The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-11-11
Twentieth Anniversary of the
Great Swedish School.
THOUSANDS PRESENT.
Bishop Won Scheele Central
Figure in Celebration.
Great Chorus in American and
Swedish Songs.
History of the Rise of This
Kansas Institution.

| LindSborg, Kas., Nov. n.-Bethany
college is celebrating its twentieth an
| niversary. 1t is a three days festival
| with the programme for the first two
| days largely devoted to doing homage
| to knut Henning Gezelious Won Scheele
bishop of Visby and the direct repre-
sentative of King Oscar II of Sweden
to Bethany college. to bring the greet
ings of royalty to the Swedish settlers
of the Smoky Hill valley. Since Sat
urday evening, when a delegation from
the college met Bishop Won Scheele and
Lady Won Scheele and party at Man
haitian. every part of the elaborate
programme has .centered about the dis
tnguIShed representative of royalty.
The student body with nearly the entire
population of Lindsborg, headed by q
band and wearing the college coloro,
fatherland, are the same colors embod-
led in the Swedish national emblem.
Bishop Won Scheele was escorted with
considerable ceremony to the residence OF
Dr. Carl SwenSson, president of Beth
any college since its organization
Here a dinner with covers for 1870
guests was served. a feature was the
presentation by DR.. w. A. Granville,
representative of Yale college, of cop
les of the Bethany Yale club souvenir
to Bishop Won Scheele and to DR..
Swensson. Bishop Won Scheele was re-
quested to present one of the two cop
les given into his hands to King Oscar.
Despite lowering clouds and a wind
that enveloped the town in a cloud of
dust, the huge auditorium on the col
lege campus was filled for the first for
NAL service of the occasion at IL
o'clock Sunday morning Bishop Won
Scheele delivered the sermon, which
was followed by the impressive liturgy
service. AT o'clock the auditorium
was again filed for the festival of wei
come. For the first time in the history
of the college the members of the fac
ac1dQmical robes.
Bishop Won Scheele wore the badges of
the three degrees of the Order of the
North Star, an honor conferred only by
King Oscar of Sweden. The college
chorus of $50 voices occupied the choir
gallery
Following the rendition of America
come were addressed to Bishop Won
Scheele. Four of the addresses were de-
livered in the Swedish tongue, two in Eng
lish and one address each in German,
French, Latin, Greek and Hebrew. The
Rev. A w. Dahlston, d. d., president
of the Mcpherson conference district;
the Rev. J. Wickstrand, president of the
Smoky Hill Ministerial union; the Rev.
G.. A. Brandelle, D. D., president of the
Kansas conference; the Rev J. E.
Floren, Phi. D., president of the board
of Bethany college, and David Nord-
ling, A B., in behalf of the Bethany
alumni, were the Swedish speakers.
Prof. c. F. Carlbert, Phi. D., senior pro-
fesSOr at Bethany, and Frank Nelson,
state superintendent OF puDnc lnSlTuc-
ton, spoke in English. The others were
Prof. P. H. Pearson, A. M, in German;
Prof. Dirger Sandsen, French; the Rev.
Prof Ernest Pihlblad, A M, Latin, and
the Rev. Prof. J. Ekholm, Phi. D., in
Hebrew. Bishop Won Scheele responded
at length in the Swedish tongue. Inter
spersed through the speeches the
choruses sang the Star Spangled Ban
ner," Home, Sweet Home and the
Swedish song, "Heildig Du Hoga Nord."
The first part of the musical pro-
gramme given Sunday night was an en-
tirely original one in composition, the
entire programme being prepared to
welcome Bishop Won Scheele. The Beth
any band played festival march COM
posed by Charles Wagstaff, leader of the
band. Then followed an adaptation of a
1t told of struggles past and expressed
hope for the future in the career of
Bethany college. This, with several
solo numbers and three selections of
Handlers Messiah concluded the pro-
gramme. The chorus numbered 400
voices The programme for today in
cludes lecture by Bishop Won Scheele,
two football games and a torch light
procession in the evening. The big day
comes Tuesday, when the anniversary
exercises proper will be held. Bishop
Won Scheele will deliver an address. At
2:3O o'clock in the afternoon Governor
Stanley, DR.. Andreen of Rock Island
and Dr. w. A. Granville of Yale col
lege will deliver addresses
Bethany college was founded by DR..
Swensson. On the first morning of it's
existence there were only two profess
sors and not a student. Now the col
lege has II departments, 40 professors
and instructors, 500 students, build
ings and $175,000 in property. Its diplo-
mas are recognized by Yale, Chicago
and Haryard and other leading Ameri-
can and European universities. There
are 500 graduates While building the
IT, hos oil h11i1 ia
fourishing town of Lindsborg.
The history of Lindsborg during the
past 20 years has been a history of a
struggle for higher education. 1t is a
town of about 1,500 people, situated
three miles south of the Saline county
boundary line, and is one of the most
fertile and beautiful locations in Nc
Pherson county. On the west are the
Smoky hills crowned with a blush haze
that gives them their name. The larg-
est building in the town is the college,
the second largest is the church. There
are no saloons. gambling houses. no
police court. The Swedish settlement,
of which it is the center, extends north
almost to Salina, and east and west 20
miles. In that territory the church has
8 500 communicates.
The colony was started by Rev Olaf
Olson in 1869, when 10000 acres of
land were purchased by Swedish Luth-
Grams from the Union Pacific railroad
A colony was started which later be-
came Lindsborg. The county was or
ganized and DR. Olson became its head
going to the legislature to help make a
law that would conf1ne the cowboys
within reasonable limits. This he did,
and then when the settlement was well
under way went to Rock Island, Ill,
to take charge of the college there.
One summer a party of 20 young
men came out from the east. and
among them was Carl Swensson- He |
ocIxo 70
and that sermon made him the