The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1914-05-20

The audience expressed a wish tina
this address might be printed in SOM
periodical, and it is to be hoped tina
this will be DONE
The man who contributed most
however, was the Reverend ]. Q
Hougen of Tacoma, Wn. At each o
the three programs he spoke will
equal force and enthusiasm and this
in spite of the fact that he had no
fully recovered from a recent ailment
At the morning services he choose fol
his text Psalm 627 and 8, which was
the text used at, the services at the
assembling Of the Eidsvold congress
one hundred years ago. Speaking
from intense religious convictions as
well as from intimate knowledge Of
history in general and Morse history
| in particular, his sermon made a deer
impression on the large audience that
crowded the high school auditorium
The lesson of the text was indelibly
imprest: 1.-THE rock of my strength
and my refuge, is God"
In the afternoon he painted the his
torical background against which the
events of May 18th must be view. And
it was mastery presentation. He
pointed to the fact that Norway has
an older authentic history than any
European nation, excepting Greece
and Rome. Norway celebrated her
one thousandth anniversary as uni
ted kingdom more than forty years
ago, something no other European
country has yet had occasion to do.
Norsemen played an important part in
world events in those far remote
times. About 500 years ago the three
Scandinavian countries entered into
union under the Danish crown. Swed-
en- soon withdrew from the union, but
Norway remained in the union for
more than 400 years. Owing to several
causes, chief among which was the
terrible ravages of the Black Death
which practically depopulated certain
sections, Norway was weak at this
time and sunk practically to the posi-
ton of a vassal state. Then came
the Napoleonic wars, when Europe
became divided into two camps: those
to and those in alliance with
Napoleon. Napoleon fell and Den
mark had to satisfy the allies by hand
ing over Norway to the Swedish king;
this was to be his reward for aiding
the allies. Then the Norwegians rose
as one man. They reasoned as fol-
lows: The Danish king has loosed
US from our allegiance to him; we are
not chattels, our country is our own,
we will not be sold or bargained away
without our knowledge or consent.
We are and will be free. And before
he nations of Europe had full knowl
edge of what was going on, Norway
lad adopted a free constitution and set
Up government.
After an attempt to overawe Nor
way by force, Carl Johan of Sweden,
wisely decided to accept Norway's Of
er to become her king by swearing |
allegiance to her constitution and |
avs. From this time we date the rise
# New Norway. During this century |
he has made wonderful strides in eve
y field of human endeavor until to-
lay she stands again in the very
orefront of nations. United under a
rec and liberal government, with
Practically no illiteracy, her resources
eing rapidly developed, honored
broad as result of the achievements
f her sons in literature, music, sci
nee, exploration, etc., Norway is in
eed to be congratulated today.
The closing speech was given by
.ev. Hougen in the evening. This was
graphic description of the geography
nd topography of Norway and its in
uence upon the life of the Norwegian
eople. 1t was a prose poem inspired
y one of Bjornson's poems to Moth /,
:" Norway. Being delivered with in :
,nse and earnest feeling, this Grafton
ED the large audience speelbound
nd all went away feeling as the poet
lpresses it, that they were baptized
7 her (Norway's) mighty spirit"
To all these men and organizations
no have thus favored us and to the
1blic in general the fest committee !.
ishes to express it's thanks.
DTSCTTSS LEGISLATIVE ISSUES