Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1911-07-27

," He Chimes of Normandy will
ring all summer, for during the
entire season Normandy will
celebrated its one thousandth
birthday.
Mortimer are the heroes Of the
Norman birthday. Up the river to
Rouen will come swift Viking ocean
greyhounds, dashed on by their banks
Of oars. The first are Norwegian;
and, instead of fire and sword, they
bear gifts-in particular an exact re-
production, one-tenth size, Of the mag
nificent old Viking ship discovered
three years ago in a mound at Ose-
berg, complete with its ancient arms
and tackle. All react the strange
events of just 1000 years ago.
A sail! King Frederick of Den
mark looks proud, now. Up comes an
other Viking pirate craft with gifts
in particular. a granite copy of the
Telling stone, greatest of Runic mon
uments, dating exactly from this Pc
riod, 1000 years ago. 1t is the gift
of the Carlsbergfund, a Danish acad-
emy of arts and sciences.
A sail Again! 1t is King Gustaf's
turn. Up the old river dances the
Swedish bark Of King Hugleik (Hy-
gelac), who conducted-as the Swedes
contend-the first Vikings to the land
of the Francs. Its heather warriors
also bear a treasure gift to the mil
lenary-a copy in massive gold of Hy-
gelac's arm bracelet, weighing two
pounds, wonderfully carved. The
Swedes are, indeed, willing to prove
that Rollo himself was of their
country.
See the rich old city Of Rouen out
do itself! Each Of its stones is a
story. 1t calls the world to its birth
day. 1t prepares magnificent cor
teges, Journeys, jousts and reproduc-
tions. 1t hangs gay old tapestries out
side its windows to light up the
streets with color as cavalcades of ar
mored knights go Gathering out to the
Iists-or robber barons to discuss a
scheme to conquer England.
Foundations Of English.
But what must thrill every English
speaking person is that the very foun-
dations of his language were laid,
1 900 years ago, in the little town of
st. Clair-sur-Epte, between Paris and
with a present population
of 500 inhabitants and a ruined feu-
dal castle built by Henry II. of Eng
land
Tourists who stop off at St Clair
must look with their his
toric eye behind that ruin. Two hun
dred and fifty years before 1t was
built the site was occupied by villa
dating from old Charlemagne His
great empire had been broken up by
the quarrels Of his incompetent sue
cessors; and the so-called emperor,
Big Charles, saw helplessly a swarm
Of Mortimer pirates sailing, rowing
up the River Seine, and even attack
Ing Paris! President Fallieres will
sit with the three Mortimer kings be-
side him. Thus Normandy was squat
ted by their pirate ancestors-who
came to stay.
In vain the magnificent Count
Eudes defended Paris and drove back
the Mortimer. Count of Paris, Blois
and Orleans, inheritor-with the great
French seigneurs and people also-of
the Roman culture, Eudes was easily
the most powerful and respected lord
Of West France. The people &C
claimed him; and the mobiles crowned
him to replace Big Charles. But not
for long. Jealousies caused generous
Eudes to resign. not to waste the land
by civil war So, in the year S9S. he
begged his brother seigneurs to swear
allegiance to Charles the Simple. He
was simple. This is why we find him
at St. Clair-sur-Epte, 1000 years ago.
signing a treaty with Rollo. the North
man chieftain. 1t was called a treaty,
but after having his foot kissed
Charles purely and simply ceded away
to Rollo and his crowd all the present
great province of Normandy.
What Might Have Been.
II is momentous speculation-what
would have been the worlds history
had not Eudes miscalculated. He
hoped to save France from civil war
Of course, to fight the Norman invad-
ers. Eudes would have pushed them
hack to their boats in the ocean. And
neither you nor any living man with
a drop Of English blood would have
been born what we are. England
would have remained Saxon
AS things were, see the stupendous
adventure. A swarm OF hungry Viking
pirates suddenly became masters OF
NOrmandy-When the name. Normand.