Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1911-08-16
Holland GIVES REASONS.
Rhinestone Champion Explains His
Object in Taking the Old His
torjcal Record to Europe.

In a letter addressed to the Nor
wegian-American, Fl. R. Holland gives
his reasons for taking the Kensing=
ton rhinestone to Norway. He also
tells Of securing assistance from the
U. S. State Department in securing
credentials for search for the YER
endrye rhinestone, which was found
in the Red River country by the ear
ly French explorers and is suppos=
ed 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 authenticity Of the Kensington
stone as we'll. The following is an
extract from the letter mentioned:
"If any one is DESTROYS Of hearing
what really transpired at the meeting
at the University Of Christiania l will
refer him to Peer Str0mme's report
in "Nordmanden" for August End.
This is correct in all particulars and
very comprehensive.
"There is widespread misapre-
hension that my object in going
abroad was to convince the scholars
Of Europe Of the commences Of the
inscription. I had no such naive ex-
pectation as that. The problem is not
as simple as all that. My object in
going abroad was three-fold and am
pleased to say that I succeeded en-
inently in all three:
'"The first was to arouse the Seam
dinavian scholars out Of that super
ior shoulder struggling attitude which
they have seen fit to maintain toward
this remarkable historical discovery
in common with other things of
"American" orr gin. Most Of the pro-
fessors were kind enough to tell me
after my lecture that they would now
make thorough study Of the subject
for themselves.
''The second was to learn what
were the reasons why most Of them
had condemned the inscription. We
had tried to obtain these reasons by
mail, but failed. On account of their
positive attitude I thought they must
have some very formidable reasons
and these we wished to learn. In
quiry elected that they rejected the
inscription because Of unfounded sus-
picions against Gilman and Fogelblad
and vain imaginings concerning Eng
fish words in the inscription and like
twaddle-things which the Minnesota
Historical society had discussed and
disposed of more than year ago.
Prof. Haegstad sought to supplement
this by pathological criticism and
made many fullsome assertions. But
as Mr.. Str0mme says: lie did not
even try to prove them; he simply de-
clared that such and such was the
case. Holland, on the other hand,
proved that on several disputed
points Prof. Haegstad was misin-
formed
''The third was to make a study of
the Dalecarlian 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 / have now
returned with material which shows
that the Dalecarlian theory is abso-
lutely untenable. 49,.
Besides these objects I am pleased
to say that / succeeded in getting our
national government to take a hand
in the search after the Verendrye
stone. While in Washington I OBJ
tanned Senator Knute Nelson's ener-
getic cooperation, and formal re-
quests directed to the French govern
ment to make search for the Veren-
drye stone have now been sent to
Doris both hx, Cooro+orx, 70 GA.