The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1907-12-27

SWEDEN.
BY MARTIN ". oDLAxD.

SWEDEN.
Sweden Is in mourning. The death
of her beloved ruler, King Oscar H.,
who passed awav Sunday, has darken-
ed every home in the land. No ruler
Of modern times was more loved by
his people. Indeed, every loyal Swede
las bestowed genuine personal affec.
son upon the aged ruler, and now his
passing comes to all In Sweden as
personal loss.
The king became seriously i'll, or
so i'll that hopes for his recovery be-
gan to vanish. only few days before
his death, although his health has
been weak for several years, facial
paralysis, insomnia, kidney trouble
and heart weakness having in turn
preyed upon his strength.
King Oscar realized that the end
was drawing near and consented to
the appointment of Crown Prince Gus.
came there was no hitch or break in
the a:sairs of state, the land already
having duly chosen ruler presiding
over her destinies.
Oscar IL. is the fourth ruler of the
Bernadotte dynasty and is the grand
son of the great French general who
deserted the side of Napoleon, whose
marshal he had been, in order to &C.
cept from the enemies Of Bonapafte
the crown of Sweden. Unlike his
grandfather, Oscar was a lover of peace
and bent every effort to avoid war and
bloodshed. His noble conduct in the
crisis of 1905, when large element Of
the Swedish population was clamoring
for drastic measures against Norway
measures that would have resulted
in war-endeared him to all lovers of
and memory will be cherished as long
as the world endures. He was indeed
a real hero-a hero of sublime cour-
age, who dared to sacrifice everything
for peace and the good of his people
and mankind. He valued Sweden's
union with Norway, but not sufficiently
to consent to the outpouring of fra
ternal blood in order to preserve it.
When Norway electrified and aston.
ished the world by suddenly declaring
the union solved on the 7th of June,
1905, the old king said calmly but sor-
rowfully, LET her part in peace. The
blood of these brother peoples must
not be she'd"
King Oscar would not have been un-
known to fame, even if he had not be-
longed to a royal family, for he was
possessed of real poetic talent and
was generally recognized as one of the
foremost scholars of his day. Being
the third son of his royal father, it
was not supposed that he would ever
become king, and he devoted his early
life to the pursuits of scholarship and
literature, instead of to statecraft, and
published poems of genuine merit. He
mastered all the leading languages of
Europe, being able to speak and write
them with ease
When the death of hts brother
placed him on the throne, he soon
showed that he had ability for state
craft, as we'll as for literature and
learning, and ruled his country with a
firm, steady hand. He also possessed
4. decided talent for business and made
investments that proved most profita-
BILE, so that he became one of the
wealthiest monarchs of his age. His
reign is one of the longest in the his
tory of his country, lasting thirty-five
years, and it is also one Of the most
glorious. Never did Sweden prosper
in such marked degree as during
these thirty-five years.
King Oscars successor, Gustav, is
not credited with such ability and
such high character as his father dis
played to an admiring world, and some
years ago, when King Oscar was
threatened by death, there was great
uneasiness among the people of both
Sweden and Norway, lest his rule
would plunge the two countries into
war. But of late years he has risen
in the esteem of the people of both
countries, and no difficulties are now
anticipated. 1t was indeed fortunate,
however, for all concerned that the
good King Oscar was spared by Provi-
dence till after the crisis that resulted
in their friendly separation.
Herr Lagercrantz, the Swedish min
lister to the United States, was recent
| ly interviewed by the correspondent
for Svenskadagbladet of Stockholm, at
Berlin, and declared that in his opin-
ion there would be no particular exo-
dus of Swedish mericans to Sweden,
in response to the call Of the mother
country, but he gave 1t as his opinion
that the emigration to America from
Sweden would greatly decrease be-
cause Of the increasing prosperity Of
the country.
NORWAY.
On Nov. 20, 1907. the Egersund
church was 300 years old. It has an
interesting history, and ranks with
the best known houses Of worship in
H.H b. . . y . s.