The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1907-11-15
PAPER ON SCANDLNA>
WAN IMMIGRATION,

sNs'Ns'N.N*N'sN'|NF
for today of the nearly 100000 di-
rect living descendants of the old Sea
Kings, more than one-fifth, reside in
the United States. In the seventy
years since the movement began, near
ly 100000 of these northern people
have left their homes and have made
themselves others in the New World.
The United States has been almost
the only goal of immigrants from the
Scandinavian lands.
The loss to Scandinavia has per-
haps in measure been compensated
for by the advantages, that not a
few of the immigrants have attained
a far better position in life than they
would possibly have reached at home
and the outlook for those left behind
is enlarged by learning from their
relatives how both men and women
have found their place in the great
republic.
That new Corners find great advan-
tages in living here is proven by the
very small percent who ever return
to the home land for permanent. resi-
dence.
Few provinces, it is said, of Den
mark, Sweden and Norway contain
so many Scandinavians, as the more
than 100000 who make one quarter
of the population of Minnesota. Wis
consin and Illinois, have each 100000
Iowa, Nebraska and the Dakotas have
a large part of the remainder, $4,000
are in Kansas, and each of the west
ern states, California, Washington and
Utah, and we find them also in the
states of Massachusetts, New York
and Pennsylvania but in the three
last named they are for the most
part in the great cities and manufact-
uring towns. Travellers who are fami-
liar with the old Scandinavia, and
what we may call the new tell us they
have ceased to wonder why so many
have come to settle so quietly among
us, but that so many ,are content
not to come.
1t is very suggestive, that so large a
proportion of the Scandinavians are
settled in the distinctively agricultural
states.
The most reliable figures obtainable,
show that of the Scandinavians, one
out of four, engage in agriculture, of
the Germans, one out of seven. of
the Irish, one out of twelve. We are
not to conclude from this, that i'm
migrants are desirable soley because
they prefer the country to the city.
The value of the Scandinavian is that
they chose pursuit in which they
not only succeed, but excel. Immigrants
have not come to us from the agri-
cultural class alone. they have come
to us from all grades of society, and
from all parts of their country.
In 1893 Mr.. o. n. Nelson after
much research and help from others
put out work in two volumes deal
ing especially with the Scandinavians
in Minnesota. He says the Norwegians
have shown the most conservative adj
herance to the Lutheran faith. The
Swedes have given evidence of more
versatility in religion as well as
other matters, while the Danes in
proportion to their numbers have made
less progress in these respects.
As regards the numerical strength
Of ha ho hat
in Minnesota somewhat more than one
out of every three persons is a
Scandinavian, in Wisconsin one out of
seven, and in Iowa not quite one out
of ten.
In the matter of crihe the mortimer
stands very high, and before 1880
they did so. in respect to insanity
Since then their proportional numbers
of insane persons has very largely
increased.
The Scandinavians have admittedly
done much to build up the northwest
materially and morally. 1t has been
the silent influence of individual
character working out its career ac-
cording to its light and the native
bent
Mr.. Nelson points out that in poll
tics for instance the Scandinavian
contribution is hardly to be distin-
guished from that made by native
Americans and has been due less to
numerical strength than to a process
of rapid Americanizing. You will re-