The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1912-01-04


1. SWEDEN. !
Says an editorial writer in the Min
neapolis Journal regarding "Thite
coal in Sweden:
white coal" has already made
some great economic changes in the
world and it is apparently destined tt
work still greater ones. The perfec
ton of methods of turning water pow
er into electricity, which may be SCI
to work at points long distant from
the origin of the power, has endowed
regions where water power is abun
dant with hitherto unsupported wealth
Sweden and Norway have made
wonderful forward strides in manufac
turing in the last half dozen years
and white coar' is responsible fol
their progress. The Scandinavian
peninsula, with it's great snow covered
mountain ranges and it's abundant
supplies of water coursing down to
the sea by innumerable waterways, is
potentially very rich in it's water pow.
eTs.
A recent consular report reveals
something of the progress made in
Sweden. Rich in minerals and tim.
Der Sweden has hitherto been handi.
capped in manufacturing by the lacA
of coal deposits. Yet Swedish iron
and copper once dominated the worlds
markets. Much of the timber, which
was once turned into charcoal to make
possible Sweden's output of fine iron,
is now turned into cellulose, the basis
of various chemical industries.
The water power of the kingdom is
estimated at 100000 horsepower and
only about ninth of this has thus
far been harnessed for industrial pur.
poses. Each year a hundred thousand
horses are added to the team that is
dragging Sweden forward. And this
is changing Sweden from a producer
of raw materials to a manufacturing
country where the processes of mod
ern industrialism are brought to a fine
state of efficiency.
One particularly interesting manu-
featuring development reacts benefi-
cially on agriculture. That is the pro-
duction OF fertilizers. Since half of
Sweden's population is engaged in
tilling the soil by the most highly de-
veioped and intensive methods the de-
mand for artificial fertilizers is active.
The annual product amounts to about
million and half dollars and as yet
supplies but half of the home demand.
The byproducts of the iron mills
Stag rich in apatite, and phosphoric
acid from the ores-are utilized, and
the fish packing houses furnish her.
ring guano and the like.
With the wealth of it's forests and
mines and waterways being thus de-
veloped, and with agriculture keeping
pace, it is not surprising to find that
Sweden's material condition has great
ly improved in the last few years. The
effects of the great general strike of
August and September, 1909, when a.
total of 11,66O,000 working days were
lost, are wearing off. The extension
of the suffrage has opened the way for
a complete democratizing of the gov
eminent, though the process, being
peaceful, is necessarily slow. The
government finances, too, are in bet
ter condition than for some years.
!. i !.
The Mormons are slow TO give nm
their campaign for proselytes among
the Scandinavian people both in Swe-
den, Norway and Denmark. MANY
Swedish Lutherans are familiar with
the fact that Rev. P. Aslev, who is
connected with the Augustana synod,
Is now in Sweden, his mission being
to present Mormonism in it's true
color. Rev. Aslev has lived in Utah
for many years and he proposes now
to go to Sweden and tell the truth
about the Mormon church as it on
crates particularly in Utah. His work
Is already proving very effectual The
Augustana tells us of a recent meet
ing at which Mormon missionaries
attempted to contradict him. They
were so persistent that the janitor
was compelled to order them out. On
the following evening Rev. Asley de-
hVered his address in another church.
the Mormons again being present and
again taking exception to his address.
On this occasion the lights were ex.
tinguished and Rev. Frodeen, pastor
of the congregation, kindly asked them
to leave before the police would be re-
quested to take charge of them.
!. j. \
DR.. P. P. Walderstrom, who has
made several visits to America and
who has been the moving spirit among
the so called Mission Friends, has
lately gone to London to consult with
the British Foreign Bible society with
regard to publishing New Testament
in the Kashgar language of Turkey.
The Mission Friends have conducted
successful work in Turkestan and it is
proposed now to publish New Tesla.
ment in that particular language.