Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1906-07-19

appropriate place for the memorial
This movement brings into public no
tice a man perhaps entirely unknown
to all Americans not Of Norwegian eX.
traction and but little known to the
Norwegian themselves. The story OF
Kleng Person. a 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. He was Il very remarkable
man. seemingly endowed by nature fol
just such work as he undertook TO do
Although denied the advantages of n
higher education in his bOyho9d, he
learned TO speak and read the English,
French and German languages, in adj
dition 10 his own and was exceeding.
ly quick to grasp new ideas and situ
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 colonizing schemes
He was born i'm Stavanger county. Nor
way, May II, 1882, and emigrated to
America as early as 1921. He was
doubtless the first Norwegian TO visit
the country west of the great lakes,
which he did not later than 1893. The
year following he led 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 1917 Peer
son was in lie Bishop Hill colony in
Henry county, Illinois, and was there
married second time to woman
named Charlotte Marie; his first wife
in Norway having died. From 1850
until his death. in 1865, Kleng Peer
son lived i'm Texas, which he had
visited once or twice before. He died
In 1865 and was buried i'm a Lutheran
cemetery near Morse, Bosque county,
Texas"
The browning 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, son-in-law Of King Edward
VII and cousin Of the car. The other
Is the fact that he Is practically the
king Of a 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
To-day a king Of Norway comes to
make his home In the Norwegian cap
ital, elected by free people to oc-
cupy, conformity with free men, the
first place i'm the land. The Norwegian
people love their. liberty. their indie
pendence and their autonomous gov
eminent. 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 a
writer say, "Was there ever so frank
a bargain driven with a king be-
fore?'
Hundreds of Norwegian Americans
who came to visit their native country
on the occasion of King Haakon's
coronation 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
Norwegian immigrants i'm the United
States for their many virtues. The
band Of orwegian-American students
of st. Olaf's college at Mortified,
Mimi, gave a concert at the Tivoli
garden. where the stars and stripes
were unfurled and cheered, an i'm
pressive 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.