Morris tribune., 1911-08-25
Holland GIVES REASONS.
Rhinestone Champion Explains
His Object in Europe.

weglan-A merlcan, II. X. HOlanu gives
his reasons for taking the Kensington
rhinestone to Norway. He also tells
of securing assistance from the U. S.
State Department in securing Gre
dentials for a search for the Veren-
drye rhinestone, which was found in
the Red River country by the early
French explorers and is supposed to
be in existence in some of the French
archives. If this stone be found, and
it proves to be engraved with Morse
runes, it will establish the authenti-
city of the Kensington stone as we'll.
The following is an extract from the
letter mentioned:
eff any one is DESTROYS of hearing
what really transpired at the meeting
at the University of Christiania I will
refer him to Peer Stromme's report
in "Nordmanden' for August End.
This is correct in all particulars and
very comprehensive.
"There is widespread misappre-
hension that my object in going
abroad was to convince the scholars
of Europe of the genuineness of the
inscription. l had no such naive
expectation as that. That problem
is not as simple as all that. My OBJ
ject in going abroad was three-fold
and I am pleased to say that I sue
ceeded eminently in all three:
''The first was to arouse the Scan
dinavian scholars out of that superior
shoulder-shrugging attitude which
they have seen fit to maintain toward
this remarkable historical discovery
in common with other things of
American origin. Most of the
professors were kind enough to tell
me after my lecture that they would
now make a thorough study of the
subject for themselves.
"The second was to what were the
reasons why most of them had con-
demned the inscription. We had
tried to obtain these reasons by mail,
but failed. On account of their posi-
tive attitude l thought they must have
some very formidable reasons and
these we wished to learn. Inquiry
elected that they rejected the inscrip-
tion because of unfounded suspicious
against Gilman and Fogelblad and
vain imaginings concerning English
words in the inscription and like
twaddle- things which the Minnesota
Historical society had discussed and
disposed of more than a year ago.
Prof. Haegstad sought to supplement
this by a pathological criticism and
made many fullsome assertions. But
as Mr.. Stromme says: He did not
even try to prove them; he simply
declared that such and such was the
case. Holland. on the other hand,
proved that on several disputed points. |
Prof. Haegstad was misinformed. >
"The third was to make study of |
the Dalecarlain runes and language
which Prof. Flom claims is the basis
of the inscription. The Minnesota
Historical society's committee con-
siders this the most important detail
of the Investigation and I have now
returned with material which shows
that the Dalecarlian theory is alb
untenable.
''Besides these objects l am pleased
to say that succeeded in getting our
national government to take hand in
the search after the Verendrye stone.
While in Washington [ obtained Sen
ator Knute Nelson's energetic CO.
operation, and formal requests direct
ed to the French government to make
search for the Verendrye stone have
low been sent to Paris both by Sc
'retary of State, John Knox, and by
he French minister, Iusserand.'
1t Would be Unjust.