The Minneapolis journal., 1903-04-10
Mr.. ANKER ;. QUERY
"A Scandinavian Who Thinks the
Nationality Should Go to Col
lege More Often. ].
An investigation Shows That Good
Percentage Already
Does So.

New York Sun Special Service.
cyhicaro April 10.-William e.. Curtis
In a washington special to the Record
Herald says: Some time ago received
! a3letter from SiGurd Anker, OF Blair col
1ege. Nebraska, asking an explanation
| ~ the limited number of Scandinavians
| at the state institutions of education In
the northwest, which, he asserted, was
far below what 1t ought to be considering
the population. I addressed letters of in
/ curry to the presidents Of several unlver-
stiles and colleges ana state superlnlen-
whom I have received much Information
hearing. on this subject, which contradicts
l the theory of Anker and shows that the |
ii Scandina vians In the United States are
as eager for learning as in the old coun-
tries. without doubt the percentage Of
nliteracy Is smaller in Norway, Denmark
! and Sweden than in any other country In
the world, and the average Of educated
men and women Is higher. The system
of education is nowhere so highly devel-
oped and no people more attentive to their
schools Acting President Birge of the
University of. Wisconsin, In reply to my
. inquiry, said. - sS{. h: ~ ss.E.-..s
l s..There are more than 100 scholars Of
l Scandinavian descent in the school, of
letters and science and industry in this
l university, although Lean not state the
exact humber. There are about 1000
students in these colleges, so that the
L Scandinavians are perhaps something less
I than one-fifteenth of.sthe total number.
These are mainly Norwegians as the
Scandinavian population Of Wisconsin
l comes largely from Norway. My recollec-
tion is that this population is about one
I tenth of sthat of the state, so that the
/ number of Scandinavian students is
l somewhat, but not greatly less than the
4 population would Indicate. On the other
l hand it must be remembered that the col
leges under the control of the Lutheran
l church have Of late been making strong
l efforts to turn students from the state in
stitutions to themselves. If the attend
l ance in these colleges is to be taken into
account, believe that the number o.
4 college students from the Norwegian pop
ulation will compare favorably with tina
from other nationalities One other thing
l should be considered, namely, that th
Norwegian people go to the rural dis
4 tricts and settle on farms rather than II
. the cities. The Germans, on the othe
Il hand, have a. larger proportion In the ur
ban districts than on the, farm. This give
I them a. greater advantage in preparin
for universities, since@the high school
. are more easily attainable for them. >.
- Several chairs, ten In number, lin tn
o. university, were given by a Norwegian
lld John Johnson, and were founded Dy scnol
ars of Norwegian descent - !" =
ow So far then as the facts from Wiscon
ill sin go, therefore, they lend no coun
'p- tenance to the statement that the: MOI
Dr. wegians are not appreciative to the sys
tenn Of higher educations which this cour
try offers. ~isA.s:,@ Q
Al similar statement comes from Pres
dent Andrews of the University of Ne
OF braska, who, says: isaI5 - q
ri 1.-THE statement thatfthe Scandinavian
i've do not use our higher education privilege
TIL does not seem to me to! he wells founde
PTH, %off -OfrS VII
aw, university compares :favorably with tn
7 in from other Municipalities and with the po
act ulation Of the state. AS yet our foreit
any born young men and women do not a
the tend universities In quite so large pr
ion portion as those from American fanlile
Icy but the proportion of their attendance
ght increasing with the years and this IS,
&C think. particularly true of the Scant
navians.' ..'.. =, .. - T.
M. A. Lange, deputy superintendent
public instruction Of South Dakota, sa!
| 5'I have been engaged in school VIC
last during the past twenty-five years and
cihc far as my experience goes the Scan'
rate navians have been as anxious to secure
Da- practical education as are the people fr'
rand any other country and much more SO tf
ick- many who come from other foreign col
hern tries 1 do not know any as eager
ollet education as the Scand1nav1ans IN M
- nesota, Iowa and DakOtas (these be-
: the states I have had most experle1
~Se]oSA
nec- would have a much higher standard
with citizenship
;land M. A. foWler, superlhteIuene " pu
1925 education OF Nepraska, WHITES as
lows: t-.' - f.
with reference to the public scht
Of this state and particularly with
,,,,v erence to the compulsory attendance
,own no complaint has ever been made OF
! he difficulties with the Scandinavian ra
-. But this law applies only to attenda
at the common schools. At Oakland, n
. ever, in Burt county, a. town OF al
1000 inhabitants, almost all Of whom
Scandinavians or Of Scandinavian
. traction, they maintain high schoo
+ four grades above the. common sci
q with an attendance last year Of forty !
pupils At Blair, a city Of 5000 inf
: itants, there is a Danish Lutheran
\ Ilege or seminary with an attendance
j several hundred pupils. At Nystad Il
is a Danish high school and in the
tions Of the state where the Scandinai
en- races. have settled the high schools
he erage as full an enrolment and as
- ular an attendance as in other port
~ Of the state" e5s55-s III.
To- r