Griggs courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., Dak. [N.D.]) 1885-1902, 1892-05-27
How Larson Talks!
LEE, North Dakota.

LEE, North Dakota.
Mr. EDITOR: Will you please insert
the following in your paper.
1 had intended not to write any more
about the school, no matter what you
might write about my first article. But
in the first place, you seem to be very
much misinfermed, stating that I COM
pel nv people to send their children to
parochial school. In the second place
YOU have misunderstood me. l have
never even attempted to compel any
one to send their children to eur school,
On the contrary, took the school law
to the people in the district where Ruk-
ke resides, and read 1t and explained it
to them, and told them that they would
have TO see to that their children had
attended public school the length of
time required BY law. you will in.
quire of Gronlid or Forde or Tande
they can testify this.
When stated that I would werk
against your paper if you 80
'on as you have done OF
late, 1 had no reference to what you did
on the jury: 1t is not for me to
punish that, You will have to see to
how you may answer fer it Oh the day
of judgment. What l have reference
to is your paper. You have at least.
twice in a short time, taken the part of
intidels, AGAINST religieh-and if you
will edit q paper for infidels, you have
ians do not want it. And you have no
reason to complain of pastor for
striving to keep such paper away
from his people. l will relate to you
what l mean. About year ago you
had an article in your paper about peo-
ple seeding. And then you proceeded
about in this way: IF it were in order
for u newspaper man to pray. we would
ask merciful providence to bless their
efforts" Now an expression like that
is simply blaspbemy, being that you
live bY the mercy Of God every day,
surely you need to pray as much as any
one else. You. remember no doubt how
you encouraged people to work on
Sunday last fall, and what bitter criti-
cisnl you passed on q certain johnson,
who was unwilling to thresh on Sunday
and was hurt by a team of bronchos.
You may be sure that people are but
too apt to work on Sundays, and they
do not need any encouragement in that
regard. When people were thresh;ng
nearly everywhere on Sunday last fall,
it seemed as though we were in a
heather country rather than christian
one. And now in the case of Gronlid
and Forde, you praised Mrs. Rukke for
what she had done. From this / can
not but Judge that you are an infidel. if
it is not SO L beg yeur pardon. But
then hope also that you will hereafter
take christian stand point. / do not
wish to be at emnitv with you, nor with
anyone else, but 1 would rather have
you for an enemy, than I would be
your friend in the way of sin.
As to Rukke's article I would say
that I had no more intended to make
any false statement with regard to this
matter than have in any other.
know that the complaint against Forde
and Gronlid was not worded so as te
indicate that they were prosecuted 70,
religions sake-that was carefully
avoided. It was stated that they san
their children 10 - Norwegian school
But this was religious school never
ths.less, and the children were sent
ii ,re for rsligisn's sake far more than
tor the language. The people had snl.