The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-10-21

Us 10 pay SOmetnlnX Dy way OF the
cost OF the war. although maintain
| ing strict neutrality.
| Jamestown: Swedish City.
| New York Correspondence, Sioux
City journal: OF the $4,000 inhabi-
tants of jamestown, n. Y, more than
1900 are of Swedish birth or imme-
date descent. The faces In the street,
however, do not strike one as pre-
ponderantly Swedish in feature, and
numerous shops are apparently Swed-
ish in name only. There are many
Englishmen and Italians in the city,
but only few Danes and Norwe-
gians.
jamestown was founded few hun
bred years ago by James Prendergast,
who was certainly not Swede
Are there any Swedes in the city
government? l asked a citizen
Yes. the mayor and the chief o:
police" l was informed "And We
have 30 complaints to make of Them
| asked Swedish clergyman's wife
who had long resided in Chicago, OF
what sort her countrymen in James
town were. A sober, frugal, industri-
our class, she said. They were for
the most part
The Englishmen are employed in
the worsted mills in the main, the
Italians in the metallic works, and
the Swedes largely in the furniture
factories. There was an exhibition
bedroom suite made by Swedish
concern. which contained some of the
finest workmanship have seen any.
where
Most of the Swedish workmen have
come to jamestown direct from
Europe They find it agreeable TO set
to work in a place where their native
tongue is spoken, though the major
part, even here, are not slow in ac-
curing speaking acquaintance with
the English.
There are two Swedish weekly
newspapers published in jamestown
asked the manager of large metal
factory IL they were good papers.
Il have taken one Of them ever
since it started" he said. Il used TO
take both OF them, but 1 never more
than glance at the Swedish paper
any more. What am after is prac-
tice In English and fresh news"
But don't the Swedish weeklies
give certain social and church news
not to be found in the dailiesy'
The dailies tell everything about
the Swedes worth telling"
This man had come to jamestown
as youth in the Sos It was not
,, much Of . burg then, he told me-
The day Of his arrival was warm.
He felt like swim. He walked down
to the river and jumped in. Ere long
a half dozen young Indians came
! rushing down to the bank and before
he knew It, were swimming around
him.
The Swede dashed out Of the water
and ran for his life. He had read at
home stories of. the ferocious, bar
barrie redskins. He learned subse-
Quently, of course, that the frolic-
some Americans intended the new
conner no harm.
/ mentioned frugality. The wnoe
paid the workmen in jamestown Is
not high; even factory foremen re-
ceive considerably lower recompense
than they would in the central states
Economy becomes a matter of neces-
sity.
The man Who showed me through
the capacious. sumptuously furnished
Norden clubhouse remarked, not with
out an undertone of pride. that mo
liquor has ever been served in these
rooms"
There are not many saloons in
JAMESTOWN. They would be voted out
entirely IL the city had that right,
but the licensing is done In Albany
OF course, there Is no lack Of Swed-
ish churches. The most imposing and
costly church edifice In the city,
dare say, is the First Swedish Luth-
cram Scarcely block away from II
is another Swedish Lutheran church,
Of the same synod, which juxtaposi-
ton is rather remarkable. There Is
small English Lutheran church,
too; but even this IL conducted by
the Swedish synod. Two Swedish
mission" churches stand within a
stones throw OF each other: between
them being a Swedish Methodist
church-and perhaps a Baptist, too
jamestown Is progressively stu
ated Main street slopes too much,
but the business section fo- the most
part lies low and fat, surrounded by
houseclad h,Ils-Swede hill. English
hill, Sam Jones hill and others, the
names OF which have happily for
gotten.