The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1889-12-12
AT BETHANY.
Eloquent TribuIes TO swedish Character
Gov. HBmphrey's Address.

Gov. HUmphrey's Address
We reproduce the following full
report Of Gov. Humphreys ad
dress at Bethany college last Mon
day night:
Mr.. PRESIDENT, LADIES AMI
GENTLENEN.-Id do not see how II b
, possible for me to say q word caleu
lated to add to the Interest or pro
mote the success of this occasion
which, so far as I can observe, scent
already perfect and complete beyenC
the power Of anything might do Of
say 10 add or diminish.
Indeed, the pressing demands and
arduOus duties of busy public Of
fee, frODI which It Is difficult even
To escape, have left me no time fol
reflection rs to what | should say
here. aud ! Am only present because
Of the urgent and pressing invita-
ton Of my friend, the Hon. &. A,
SwensOn, and TO testify by my pres
enee the interest I feel as q citizen
aud chief executive of the state, in
your college and In your state, aud
TO congratulate you, and myself,
and the state upon the many EVIL
dences Of the success and prosperity
attending your efforts.
In n general way / know that
Bethany college OF LindsbOrg, was
a successful institution Of learning,
whose reputation was rapidly grow
ing beyond the confines Of Kansas,
one OF the very best In the state.
But was not fully aware Of Its ex-
tent aud capacity, its completeness
in all the appointments of q great
aud successful college, until i read
with much pleasure the Sble and in
| teresting address Of the president Of
your beard, the Hon. Mr.. SwensOn,
which came 10 me last summer. 10
Is but modest praise to say that all
this grand work IL q proud tribute to
the enterprise, the Intelligence, and
the wise forecast Of the Swedish peO-
pie.
According TO the national census
Of 1850, there were then In the
United States 40, .,62 Scaudinavians,
Swedes, NOrwegians aud Danes, Of
whom 1884, were Swedes. And
from the most reliable data availa-
BILE, We fud about twelve thousand
citizens Of Swedish birth In Kansas.
or these. Mcpherson county has
the most, although many have set
tied I'm Saline, Riley, Usage, Repub-
lie and Clay counties. Doubtless,
during nearly ten years that have
elapsed since the last national cen
sus was taken, these numbers have
been considerable increased, and
| will continue to increase. For
wherever your people have settled
In Kansas, they have prospered.
They have opened up and cultivated
farm; they have made improve
ments; they have built school houses
aud churches: aud best Of all, have
proven themselves to be, here Rs
elsewhere, Iaw-abiding, intelligent,
self-respecting, loyal American cit
liens. And this has been the his
tory OF Swedish settlement through
out the union.
swEDEs ARE LOYAL.
During the great struggle from
7 1851 to 1866, known as the var Of the
rebellion, q struggle on our part to
perpetuate the American republic
against the assaults, aud the at
tempts Of q slayeholding oligsrehy
to destroy II, we had fresh proof Of
the loyalty OF your people. The
sons of Sweden, In that trying hour
of our national pride, followed the
flag Of the union under Grant aud
Sherman and Thomas and Sheridan,
a. their ancestors over the sea had
followed the standard OF Charles the
Mi and Of Gustavus Adolphus, and
laid down their lives on many bat
tlefislds of our civil war, thus giving
the fullest measure that men can
give for his country, aud thus prov
ing that Swedes are In the highest
aud best sense Americans, loving
their adopted home IS feTyently as
they once loved their fatherland and
earning ut bloody cost the right for
themselves and children to possess
aud enjoy the immunities and bless
iugs Of this, the greatest, freest and
best country under the sun.
BURN THE BRIDGES.
when Swedes come 20 this coun-
try they burn the bridges behind
them. They are thoroughly trans
planted. They come here 20 make
their homes, aud all the love and
loyalty they were wont to bear the
land Of their birth they transfer NJ
once to this, the land Of their adop-
ton. Remembering kindly the
snow clad hills Of the little lee
bound kingdom In the nOrthland
the scandinavian peninsula-they
here build their affairs aud erect
their IOof-trees, about which cluster
and center all their future ambitions.
Here their children are born Ameri-
cans, full-fiedged and full heirs to
this glorious heritage Of liberty.
sheltered under the flag Of the
Union, proud Of our common eOun-
try aud its mighty destiny, Jealous
of its honor aud good name, sharing
Its prosperity, and ambitions,
witbal, for Its future greatness aud
prosperity.
These qualities which character
lie our citizens Of Swedish birth,
though so often noted and generally
admired, are not surprising TO those |
familiar with Swedish history. and
the life aud habits Of thought among
them ~ . people In the old world.
THEIR LOVE or LIRERTT.
From the earliest ages they have
siRuasiIed their love OF liberty by
their brave and constant battling Tor |
popular rights, In the never-ending |
struggle asainst the ceeseless en-
erOaOhments ot the mluions OF abso- |
lutism which has marked the history |
Of Europe for centuries. And In
fact, the earliest development Of
constitutional liberty In the cid
world sppeared I'm Sweden. /
Aud your fatheriaud has enriched |
the history Of the world with names
and deeds Of illustIious sons and |
daughters, too, whose achievements
In var aud statemanshlp. science |
and art, In poetry aud In song. are |
quite familiar toAmeficsn ears.
"W no would have expected" re-
MARKS q recent historian, "that the |
dslivsrer Of Germany and the great
hero Of the Thirty Year, Wsr wogid |
have arisen In The ics-bouud regions
oi aorthsFn Eur0pe ~ but be die,
In the person Gusssyas Adolphes
-not soldier alone, but snlightsaed
statesman e. we'll, Who hieesst
Sweden By estshiizhina eaAoels szd
colleges, foundlns lihrsries. Fefefm.