Morris tribune., 1906-07-21

appropriate place for the memorial
This movement brings into public no
tice a man perhaps entirely unknown
to Ill Americans not of Norwegian ey'
traction and but little known to the
Norwegian themselves. The story OF
kleng PcerSGn. Il man who did more
for his people in America than any
other person of his time, in fact more
perhaps, than any other person that
ever lived. FIe was very remarkable
man, seemingly endowed by nature foi
just such work as he undertook to Go
Although denied the advantages OF
higher education in his boyho0d. K
learned to speak and read the English
French and German languages, in adj
dition to his own and was exceeding
ly quick to grasp new ideas and stu
ations. He also had the faculty OF
setting forth his own ideas in inter
esting form, thereby winning attentive
listeners wherever he went and enlist
ing recruits for his eoloniZing schemes,
He was born in Stayanger county, Nor"
way, May II, 1882, and emigrated to
America Us early as 1921. He was
doubtless the first Norwegian to visit
the country west of the great lakes,
which he did not later than 1888. The
year following he led a small band of
Norwegians to Illinois and founded
the famous Fox River settlement in
LaSalle county. In 1887 he founded
another Norwegian settlement in Shell
by county, Missouri, and in 1910 we
find him founding another settlement
in Lee county, Iowa. In 1847 Peer
son was in tie Bishop Hill colony in
Henry county, Illinois, and was there
married a second time to a woman
named Charlotte Marie; his first wife
in Norway having died. From 1850
until his death, in 1865. KIeng Peer
son lived in Texas, which he had
visited once or twice before. He died
in 1865 and was buried in a Lutheran
cemetery near Morse, Bosque county,
Texas"
The crowning of King Haakon VII
was an event of wold-wide interest.
Two facts of great significance stand
out prominently in this event One is
his blood relationship to half the
courts of Europe; for he is at once
grandson of the late King Christian Of
Denmark, nephew Of King George of
Greece, of the dOWager empress Of
Russia and of Queen Alexandra of
England great nephew of Oscar of
Sweden, s0n-in-law Of King Edward
VII and cousin Of the car. The other
is the fact that he is practically the
king of republic, a matter which he
himself no doubt perfectly under
stands: for in the address delivered by
Herr Nicholson. the leading spirit of
Norway, we read the significant words:
"Today a king Of Norway comes to.
make his home in the Norwegian cap
ital elected by a free people to oc~
cupy conformity with free men, the
first place in the land. The Norwegian
people love their liberty. their indie
pendence and their autonomous gov
which they themselves have
won. 1t will be the glory of the king
and his highest pleasure to protect this
sentiment. finding his support in the
people themselves" Well may
writer say, 'Was there ever so frank
a bargain driven with a king be-
fore?"
Hundreds of WegianAmericans
who came to visit their native country
on the occasion of King Haakon'S
and to commemorate the
second independence of Norway, cele-
brated the American Independence
Day in Christiania demonstratively
They assembled in the large hall Of
the university, where addresses were
made in English and Norwegian ex-
pressing pride in their American citi-
zenship and admiration Of the great
republic. Colonel Plummer praised the
immigrants in the United
States for their many virtues. The
band of rwegian-American students
IF st. Olafs college at Northield,
Mimi, gave a concert at the Tivoli
garden, where the stars and stripes
were unfurled and cheered, an i'm
oressive demonstration ensuing.
Walter Wellman. who contemplateS
going in search of the north pole in
an airship. has now reached SpitZ-
bergen and the airship has arrived by
steamer in good order. although
handled nine times between Paris and
Tromsoe.