U.S. in the lead.
Ever Businessman is a Thieving, Lying, Crook, who washes his Lamborghini with the Tears from his exploited sweat shop workers. Every Democrat is Captain America, to the Republicans Red Skull, and it's THE MAIN STREAM MEDIA, that we owe all of our Freedoms, and Liberties to, for putting out THE TRUTH. (as they define it)
THE END.
That's why we join the Services.
So these Ccksckrs can tee off on us whenever they get the urge.
What a Country.
Moe Blotz| 7.3.12 @ 8:25AM
Happy Independence Day to you, Mr. Lord, and to all curmudgeons, trolls, Patriots, wingers (left and right); Americans all. We celebrate the birth of this country where we can freely express our opinions and disagree. How boring indeed if everybody thought the same way. Value your Liberty, for Liberty lost is lost forever.
Slacker| 7.3.12 @ 2:46PM
The tyrannical shit bags who rule my city outlawed all fireworks, even sparklers. Square that with your imaginary liberty.
Moe Blotz| 7.3.12 @ 8:10PM
Your moniker, Slacker, says more about you and your mind set than any retort with which I could respond.
Butch| 7.4.12 @ 5:47PM
Your city is late to the Agenda 21 party, Slacker. Probably used "fire safety" as an excuse. So your block party/cookout couldn't shoot off fireworks for your kids, but I'll bet you city provided you with a genuine "public" fireworks show where you could fight for a parking place and rub elbows with all the stoners, drunks, Crips, Bloods, homeless beggers, pickpockets, purse snatchers, wedgie-show-ers, f-word-right-in-front-of-children-sayers, and other assorted "patriots."
People still shoot 'em off in my city, it's hard to police, but its getting harder and harder. Needless to say, the neighbors who don't get invited to the cookout because they are the same types who make sure all the smokers are made to cease have started to call the cops on you using the special 311 number the city established--and uses your tax dollars to promote via media, extensively. After all, someone, somewhere out there just might be celebrating, and having a good time. We can't have that.
Ken (Old Texican)| 7.3.12 @ 9:36AM
Jeffrey,
thank you.
Nancy in NC| 7.3.12 @ 10:01AM
Thanks for an uplifting story that reminds of all of what we are on the verge of losing.
I have had several occasions of meeting people who have come here from Russia, Cuba, and other despotic places, and they are sick about what is happening here, as they have seen it all before. Too bad that so many Americans are so lazy and complacent they have no idea of what they are about to lose...the opportunity to pursue your dream, regardless of your background. Now only the elite need apply.
Who Knows?| 7.3.12 @ 11:13AM
What a mensch! What a different time.
Further proof that conventional wisdom is usually not just wrong, but egregiously so, is provided by the whole debate about immigration. It seems like this war of ideas, of “reform”, has been going on forever---and, indeed, I posit that it is perhaps a seminal either-or.
With some 300,000,000 Americans, pols must pander to voters to win. Thus, the “America First” types focus on what they perceive to be the good of the country, not the people like Sam Goldwyn, the eager immigrants.
Whereas, in truth, the REAL America needs the immigrants, more than the immigrants need America. But, that is not popular, since the majority of voters like their own “piece of the freedom pie”, and don’t want any competition.
Of course, there are many ways to be an immigrant.
As the world, hopefully, continues to solve the survival equations, so that everyone can at least not starve to death, there will always be those “open fields” that Lincoln wrote about. That means humans CAN have the opportunity to “immigrate” to different “lands”, even when seemingly staying in place.
It’s not as Peggy Lee sang, “Is that all there is?”
No, one is always Truly free to “immigrate” in Consciousness, by freeing attention to observe, understand, and Transcend WHATEVER seems to arise.
Even now.
Albert Constantine Jr.| 7.3.12 @ 12:11PM
Once people walked or otherwise came here to be free and have opportunity. Today, too many come here for “Free benefits” such as food stamps, medical care and public education.
EyeOnFreedom | 7.3.12 @ 2:25PM
Extraordinary piece! Very well done!
Johnimo| 7.3.12 @ 10:56PM
Thank you Jeffrey, for an inspirational story about a great man who was "American" long before his arrival in North America. I recently heard a memorable quote: "Everything you want is just beyond your fear." What a shame that so many choose security rather than their dreams.
Maxwell| 7.4.12 @ 9:03AM
I know today is July 4th and most people will not be reading The Spectator but I will add a few words. This past Monday Princeton held its fireworks celebration. As always it is very well attended. To avoid the crowd and the traffic jam that follows the conclusion of the display Lori & I sat in the parking lot on the tail gate of my pick up truck.
While the fireworks display was a wonderful celebration a few events stick in my mind. First, when the announcement to stand for The National Anthem was made a man about my age got out of his mini van, took off his baseball hat and stood at attention. Second, I think of my father who served in WW1 in a Mounted Artillery battery and our family's only grand daughter who served in Iraq and was killed by an IED.
So, you may ask, Maxwell, why the post? Because what will stand out in my mind the most is a parent letting his kid 'take a dump' in the parking lot. They were not American, from South of the Border, Oriental, or from a poor European country. I hope this is not where we are heading as a great country.
Finzi Holst| 7.4.12 @ 2:39PM
Dear Maxwell-
Place a Constitution on the ground and you would have what the Obama Administration does to this country every day.
Sorry about your granddaughter. But I am grateful for her service -- and her courage.
Best,
FH
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." -- C. S. Lewis
TLP| 7.4.12 @ 4:32PM
You drove your PICKUP TRUCK to the 4th of July Fireworks with your WIFE?
You're from a MILITARY FAMILY?
And, you watched the Fireworks from the TAILGATE OF YOUR TRUCK?
You, my friend, are at the Top of Bull Dyke Napolatano's Terrorist Watch List.
God help you, if you have a Gun Rack, Fly the Flag, and go to CHURCH on Sundays.
God help us all.
Bob K| 7.4.12 @ 6:20PM
Thanks for this inspiring article, Mr. Lord.
I'm e-mailing it to my sons.