The Portland daily press., 1896-05-05
SCANDINAVIAN IN THIS COUNTRY.
They Show Great Adaptibility to Environ
ment.

tCharies Babcock in Atlantic Monthly. }
The great adaptibility of the Soandi-
navians to the circumstances and customs
Of their adopted country is acknowledged
on all sides. Whenever and wherever
they have rransplanted themselves
whether in England in the ninth century,
il Normandy in the 10th, in Sicily in
the 18th, or in America in the 10Th, the
came process of transformation has taken
place. No other people in all history has
such record In the United States they
have eagerly learned English, and have
quickly done SO because of it's similarity
to their own languages in structure and
vocabulary. OF course, mon who have
come hither as adults always prefer the
old speech, and in come districts in the
country and in Scandinavian quarters of
ths cities it will be heard almost exclu-
sively, because OF the large numbers OF
tho foreign-born. But the second genera
ton quite invariably choose English, and
many of them have forgotten the Ian
guage of their fathers. At town con-
vention which I attended in 1894 in
Chicago county, large Swedish COM
munity, the proceedings went on smooth
ly in English for some time, until an
elderly Swede beoame somewhat puzzled
and asked the chairman, young Swsde,
TO explain the matter in Swedish Re-
marks were addressed to the chair in both
languages.
In matters of religion, Scandinavians
have shown peculiar facility in con-
forming to the bad American custom of
multiplying denominations. In the home
countries, though there is now practically
complete liberation, the existence of a
state church and an episcopal organiza-
ton has maintained good degree of uni
formIty. Neither of these restraining in
fuences has ever operated in the country
There have been no bishops to check the
tendency to diversity. Liberty to. adopt
any creed and to change church relations
at will is freely used. The zeal of the
Norwegian in controversy has found even
@ better field in the church than in
policies. Before 1890, when three divis-
ions united, there were five bodies of Nor
Wegian Lutherans, while the Danes were
ooInforta BILE with two and the Swedes
Jagged behind with only one. What the
Swedes Lace in Lutheranism they make
up in dissenting scots" though none
of them are large. The Mormon church
has very large number of Scandina-
WANG, principally Danes, though few of
them have been converted in this ooun-
try.
The statistics Of intemperance and
illegitimaey, which are sometimes so
alarming in parts of the Scandinavian
countries, do not appear to find parallel
among ssthe Soandinavians in America.
But all such statistics are unsatisfactory,
and frequently Enthusiastically. General
lzstlon is, therefore, unsafe There are
drunkenness and illegitimacy among
them here, but have not observed that
it is more difficult to maintain order and
deoency in city like Minneapolis, with
its Norwegians and Swedes, than in ST.
Paul, with its Irish and Germans OF
the pauper and criminal classes the Scan
diEavians have smaller proportion than
any other alien element except the Brit
ish, while of the insane, judging from
Minnesota, they seem TO have larger
percentage than the Germans or British.
Unfortunately, in ordinary statistics OF
this nature, the second generation is u.s.
ually put down as native born, with nc
hint as to parentage beyond some pecu-
liarity Of name.