The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1911-07-14

entire season Ofman VIII
celebrated its one t~housandth
birthday.
Mortimer are the heroes or 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 exac re
production, one-tenth size, of the nag
nifcent old Viking ship discovered
three years ago In a mound at Ose-
berg, complete with It's 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 or the
Telling stone, greatest Of Runic mon
uments, dating exactly from this pc
Rod. 1000 years ago. 1t is the gift
of the Carlsbergfund, a Danish acad-
envy of arts and sciences.
A sail, Again. 1t Is King GUSTAV 8
turn. Up the old river dances the
Swedish bark of King Hugleik Oily
gelac), who conducted-as the Swedes
contend-the first Vikings TO the land
of the Francs. It's heather warriors
also bear a treasure gift to the mil
lenary-a copy in massive gold or by
eelac's arm bracelet. weighing two
pounds. wonderfully carved. The
Swedes are, indeed. willing to prove
that Rollo himself was OF theil
country.
See the rich old city OF Rouen out
do itself, Each of its stones is g
story. 1t calls the world to its birth
day. 1t prepares magnificent cor
teges, Journeys, jousts and reproduc
tons. 1t hangs gay old tapestries out
side its windows to light up tn
streets with color as cavalcades OF ar
mored knights go Gathering out TO tn
lists-or robber barons to discuss
scheme to q England.
Foundations Of English.
But what must thrill every English
~sDeaking person is that the very Q
dations Of his language were lalo
1000 years ago, in the little OWL Q
st. Clair-sur-Epte, between Paris an
Normandy. with a present popuiatio'
of 500 inhabitants and a ruined fel
dal castle built by Henry II. OF Ems
land.
Tourists who stop off al ST. Clai
sur-Epte must look with their hi
toric eve behind that ruin. Two hui
dred and fifty years before 1t wa
built the site was occupied by a viii
dating from old Charlema8ne. II
great empire had been broken up b
the uuarrels of his incompetent su
cessors: and the so-called empero
Rig Charles. saw helplessly a swar
OF Mortimer pirates sailing, roW;r
I'D the River Seine, and even attac
ing Paris, President Fallieres WI
sit with the three Mortimer kings b
side him. Thus Normandy was squa
ted b. their pirate ancestcrs-wl
came to stay.
In vain the magnificent Cou'
Eudes defended Paris and drove ba'
The Mortimer. Count Of Paris, Bio
and Orleans, inheritor-with the gre
French seigneurs and people also
the Roman culture, Eudes was east
the most powerful and respected 10
of West France. The people Z
claimed him; and the mobiles crown
him to replace Big Charles. But n
for long. %Jealousies caused genera
Eudes to resign, not to waste the la
by civil war. So, in the year 1913,
begged his brother seigneurs to swe
allegiance to Charles the Simple.
was simple. This Is why we n n
at St. Clair-sur-Epte, 1000 years al
signing a treaty with Rollo. the Nor
man chieftain. 1t was called a trea
but after having his foot kiss
Charles purely and simply coded aw
to Rollo and his crowd all the prese
great province of Normandy.
What Might Have Been.
It is momentous speculation-wl
would have been the worlds histt
had not Eudes m~iscalculated.
hoped to save France from civil wa
of course, to fight the Norman inv
ers. Eudes would have pushed tn
back to their boats in the ocean. A
neither you nor n living man "
q drop OF English blood would h,
been born what we are. Engl;
would have remained Saxon.
As things were. see the stipend
adventure. A swarm OF hungry Vik
pirates suddenly became masters
Normandy-wheu the name, Norma