The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1910-09-28
SCANDINAVIAN INFLUENCE IN THE
DEVELOPMENT. Of THE. NORTHWEST
Their Love Of Home Of God and Desire for Establish
ment Of High Educational Ideals Have Combined in
Favor Of Good Things for This Great Territory

Scandinavian influences that are at
work in the northwest wero discussed
In an address by President j. N. Kill
dahl of st. Olaf college at North
field, Minn., in address delivered
Tuesday evening as q feature Of the
opening of the inaugural week.
Because of their industry, their
love of home, their fear Of God, their
desire to educate their children and
their independence in politics, Presi-
dent kildahl said that the influence
o. the Scandinavians in the develop
ment Of the northwest had been
wholesome from the first. Following
is his address in full:
have been asked to speak on the
opment of the northwest. Being my
somewhat embarrassing position,
dinavians have exerted good and
great influence in the development Of
the northwest, 1t might sound like
self-praise. But I take it that the
reason why have been asked to
speak on this subject is that l, being
Scandinavian, am supposed to know
something about 1t. shall therefore
give you my views on the subject.
Every man and woman exerts an
influence on his or her surroundings,
little or great. good or bad. And the
influence which we exert Is exactly
in proportion to what we are. II q
man Is great his influence is great,
If he is small his influence is small;
If man is good his influence is good,
II he Is bad his influence is bad. Our
influence Is in proportion to our men,
tai capacity, our education, our moral
: character, our material resources and
the position we hold in society. A
man may be poor but have great
mental capacity and a good educa-
ton. He will have a great influence
on account Of his mental superiority.
Another man may lack an education
but. be rich. His influence will be
great on account Of the material
means at his disposal. A third man
may be both poor and uneducated but
he may be a man Of excellent moral
character. Tho influence of such a
man on his surroundings must by
necessity be good. A fourth man may
hold high position. This man ex-
e.ts a great influence on account Of
the position he holds. II Theodore
Roosevelt says something It means a
great deal more than If Samuel Smith
says 1t, even If Sam says exactly the
same thing.
It is evident that the northwest has
been and is developing fast. Fifty
years ago there was nothing here. no
wheat fields, no houses, no schools, no
churches. The material development
Of the northwest Is something phe-
nomenal. No other part Of the Unit
ed States, or the whole world for that
matter, can show forth such mar
velous development in such short
period. The educational Develop
ment has kept pace with the material
development. I wonder what part OF
the globe can point to such devel-
opment along educational lines as
the educational development which
has taken place in the middle west
during few years. The moral and
religious development is probably not
80 visible to the outward eye, but 1t is
very evident to keen observer.
Cannot Claim All Credit.
It is also evident that large por-
ton of the population Of the north
W0SL 10 VI 0Cdu01A4oVloh Va A6AAs 40
there any relation between the phe-
nomenal development Of the north
west and the fact that large portion
Of the population in the northwest
consists of Scandinavians? We can
not give the people who have settled
the northwest all the credit for the
wonderful development Of this part
Of the country. II the same people
had settled in Nevada or Utah the re-
suits would not have been the same.
Much is due to the fertility of the
soil and other natural resources.
Much Is also due to the climate. This
climate produces men and women
who have both the ability and the
will to do things. But 1t makes no
difference how fertile the soil may be,
how great the natural resources may
be. how good the climate may be. II
the people who i've under all these
favorable conditions, have not the in
telligence,. the ability. the will power
and the endurance needed to make
the most out of the conditions. the
progress will not be very great. I
have said that the influence Of an in
dividual is in proportion to what he