The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-04-21
OUR MINNESOTA LETTER.

LAKEWOOD, April 8, 1873.
To the Editor of the BdRner.-DEAR
SIR.-When l wrote you last | was Wad-
ing in snow about as deep as could
stand, but it got worse after that and
learned to walk on Norwegian snow SHOES
(skies they call them) 1t was the only
way l could get through. was very
well satisfied with the fact that my road
led through solitary region, so there
was nobody but myself to laugh when
the skies took a sudden start down an
incline, and sat down in snow bank.
The first day it took me twice my
accustomed time of walking, when the
road was good, but soon got accustom-
ed to the new method of slow motion
and shortened my time down to the same
time had taken to walk. The skies
are 8 or 10 feet long, but some use the
Indian snow shoes, which are not hall
so long and nearly round.
Spring seems to be at hand and one OF
our neighbors has started his PloW,
though we have still few snow banks
left, and some places are pretty wet.
There was not much frost N the ground
so it dries fast.
. There are good many sugar naples
here and the sap is running quite rapidly
lust now. l have been two weeks in a
new school, which like the last one, is
all Scandinavians; some of the scholars
only few months from Sweden.
As pasttime for the winter evenings
we have had weekly reading circle,
especially among the young people.
From one of our meeting will give you
a sketch that may be OF interest TO some
one else as it was to me.
DENMARK's LIBERTY TREE.
1;r,, ,ubar fha naOaC were 0lVld-
ed among themselves, by petty jealousles,
a German count named Geert, invaded
the country and was for a time success
full: but after while a Dane named
Niles Ebbesen collected few faithful
followers and with their assistance stayed
the progress of the invasion fer a time,
himself killing the German count IN
single-handed combat. For about two
wears Ebbesen continued the warefare,
with varying success. The most difficult
part of his efforts being to reconcile his
countTymel among themselves, Tor they
were Jealous of each other and OF MIN.
At last he met his fate in single combat
with another German, all the fighting OF
that time being done with sword or lance.
AS Ebbesen rode up to the scene of his
last combat he hitched his horse to sap
ling oak. That oak, has since that mem
orable occasion, been regarded by The
Danes with the same veneration that we
feel toward the Washington elm and
other liberty trees of the revolutionary
fame. There Ebbesen fought and died
in defense of Danish liberty, and it ha:
become a nations shrine, and is well
protected by an iron fence. While Eb
besen was fighting, many of his country
men turned a cold shoulder to his patri
otto calls to them for united effort In
defense of home and country. They
said: HE cares more for his own glory
than he does for Denmark" After his
fall there came a revernion of feeling ant
when few years ago there was cal
for fund to erect monument to hi
memory, every Dane was ready to re
spond by giving something,if 1T was onl!
afew cents. The monument is statue
OF Ebbesen and was erected on Kimmel
berg Heavenly Hill, which is sos fee
high, being the highest ground in Den
mark. 1t is perhaps two miles no Eng
lish miles,, from the Liberty Tree. Will
best wishes for your continued success il
the face of your recent trial,
Yours Truly,
G. e. BRECKENRIDGE.