The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-05-30
SCANDINAVIA.
The Influence of Its Blood in the
History of the World.


I'VE take pleasure in quoting the
following admirable remarks from the
address of Prof. Julius E. Olson, of the
University of Wisconsin, delivered at
the celebration of Norway's natal day,
May 18th, at Minneapolis. Some of
these views we have foreshadOwed in
our book, atlantis" wherein we were
the first to PROFOUND the theory that
the great Aryan race did not come
from Central Asia, but from Northern
Europe. The Scandinavans have
every reason to be proud of their race
and country-Prouder even than they
are. I.D1
This theory, which novelty puts at a dis
Advantage, seems startling, but the cumu-
aq*ive force OF the evidence in support of it
equally startling. The fact Is that the
history of Scandinavia has, within the last
HeOade, been the object Of much learned
Ht1cussion, from which 1t has become evil
Nsnt that Scandinavian antiquities must be
Rnnoh more carefully considered than has
4tnerto been the case, In order to under
Whnd the composition Of the greet tistori-
~ races Of Europe and their history. His
E0fy has hitherto taught us, for instance
Gaat the typical blonde people Of the North
3na the typical dark people OF Southern
8ufope brothers in blood-one and
ths same race. It does not stand to reason
~ the light ofmodern science 1t Is impos-
give But 1t was the mixture Of those
primitive races that produced the FIRST
feat civilizations Of Europe, each contrib
Gtfpg its physical and intellectual traits
Md characteristics.
!. Ana the influence of Northern blood in
4PtAitve things was plainly such as was
Nkerted by the historical vikings What
HAe character Of that influence was, let I'M
Ri9sed historians tell. An English scholar.
HAtn Rhys. the professor of Celtic at Ok
ford University. has recently said: {" Few
spf the states OF modern Europe have not
pad their history profoundly modified by
ehe Scandinavian conquests Of the viking
period The eminent American scholar,
POM Fiske, has given utterance to these
words: The descendants Of these North
men formed very large proportion Of the
population Of the East Anglican counties
4nd consequently Of the men who founded
New England. The East Anglican countries
save oeen conspicuous for resistance to
tyranny and for freedom Of thought" The
great English historian Green, IN speaking
pr the vikings, says: mo race has ever
ehown a greater power of absorbing all
fhe noble characteristics of the people with
whom they came in contact. or Of 'infusing
,fnetr own energy into them" And the
E~orld-renowned scholar. Max Mueller has
iAeid: THE vigor Of the various branches
or the Teutonfc race may be measured by
the amount Of Northern blood in their
veins. Though the old Morse is but
"a dialect of the same language that the
sAngies and Saxons brought to Britain
Though the Norman blood is the same blood
that floods and GIBBS in every German
neart. yet there Is an accent Of defiance in
that rugged Northern speech, and a spring
pr daring madness in that throbblng North
tsrn heart, which marks the Northman
he hpth ip
or in Sicily, whether on the Seine or on
the Ths mes"
Many of our own people are disposed to
dismiss all consideration of the vikings
with the charge that they were rude and
red handed pirates Yes but they put new
life and blood, political ideas and instincts.
into degenerate Europe. They possessed DO
I&ential nobility. In many respects they
were the moral superiors of their opponents
And though they came as heathens, the
dire foes of the church, their children be-
came its staunchest defenders-the pioneers
OF the crusades. and the Puritans of me-
dieval Christianity. They also gave new
Impetus to literary activity. The great Eng
fish historian, Maoauley, says Of the North
men that settled in France: They aban-
0oned their native speech and adopted the
French. They found 1t a barbarous jargon
they fixed it In writing; they employed it in
legislation, in poetry and romance"
We need not at a celebration like this
pr the doughty Norwegians of 1914, whose
patriotic efforts were embalmed in the con-
stitution Of the 18th of May. There are
Pther things to be said of pre-eminent i'm
portance to the Scandinavians as a whole
things, too that may even please and in
Stfuct our American friends. In fact, this
pay may be Of vast and varied interest, if
we celebrate it with d-gauged and SEN
Sibe enthusiasm.
Surely no thoughtful American will pass
lcensure upon us, if we, as Scandinavians,
Professionally come together to commune
with the spirit of our fathers and review
their achievements in history. That spirit
ana those achievements are of such a ma
ture as TO enhance our appreciation of the
duties of American citizenship.
And for other reasons than those of blood
and patriotism will we do we'll to continue
our love for the Scandinavian countries,
for they are a source of perennial interest
EAnd they are Of interest to others than
lScandinavians. l need not mention Scandi-
NaVian literature, which long has enjoyed
the enthusiastic admiration of galaxy of
Foreign scholars. But to the historical stu
,dent, FOR instance these countries are in a
sense. newly discovered lands. Thus, some
tfecent German and English investigators
Ipre emphatically maintaining that these
Pands have played a more important role
tn the drama of European history than the
tWoild Is yet prepared to believe-Scandi-
Enavians least Of all. Scandinavian scholars
ihave been, and still are, too much in
Icllned to believe that their early an
Ecestors were but insignificant part of a
>Ereater race. the German-that their speech
characteristics the heritage of a
Iater Teutonic mother. Able European
bolars are now contendng that Scandi-
via was the mother and that the vari-
Teutonic tribes, from Goth to Saxon,
re her children. In fact, it is already
pretty well established that in primitive
1tlmes Scandinavia was veritable cradle of
races. "a mandatory of nations" and
shat the historical Viking age was but the
Hast of a series of Viking ages. 1t would
Eeem that every country in Europe has,
IAt one time or another received such
Eructifying stream of emigration from the
lScandlnavian North as has flowed over the
proad prairies of this Northwest That tall
Ealr-haired, blue-eyed race, whose origin
mas bewildered scholars and has been a
puzzle in the history Of every European peo-
Ple from the Greeks to the Celts is in
pigenous to the soil Of the Scandinavian
Reninsuas, and to no other country in the
rworld, There it has lived since the very
GAVIN of European history. There a. civil
ezation budded and developed that was
Enthusiastically Northern. And from its
Northern hive, In the course of ages, tribe
after tribe swarmed over all Europe lend
ing to every nation with which they came
In contact Northern blood and Northern
spirit
I have spoken of these results of histor-
ical research. and have quoted the ringing
words of learned men, not in any vain
glorious spirit, but to indicate that the
lScandinavians have contributed their share
of brain and Drawn In laying the founda-
ltions Of the great nations in Europe. in
hopes that thorough appreciation of this
TACT may make us conscious Of our posi-
DilittGS--chp6T rs,