The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1918-11-14
HE return of Steffanson,
the Arctic explorer, to
civilization after an ab-

III
HgMEg0 civilization after an ab-
NNy sence of practically five
years, during which time he was
given up for lost among the un-
charted ice wastes of the north
turns the attention of the people,
in the midst of the trials and trib-
ulations of war again to the feats
of exploration, past and present.
Of explorers and exploration the
world has never tired. From the
early ages up it has been of ever
recurring interest, and ever the
hope of the daring adventurer.
When Columbus landed on an
island in the West Indies and took
possession of it in the name of the
King of Spain it was thought that
mighty land had been discovered.
But Columbus did not in reality
discover America, but rather a
small group of fertile islands, the
Greater and the Lesser Antilles. In
spite of this history records that
Columbus discovered America, and,
no doubt, hundreds of thousands of
people still think that Columbus
stood on the great American main
land when he planted the Spanish
flag in the soil he had discovered.
As it was he discovered San Sal
vador, an island of so many acres.
The genuine discoverers of
America we may believe we're the
Vikings. True, we have nothing
of historical importance to aid US
in our. researches-none save the
Norwegian sagas; and many have
deemed these exaggerated and un-
authentic. Nevertheless by many
they have been accepted, at their
face value. The Vikings we're a
bold, sea-faring race and that they
landed some place along the Allan.
tic coast and named some certain
part of this continent, Vineland, is
quite certain. Relics of their pres
ence in this same Vineland we have
found none. That is to say along
the Atlantic coast. But the same
is not true if we are to consider the
country at large. For the appar-
emily authentic rhinestone found at
Kensington, Minnesota, is indeed
worthy of historical note. And the
Kensington rhinestone has caused
the leading historians, authorities
and antiquarians to wonder and
speculate. For the Kensington
rhinestone is said to be a true relic
OF the vikings!
As to this: stone bearing Scan
dinavian inscriptions was dug up
on farm in Minnesota; this stone
is said to have been left by Vikings
who were travelling through that
State, or the territory that is now
State. One Of the very first men
to pronounce the stone a fake was
one of the leading authorities on
such questions, Professor John
Evjen, but although at first posi-.
tive that it was fake he afterwards
shifted his opinions, and made 8
statement to the effect that he be.
lieved the stone was genuine. II
it could be proved that the fam Gus
Kensington rhinestone is authentic
then it is the earliest relic we have
of human presence in America.
Antiquarians have advanced as the
strongest proof, that the language
used in the inscriptions was fraudu
lent, that it was too modern 8
language for the date inscribed or
the stone, which is 1862. Tht
form of words used, some have
said, pertain to period at leas
200 years later. However, through
the Investigations of Professor
Evjen in official documents ane
works and particularly in the Ole
Laws of Norway he has discovered
that the words used on the ston.
were in actual use throughout tn,
Scandinavian countries in the 14tl