Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-07-13

us Tue mysteries concerning the first
discovery ct this continent
Not inundated by any foreign DOW
er, guided solely by their own natural
genius, and influenced by no other
principles than the love of liberty,
security, and independence, those Ice
iandlc republicans combined their in
Cerests and their energies in support of
polltlcal system at once calculated to
protect the rights of the individual
ana 10 inspire the community at large
with sentiments Of exalted partri-
otlSm. And this is not all. Those Ice
landic republicans living amid gravel
deserts and fields of ice, surrounded by
roaring geySers and the glare of vol
CAME names, now witnessing the plain
belch forth mud, now feeling the earth
beneath them tremble in the throes of
earthquake, living bewteen frost and
fire, living in 4 land where during tha
summers twilight and dawn 60 hand
IN hand and kiss each other on tho
mountain tops, but living too, in a
land where most of the year is winter
when the sun nearly or entirely dis
appears and none but nothern lights
| flicker and paint the cOlorS of the
rainbow on the lurid sky above them:
living III fact in a hand where all ex
tremes meet, they produced a litera-
ture, they produced SkaldS and saga
men, who command the administration
of all lands and ages. Iceland had
its golden period in literature while a
well nigh impenetrable darkness over
spread the European continent. Ice
land had its MONDAY sun in literature
while continental Europe CROPPED in
midnight
Iceland was at its zenith while the
the rest of Europe was at its nadirf
BY this interesting historical fact Ice
land gave evidence to the world that
1t Is liberty, freedom, that has the
power to unfold the blossoms of song
and story. Did not Greek literature
and art blossom most luxuriantly dur
ing the republic? Did not Rome, too,
unfold her fairest flowers before the
empire was founded by her Caesars?
Nay, to use in part the language of the
great Morse poet Wergeland, where
thriveS aught good and beautiful and
great in thralldom? Smother the pas
tlre and the grass will not grow green.
fetter the eagle and he will die on his
lofty pinnacle; dam the stream that
hastens in its musical meandering on
its way to the sea and it will turn
into putrid pool Nature, strong and
beautiful, hates all bondage. Can,
then, the fountains of the human spirit
the flights of thought endure thrall-
dom? Shall thought merely shine
within its own prison like lamenting
Aladdin's lamp in his narrow cave?
No, press; lift thy valiant arm and
free the world in all thy wrath from
bondage.
Because the Norsemen in Iceland
preserved the freedom inherited from
their fOrefathers their island became
sacred sanctuary in which our old
TeutOnic literature, mythology, laws
and history were preserved.
1t became the PatmOS where the
apocalypse of our Teutonic past was
recorded, and as such it is to be re-
spected and blessed by thinking, liberty
loving men and women 50 long as the
IeutOnlc race endureth.
Let us remember Left ErikSon, who
in the year 1000 was the first white
man known to have turned the Prov
of his ship to the west for the purpose
of finding America. Let us remember
his brother Thorwald, the first Europe
an and the first Christian buried be
meath American sod. Let us not forget
ThOrfin and Gudrid, who established
the first European colony III New Eng
land! nor their little son Snorre, the
first man Of European blood whose
birthplace was in the new world. And
considering how long the Morse discov-
erers had to wait for proper recognition
let us take this lesson that truth crush
: ed to earth will rise again. Truth may
often lie darkened and hid in unstudied
records, but it is like unto the beam
of light from a star in some far dis
tant region of the universe. After
thousands of years it reaches some
! heavenly body and gives it light
We should not underrate the
Importance of the Morse dis
covery of America because their
settlements on our New England
shores did not become permanent. It
was no fault of the Norsemen that
they did not have firearms for defense
against the natives. Their higher cul-
tllre alone could not protect them
against the swarms of savageS that
attacked them; besides Europe
was not ready to colonize
a new continent Had the
Vinland settlement become permanent
| suppose I would today have addressed
you in Icelandic instead of English.
Last but not least let us forever
remember these hardy Norsemen who
have crossed the Atlantic in a genuine
Viking ship in old viking fashion in
the year 1893. Welcome, thrice well
come to Wisconsin, where 50 many
of your kinsnen have found happy
homes in this century.
When the exercises had been con-
Guided the procession again formed,
and, marching to the street cars, the
officers and crew of the viking were
taken to Henry Paynes private car for
a trip about the city, ending at the
Pabst brewery where a lunch was
served.
! Tonight the crew was banqueted at
the Pfster; when speeches were made
by prominent Norwegians of the state.
Capt. Anderson spoke briefly upon the
voyage Of the viking.