The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-07-24
new SWEDEN is TWENTY YEARS OLD.
The Birthday of the Town FittIngIy
Observed Yesterday,
With Speeches by Prominent Citizens
and Other Exercises.
Minister Thomas Sends Greeting
From the Sweden over the Sea,
Especial to the Press.1

~"S~SA sOoaJ SOAObAAtS0 tlO @ObA
ry of its settlement by the little colony of
Swedes who, under the guidance Of Hon. w.
W. Thomas, Jr, the present United States
Minister to Norway and Sweden. then act
ing as commissioner for the State of Maine,
founded new homes in the forests of Aroos-
took. The exercises today consisted of
speeches by prominent members of the colo
ny in the afternoon, and concert in the
evening. AT the afternoon meeting the fol-
lowing letter was read from Minister
Thomas:
LEGATION of the UNITED STATES,
STOCKHOLM, June %, 1890.
TO the CoIoniStS of Neao SWeden, Maine:
Dear Friends Il desire to extend to you,
one and all, my sincere thanks for the kind
invitation you send me through your CON-
mittee to attend the celebration of the twen-
tleth anniversary OF the founding of New
Sweden in the woods of Maine l thank
you also for the generous words of your let
ter, and especially the assurance that 'the
whole community extends to you its invita-
tation and hearty welcome" If could
fly would be with you. Only the broad
ocean rolling between US, prevents me from
Joining in your festivities, looking once more
into your honest faces and once more taking
every one of you by the hand. Your letter
instantly carried me back along the years.
Twenty years ago this.very day sailed from
the shores of old Sweden. Clustered around
me on the deck of the steamship were some
of you, my friends. You formed the first
Swedish colony for Maine-a little band of
fifty one men, women and children, who
then left home and fatherland, and bravely
the tolls and hardships of making new
home in the wilderness of a foreign land,
without the scratch of pen by way of con-
tract or obligation, but with simple faith in
the honor and hospitality Of the State of
Maine.
After journey of four weeks, at noon of
July %, 1870, we reached "the promised
land" in the depths of the vast northern
forest You will never forget that day
We called the spot New Sweden, name
commemorative Of the past and auspicious
OF the future; and at once went to work to
carve happy homes out of the back woods.
And that work has gone on without haste
and without rest to this hour. You meet
now on this glad anniversary to celebrate
the founding of your colony. You do well.
number thousand. Where the dark forest
stood wave broad fields of grain. Sleek
cattle and thick feeced sheep Craze in your
pastures, the busy hum of industry rises
free schools open their doors for your chill
dren, on your hill tops the church spire
points heavenward, with you are an open
Bible and the free worship of God. But
how many blows of the axe, how many drops
of sweat it has cost to turn each acre from
forest to farm land, only you, and we who
were with you and witnessed your untiring
labors, can know. You have fought a good
fight-a hand to hand fight with nature.
You have conquered; and it is right and
fitting that you should celebrate the victory.
And your victory Is as unusual as 1t is COM
plete and gratifying; for l believe am but
giving utterance to an historical fact when
say that New Sweden is the only successful
agricultural colony founded by foreigners
from over the ocean within the limits Of
New England since the Revolution. And
the good done by New Sweden has not
been confined within its own borders The
fact that successful colony of Swedes was
established in our State has for many years
attracted Swedish immigrants to Maine and
to our sister New England States.
Furthermore a considerable number of
Swedes from New Sweden, chiefly citizens
who preferred mechanical to agricultural
pursuits, have gone forth year after year and
settled in other portions of the State; in the
field and Houlton; in the cities of Bangor
and Portland; among the slate quarries of
PiscataquiS county, the great tanneries OF
Penobscot and Washington. and the saw
mills and lumber woods of northern Maine.
Not few Swedes have also taken up farms
in the older sections of our State. And
Swedes from your colony have gone beyond
the borders of Maine. Early in the history
of the settlement some of its mem
bers went to Providence, Rhode Island, to
Manchester, New Hampshire, to Boston, and
to many Of the manufacturing towns of
Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Each
Swede, wherever he settled, was soon joined
by friends from old Sweden. and so became
the nucleus of new Swedish community.
More than this During this very year, and
while you my friends are getting ready for
your celebration, the State of Vermont, in
spired by your example is procuring and
settling emigrants from old Sweden upon her
abandoned farms.
New England before New Sweden, but they
were few and far between" To-day in
very many New England towns and villages
the Swedes are to be counted by hundreds,
and in not few by thousands. Before
New Sweden, the Swedish immigrants al
most without exception went to the great
West and North West. Since your colony
was founded, a portion of the stream of
Swedish immigration has been diverted, and
has flowed upon and fertilized New England.
This portion. relative to the total immigra-
tion is small, know, but it is respectable
and worthy of note.
The founding of New Sweden marks then
an epoch in the history of New England. 1t
marks the beginning of Swedish immigra-
tion in any considerable numbers, into the
six original ankee States, and your colony
my friends is directly and indirectly very
largely the cause thereof Surely |, an
American, may speak truth you are too
modest to utter, and say that no better i'm
migrants land on our shores than the descen-
dants of the Vikings and the soldiers of
Gustavus Adolphus. This Swedish blood
will infuse an element of strength and vigor
into our New England life AN element that
is honest and industrious, long suffering and
God-fearing: And for this element we have
largely to thank you,-Swedish c0lonist in
the Maine backwo0ds. l desire to emphasize,
and make prominent this fat so that not only
you Of Swedish birth, but my native Ameri-
can fellow citizens may recognize and ap-
preciate it,-that, the founding Of Nelv Sue
den, Maine, turned a portion Of the tide Of
SDedish immigration upon NelU England,
and is the chief cause of the settlement lUithill
Nelo England Of The Stcedes that lire there
tO.ddq.
And now, my good friends, | cannot tell
you how much L should enjoy taking part in
your festivities, and how much 1 regret that
this is impossible. You who are left of the
little company that sailed with me over the
seas, and you who have followed after,-you
all with one accord have ever called your
selves my children in the woods" l can
not express to you how deeply these simple
words always touched me, but L can assure
You at least Of this,-that the father is proud
of his children, one and all, proud of the
great work you have done on the soil of his
native State, proud of the thrift, good order,
virtue and temperance of your community,
and proud of the honorable place you will ever
occupy in the history of Maine and of New
England. On this twentieth anniversary of
the day when | led you into the prime 7al
American forest, and established your home
there, send across the Atlantic from your
native Northland to the dear old Pine Tree
State where was born, the best and warm
est wishes of my heart for your continued
health, prosperity and happiness. God bless
New Sweden God bless you ALI is the
fervent prayer of the father of ''the children
in the woods"
WILLIAM w. THOMAS, JR