Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-05-17
Whole Nation Today Celebrates
Centenary Of Norway's Liberty
Struggle Previous to May IL 1874 Full Of Interest Poetry
and Valor
(eY ALRERT N. WoLpl

g- (6Y ALBERT N. WOlO.)
Norwegians all over the world to.
day are celebrating and honoring the
Seventeenth of May" 1t is a day Of
the greatest significance, not only to
Norway but to her sons and daugh.
tiers scattered far and wide. 1t has q
large meaning to the hundreds of
thousands of Norwegians who have
chosen, to make the Northwest their
home.
And it might be said in all truth
that not a bit Of that significance is
lost upon the American born sons
and daughters Of the Norwegian i'm.
migrant. The Seventeenth of May
this year is doubly significant. 1t
marks not only the span of a full
century since Norway became an in.
dependent country as the result OF
that memorable declaration of indie.
tendance at Eidsvold, May II, 1874,
by which her bonds OF dependency to
Denmark and Sweden were severed,
but it also, marks an even century Of
peace and freedom from war such
tranquility as the Vikings of old
would have secuted as utterly impos'
sible. @
Historic Declaration.
Through that historic declaration
Of freedom that was enunciated at
Eidsvold by group of courageous re.
representatives. of the people who had
gathered from all parts Of the land,
that independence which had charac-
terized their forefathers was reas.
serted once more. Through the centur
les of devastating turmoil and war.
fare with more powerful nations the
independence of Norway had been
smothered and well nigh extinguish-
ed. The patriotism Of the Norwegians
was, however, galvanized into action
by the dynamic declaration at Eids-
void. The step which was taken
there, was the direct result Of the
Napoleonic wars. 1t became the foun-
dalton for the most democratic ma
ton in Europe. The incidents that
lead up to the decisive step for free.
dom by the severance of the bonds
of allegiance to Denmark and SWe-
den weave story of romantic inter-
est. But The significance of the epo.
chal event is better appreciated when
the back ground Of history is thrown
about it. "A brief recital, then, of the
rise and fall of the power of the Vik-
ings and the rise of the new Norway
from the shattered rem inns of the
old, may be of interest. Fl,
Ancient Norsemen. "
From the earliest records Tin q
large part archaeological and geolog-
ical) obtainable we learn that the
ancient Norsemen were hunters and
fishermen of great prowess and re-
known. They invaded northern Rus
STA in search Of game; penetrated the
frozen Businesses of the Arctic cir
Gle; ventured farther out upon the
boundless Atlantic than any other
European people, and struck more
fear into antagonists by their fero-
clay than any other racet in history,
The Northland was at that time, It
seems, Masonic combine of about
80 small Kingdoms, each of which was
not much larger than a North Dakota
county-for as compared to the 10000
square miles in North Dakota there
are about $4,000 in Norway. This
combine was an offensive and de-
fensive alliance in the truest sense
of the phrase. The geology and the
topography of the rocky country him
dered any permanent union or assimi-
lation. Each of the many kings had a
band of doughty warriors to whom
the shedding of blood was mere
child's play Of every day occurance.
The kingdom bordering on the sea
sent forth the adventurous Vikings Of
the North; the inland peoples con-
tented themselves with more tram
quill life, devoted in large part to ag-
ricultural pursuits.
The Vikings.
The Vikings, temperamentally, were
exceedingly warlike. They fought less
for principle than for booty and ter
ritorial acquisition. No Europeon ma
ton was secure from their wasteful
visitations. The British Isles were
successfully attacked, the Shetlands
and the Orkneys were made dependen
cies. Some of the other lands visited
by the adventurous and bellicOse
rovers from the north we're Sweden,
Germany, France, Spain and all the
lands bordering on the Mediterranean
Sea. They sacked towns and cities,
captured ships and took toll from all
the merchantmen who wre unfOrtu-
nate enough to cross their course.
The daring of the Vikings is amazing
in the light of the fact that the
shells that they Jared forth in and
braved the seas were no larger than
the lifeboats that are now carried by
the liners that ply the Atlantic. The
Fair haired robbers of the moth" be.
came incredibly wealthy; their fame
became world wide-the "world" at
that time being Europe.
Harold Haafaare.
Harald Haarfagre (fair.haired) was
the first of the many contemporaneous
kings of the north who successfully
united all of Norway. But he destroy.
ed his own work when he divided
his kingdom among 20 of his sons,
for jealousy sprang up among them
and soon led to internecine ar. Har-
aid came upon the stage in $3.50. In
995, one of his defendants, Olav Try
gvasson, obtained the upper hand over
the other kings, chieftians and jarls
and in measure established unit
ed Norway again. But he is disting.
uished more for the fact that he en-
forced Christianity in the nation. It
was during his reign that Left Erick.