The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-11-16
THE EDUCATED DANES.
What an English Minister Found to
Admire in the Little Country.

A Longhborough, England minister, the
Rev. Peter Dean. according 10 Tne Ex-
aminer of that city, on :eturning from
visit to Denmark. addressed his congrc-
CATION, including these remarks, of In
terest here:
9Th, people are devoting themselves to
making the little they have the best pos
sftle. Nearly all the railways are now
owned by the state. The whole of the
land is mapped out in farms-chfefiy
small ones-which are owned by the farm
ers of them. about fve-sixths OF the lana
being owned by small freeholders and
peasantry, and the laws are now such
that there cannot be large landowners,
as In England. or too much subdivision
of the land. as is the evil in France. In
Denmark big farms cannot be made to
pay SO we'll as little ones. So. wherever
you go you see little farms well culti-
waited. And this makes the country q
pretty country. 1t is comparatively nat
no mountains and few hills-here and
there lakes, the sea dividing 1t into three
or four islands. but the we'll kept white
farmhouses, surrounded by plenty OF
trees, and almost every acre of the land
cultivated make 1t a beautiful country
to see. And these Danish farmers, I'M
like many of our English farmers, can
make farming pay, and pay we'll. Tney
are intelligent men. They study farming
al the agricultural colleges, they cooper
cooperative dairy, dealing with the milk
FIR pm all the farms for six or seven miles
around, carts being continuously en-
ployed going from farm to farm to gather
milk-and so they have built up the great
Danish butter industry, which has grown
to such magnifcence during the last thir-
ty or forty years.
II landed and departed at and from
the port OF Esbjerg, the port nearest to
England; thirty years ago Esbjerg was
not to be found on any map of Denmark
Where it now stands there was only a
barren, heathery slope. Now there is
town and 1000 inhabitants, with good
streets and fine buildings. and several
ships departing from or coming to IT,
every day. And Esbjerg has thus been
made by the enterprise of the Danish
farmers. Twenty-Five years ago there
were only 100000 pounds Of butter year
are 20,000, 900 pounds year being shipped
The exports of pork In the same time
have risen from half a million to 16O.-
100000 pounds, of fish from 75O pounds
OOe, 900 to 10000, 0O0. Nearly all this trade
is with England. You see the Danes have
not needed to conquer England 10 get
trade with England. They have made
other farm produce and not troubled their
heads with decisions like trade following
the flag
I'm England we are troubled with the
way in which the workers are leaving
the country places and fiocking into the
towns. In Denmark they have such
good state of things in the country places
that of recent years there has been a
reverse current from the towns to the
country. Notwithstanding Germany took
away part of Denmark some years ago.
she has now more inhabitants than ever
before, and as regards wealth per head
Denmark is only second to Great Rritain-
and the PEOPLE are better off because
there the wealth is not in few hands as
1t Is with us. Within the past few years
she has reclaimed some 1000 square miles
of previously waste land. which had been
regarded as almost valueless. Not only
as regards their milk, but as regards
r. any other things, the farmers cooper
ate together. They do so for the sale and
export of their produce. and the purchase
of the things they need. They have
about four hundred banks in the coun-
try, chiefly under their own management.
They have cattle-breeding societies about
the country; they have free lectures and
evening lessons for the working classes,
committees for promoting popular amuse-
ments, cheap concerts, and cheap litera-
ture, and also offices for free legal ad-
vice. In almost every village there Is q
public hall for popular recreation and
social gatherings, and almost every little
town in Denmark has its own little daily
"But think 1t Is in the matter of edu-
cation that the people OF Denmark large
who formerly for twelve years was
member of the School Board. l must say
that | think there is much We may learn
from them as to elementary education.
While as to higher education We are
wofully behind them. l spent q morning
in being taken with a party through the
Girls High school o. Cn,""hp =" = s.
that school there are about 1000 girls and
Y.uu; " M, oi. 49, trAC l.cI-. '.itu as " o
were taken from room to room to see
the classes at work was astonished and
anna ed BOTANY. electricity, physiology
and anatomy, French, German, English,
cookery. history. gymnastics. religion
almost all sorts of subjects were being
taught. rhe consequence is tho girls of
that Soho Il are sen. aWey not only know
ing general subjects, but able to con-
verse IL. fou'' languayes--Danish. French,
German and English. And even in the
common board schools languages are be-
ing taught. Nor are they neglecting the
more immediate practical things. Their
cookery centars ara in advaIce IF ours;
every board school has not only "A gym
nasium, but shower and feet baths, and
once fortnight every scholar has to
have these baths. while their technical
schools were famous even bsfote we be-
gan to have such in this country at all.
see In all this education the secret of
the superiority of the Danes. Lord Ba-
con said Knowledge is power The