Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1910-06-09
TID|NCS FROM
SCANDINAVIA
Interesting News From Sweden,
Norway and Denmark.
.SOEE INTERESTING FIGURES

Statistics Covering sweden's Indus.
tries for Century and a HaIf-Ex.
President Roosevelt Made Profound
Impression on Norwegian People.
Prominent Danish Authority on Oai.
rylng Now Visiting America.
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4. SWEDEN. =.
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The statistical bureau has pub
lished some highly important statistics
covering the period Of l751-190O. Dur
ing the years of 1751-1S40 the percent
age making a living as tillers of the
soil or in occupations closely connect
ed Herewith, remained almost station
airy. For this period of ninety years the
average was $3.50 per cent, and at no
time did the percentage swerve more
than per cent from this average.
Even this slight variation may be due
to changes in the manner OF making
computations rather than in any &C.
tual shifting Of the population from
one kind Of occupation to another.
Roughly speaking, husbandry was the
means OF support of four-ffths of the
people OF Sweden for a century pre-.
ceding the year 1910. During the same
period S.73 per cent were engaged in
the industries and mining, 1.S9 in com
mercial pursuits, and $40 per cent
made a living as servants. The mu-
tual variation among these occupa-
tons were at times very considerable,
but taken together they remained sur
prisingly constant. The year 1910
marks the beginning of a new era
which has wrought profound changes.
In 1850 the percentage of those de-
pending on farming and closely re-
lated occupations for living have
dropped to 1894, and those engaged
in mining and the industries consti-
tuted 9.15 per cent. Up to that year
there was no change In the percentage
of those engaged in commerce. Dur
ing the second half of the Nineteenth
century the percentage of the farming
population kept decreasing, rapidly and
constantly, as to the advantage of the
other occupations. In 1870 husbandry
could claim only 71.S7 per cent of the
population, in 1880, 62.42; in 1890,
60.92, and in 1900, 1857, or a little
more than one-half of the total. On
the other hand, the percentage of those
engaged in mining and the industries
had increased to 1471 per cent in
1870; to 1875 in 1880; to 22.72 in 1890;
and to 2SSS in 1900. The percentage
of those engaged in commercial pur-
suits increased at the same rate, be-
ing sos in 1870 and 1850 in 1900 Dur
ing the second half OF the Nineteenth
century there seem to have been a
slight decrease of the percentage of
those occupied as servants. Only
thirty years ago two-thirds Of the peo-
pie of Sweden were still depending
upon agriculture as means of max
ing living The latest figures are
for the year 1900; but as the decrease
was from 6092 per cent to 1857 per
cent during the ten years immediate
ly preceding the year 1900. 1t is safe to
assume that at the present time con-
siderably less than one-half of the peo-
pie OF Sweden are making a living by
cultivating the soil.
Bishop Gezelius Won Scheele ar
rived in New York the other day,
where he was accorded a royal recep-
ton on the part of some of the lead
ing clergy of the city. He at once
resumed his journey to the West and
will speak at Rock Island next week
In connection with the fiftieth ami
versary festivities of the Augustana
synod. Bishop Scheele is regarded as
the most learned bishop of Sweden
and this Is his third visit to the Swed-
ish Lutheran churches of the United
States. While the Augustana synod
has no real official connections with
the state church of Sweden 1t is never
theless on an exceedingly friendly
footing with the church In the home
land and stands perhaps closer In re-
lationship to the state church OF
Sweden than any other Swedish-Amer-
lean church body in America. The
bishop will. during his journey in the
States, visit Chicago, Rock Island, st.
Paul, Minneapolis. Omaha. Seattle and
other Western cities and on the re-
turn journey he viii give lectures in
many Eastern cities where the Swed-
ish element is predominating.
No matter from what viewpoint you
will look at it the emigration problem
continues to be the most important
one and It is just the question which
Is bcthering the leaders more than
anything else. During the months OF
January. February. March and April Of
the present year 1896 persons emil
grated to foreign lands, while last
year there were only 5.057. This is a
matter which Is giving the government
q good deal of we'll founded worry and
Just how to overcome 1t all remains
as ever puzzle, There Is really no
way of preventing people from emf
grating and there seems to be no way
IN which to induce people to remain.
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