The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-07-30
Correspondence to the Journal.

holds to be self-evident and 1ndiSputabie 1t
Easily ~ IL
wegians are the best sailors aud the best Ash
ermen IN the world AS to the courage and
seek their livelihood, upon the deep waters
there Is not the slightest doubt: But here as
IN Pretty much FIELD 81 p
other nations. In one respect, however, we
still lead; the Norwegian merchant marine
holds the worlds record for losses by ship.
that Norwegian ship owners have been in tho
old and unseaworthy vessels Of the world, in
which seamen of other natio1alltles nave
been unwilling to risk their lives. But no
less man than Bjornson himself in speech
the other day suggested that 1t may also IN
ak e De to Of a 9f
officers Our freight carrying trade has dur
ing the last twenty years yielded an average
But in the same period our effective tonnage
has decreased from 5A to s per cent of the
worlds tonnage. Most of our steamers are
small SIN and our ship owners lack organization:
The boats are owned and controlled, not by
large and powerful consolidated companies as
in other e9untries but by small
ing Of the business. - r.~ s
Fishermen Behind the Times.
ing on our rockbound storm-swept Atlantic
coast, the American public heard great deal
last winter thru appeals for aid in the dis
tress caused by the inroads of the seals. Inc
great trouble with these fishermen is that
they are working with Anticipated open boats
and the. poorest kind of gear. IT the fish does
their very house-doors they cannot catch 1t.
are carried on in large sea-going modern
boats and with modern equipment. But the
majority of Norwegian fishermen tenaciously
stick to the boats and the ways of their
great grandfathers and scornfully resist all
attempts aS5inoyatton: In a few places, no ta
ing yesselsl thru the example of Swedish fish
ermen a change has been made with excellent
Sea in 1900 yielded $50, 0OO, 900 crowns. OF
these England and Scotland secured 100000
LOO, Holland II, 100000 France II 25G,0 900, Ger
many 100000 and Norway only $500 600:
fish every year from Sweden and Denmark.
I The coast fisheries ofiNoIway are very I'M
certain The cod fisheries, for instance.
varied from 100000 codfin 1880 to '3,ooo,ooo
in 1885, -
The fishermen have formed all sorts Of more
@ nj 5et theE to 10 TURN for es
| have blamed the burning of seaweed, the
| steamboats, and Of late years the whaling
| industry for the disappearance Of the fish.
| coast Of Norway yielded 100000 crowns. on
Iceland Carried on by Norwegians) 2,50o, 900
on The E o Islands a Sc
coast the fisheries have improved since the
Norwegians commenced to kill off the whales.
The scientific men who for years have sub
jected these things to- careful investigation
Whales IN the OCEAN has absolutely nothing
| to do with the variations in the coast fish
cries But that cuts no figure with the fish
when the seals appeared and the cod delayed
has ar hsy sst o
| ing industry on the Norwegian coast.
| Our: liberal government, unmindful of the
protests of scientific men and unmindful OF
the interests of thes companies which have
breagh beoe
parliament bill for the suppression OF the
diminution of whales in She ocean, the seals
disappeared ard pthe cod came so that the
yield Of the fisheries this year IS somewh G
COO fish better than the average of the las
five years. Parliament delayed action f,or
the bill and the fishermen, in spite. Of vastly
improved conditions had been worked up t
4 reserted to violent measures 49, ~. = g :
u ~. The FIshernen's Riot. ., =
On June about i, 800 fishermen at Mehavo1
on the east side of the North Cape, utterl.
destroyed the whaling station located there
and rolled the brs INTO ha H
men of the station and the local authorize
were powerless to restrain the mob But thi
was a little two stiff even for our liberal par
lament and government. The bill was table
,, and a military force and gunboat dis
and a number Of the participants have bee
Il arrested and will be severely dealt with
But the agitators responsible for this de
, plorable event will probably go scot free
They are principally one Of the members Q
st @Re ha f or the o1tea
i 1eting Them aaa to the @ bee that they
being deliberately prosecuted and ruined an
avenge their wrongs on society. That a ma
hG openly w.
, in the established church of the countr
seems puzzle, but it Is only one manifesto
, ton of many of the utter lack OF system an
! discipline, which prevails in the church as l
I ,s-.-. Evils Of a State. Church.
The Lutheran church in,.Norway IS a stat
3 church. i. e.. a church whose laws anq reg
/ ulations are made by parliament and who's
political expediency has placed at the hea
OF the department for church and public IN
! struction The congregations have nethip
to- do but to:subnit to the laws made by: PAL
Lament and, accept the preachers sent then
ah Rey st at ong as Rs 90
commit any criminal act OF which they ca
T be convicted" before secular. jury. III
Augsburg Confession Of Faith, of course, off
which the ministers are sworn; but that
= no bar to the minister's preaching prett
. much any doctrine which he may see fit
= = embrace The older generation Of our clers
. still preach more or less orthodox doctri1
q but the younger generation, who have r.
j ceiyed their; instruction under the presel
: theological faculty usually pride themselve
t on being opponents of modern scientific thu
v ology.
y Discipline Is Lax.
: One powerful voice has OF late been raise
:. in defense Of the old faith against moder
;, nation alistic preaching, namely That OF O
y Bishop Heuch Of christilnsa1a a1 and a n ioi
: secular and church papers for months {
the old faith VS.. the new. A large propo
a ton Of the laity no doubt side with Bishc
. tIeuch but Of his laymen too the. young
9 istic. A great many years ago there W;
o quite strong movement within the NO
! wegian church in favor OF the cutting ava
). from state bondage and the establishment
:, a free church, but that movement seems
: Ehave died out entirely. The clergy OF Il
II established church do not want to give up Il
n power which it Yields over the church: TIL
70 church discipline is extremely lax under ti II
were ecclesiastical courts for the trial
c1ergymen accused Of laxity in hoI life fec or do
II strange results.
IL A few years ago a clergyman appeared {
It board of coast steamer in a state of intox
4 cation and behaved improperly to woma
!. An eccelestieal court would ;, prompt
e ANONYMOUSLY expelled from the ministry. b
', the secular court, which tried him. saw not
n ing very grave in his oHense ana acqu1ttt
II him and consequently he could not be depos'
9ee His behaybe had be-
i Immediately relieved him from duty and no
1t the man enjoys his leisure In the capits
y doing no work in the chuIcn. put drawing 2