The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-01-12
SWEDEN TO HONOR
 THE RATHER OF SCANDINAVIAN LIBERTIES

Sweden has already commenced
 plans for the celebration. eight years from to-day, of the 40eth anniversary of the coronation Of Gustaylas VasaL. the father of Scandinavian liberties the monarch who planted those seeds of democracy which have since borne such glorious fruit. Of all the men who have sat upon the Swedish
 throne-and that country has had
 many great and good kings-Susta- vus Vasa is honored as the nobIest.
 The recent meeting Of the rulers of Sweden. Norway and Denmark for the purpose of agreeing upon plans for maintaining the neutrality of their lands and protecting them from pos- stble invasion, is but one of many un- ions more or less binding between those closely related kingdoms. It was by destroying such union whereby Sweden was made the vassal of Denmark that Gugtavuss vasa gained his renown as the great ma. tionaI hero or the Sweles.
 By the union of CaImar. in 1897. Sweden, Norway and Denmark were united under one sovereign, Margaret of Denmark called sstl1e SemiraInis of the North Under Margaret the
 Sweedes fared badly, and under her successors, much worse. The Dam l ish party controlled both church and state, and the Swedes were given no voice in the forming of the laws sun- der which they lived.
 The nobles organized plot against the Danish rulers, but it was discoy- cred, and in 1920 all Sweden was aroused by the terrible ssblood- path l of Stockholm.'' More than ninety l of the leading nobles of Sweden were ruthlessly slaughtered by order of Christian H., of Denmark, styled s.the Nero of the North, Among those slain was the father Of Gsustavus Va
 .sa. The latter. out1awed by the
 Danish party, had disguised himself as a 1aborer and had wandered
 through Sweden. calling upon the Il people to revolt The ssb1ood-pathss of the northern Nero set fire to the powder magazine which Gustavus Va 1 sa had laid, and with Czustavus at | their head they sprang to arms and I did not rest until the last of the ty-
 rants had been driven from their
 shores.
 On the twelfth of January. 1928. Gustavus Vasa was crowned, and be- j gan one Of the most glorious reigns In history. He introduced Luther I anism and religious liberty. And he
 was the first great ''trust buster. ''
 The trust which Gustavus Vasa l fought Ito a frazz1e'' and finally van qufshed was the Hanseatic League, an organization Of the port towns of Ger
 many, originally formed for protec- ton against the piractes of the Swedes ana StnSa IaueSs III e4AS5 l4444S O4 GuS- tavus Vasa the league had become g sI great commercial monopoly by which zl the port towns were creniIed at the , expense of the people at large! Gus tavus Vasa broke the power of the 2l league over Sweden, and he also , curbed the rapaefty of the church and 5 the nobIes, by whom the agricu1tural z population and laborers had so long ; been oppressed.
 Gustavus Vasa died in 1860, an6 was succeeded by his son, Eric XIV. yl who was dethroned and slain by his Ji brother John III. The dynasty Q. { Gustavus continued to reign ovel , Sweden until 1909. when it ended
 with Gststavus ". Marshal Berna
 dotte of France was elevated tc : throne and founded a new roya 5. house which still rules over Sweden
 The White Star liner Finland vii ! -n1ez.z .zc,,.l. tc,dsz- zzi4a 22k casa