Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-05-03
HOLDS NORSEMAN
REAL DISCOvERER
Claim Made at Meeting of So
ciety for Scandinavian Study
at Augustana College.
LONG AHEAD OF COLUMBUS
Prof. Julius E. Olson CT University of
Wisconsin Reads Paper on
the Subject.

That the Norsemen discovered Amer.
lea centuries before Columbus ever
set sail from Spain on his celebrated
voyage, and that it was a well-estab-
lished, scientific fact in the north as
early as the 18Th century that the
world is round as a ball. were TWO Of
the most interesting features brought
out in the initial session of the So
ciety for the Advancement of Scandin-
avian Study at Augustana college yes
terday afternoon.
The claim of the Norseman discovery
of America was championed by Profes-
sor Julius z. Olson of Wisconsin uni
versity in his paper on the Present
Aspect of the Vinland Controversy"
while Professor Laurence NJ. Larson of
Illinois university, in his paper on
Scientific knowledge in the North in
! the Thirteenth Century" revealed a
wonderfully advanced state of affairs
as regards learning in Scandinavia
during medieval times.
| According to Professor Olson, the
: discovery of America by the Vikings
/ is not merely an historical theory, but
an established fact. The speaker took
pains to lash DR.. hansen for the posi-
ton he has taken IL regard to the con-
troversy in his book. ''Mists of the
North" and declared that it. would re-
quire the efforts of all interested
scientists to reconstruct what pr
hansen by his destructive criticism
has done. Professor Olson pointed
out that, while DR.. hansen himself be-
!lieves that the Norsemen discovered
America, he has put forth great efforts
TO prove the sagas concerning the voy-
age and discovery mere folklore
IF there isn't a substantial back
ground to the saga of Eric the Red
said Professor Olson, at. is the most
clever piece of literary deception ever
preached in the name of history"
QUOTES EARLY WRITINGS.
One of the best proofs of the truth
of the saga concerning Eric the Red
and his discovery of Vinland, said the
speaker, is found in Arts 'Islending-
abok" written in 1874. This ancient
work does not attempt to give an ac-
count of the discovery, but alludes to
it only incidentally. Professor Olson
quoted the passage as follows:
That country which is called Green
land was discovered and colonized
from Iceland. Eric the Red was the
name of the man-an inhabitant OF
e Broadfrk-who went out there from
3 here, and settled at that place, which
is since called Eriksfirth. He gave a
name TO the country and called il
: ! Greenland, and said that it must per
suadc one TO go there if the land had
. q good name They found there, both
: east and west, in the country. the
, dwelling sites of men, and fragments
of boats, and stone implements, sc
: that one may judge from this that the
same sort of people had been there as
( inhabited Vinland, and whom the
J Greenlanders tie, the new colonists)
( call Skvalings.'
This brief passage from Ari'i
I work" said Professor Olson, put!
\ Vinland in the domain of history anC
\ the realm of reality. He does not seel
Z to prove the saga, but merely referI
y 10 II incidentally as well known TACT
Z This, in my opinion, gives this bit o
\ evidence the greatest weight and va
\ lidity"
FIVE PAPER
Prof Larson's paper on "Scientif
y Knowledge in the Thirteenth Cen
K fury" which was the other interest
y ing address yesterday afternoon, wa
(, based on Norse's manuscript, 9TH
y Kings Mirror" which dates back L
Z 1890. Although the authorship is UT
\ known, Prof. Larson advanced tn,
Z theory on good grounds that it wa
y written by a clergyman named VOdde
4 who in addition TO other things dc
y clared the world was round as an al
X pie, that flood and tide winds depend
" ed on the moon and that there wer
" two extremes of cold at the mort