Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-07-15
MORSE PICNIC
IS ATTENDED
BY THOUSANDS
Sons Of Norway From Grand
Forks and Elsewhere
Have Outing.
and S~peechmakine
Are Features Of Day at
Maple Lake.

annual Sons and Daughters of Nor
way picnic. A long train of automo.
biles left Grand Forks shortly after
sunrise and good speed was made o.
the roads were in excellent condition
and the weather, although cloudy and
somewhat misty. was ideal for a days
outing.
During the forenoon thousands of
p~icnickers arrived T rom Crookston,
Fertile, Warren, Thief River. Falls,
Eldred. Mcintosh and numerous other
Red River valley cities. and automo-
biles were counted by the hundreds.
The early part of the day was spent
aquatic sports and at $3.50 in the
afternoon the stated program, pre-
sided over by A. G. Sorlie, Of the
picnic was opened by the singing of
America" rendered by the joint
chorus Of a number Of Norwegian
singing societies and the audience.
France is Remembered. .
The Liberty male chorus of Nc
1ntosh rendered a series of very up
to-date patriotic songs, and a number
of choral selections were given by
the union chorus of the Red River
valley singing societies, after which
the principal address of the day was
delivered by Professor H. H. Aaker
Of Grand Forks. Mr.. Aaker said in
part as follows:
when we Joined in singing
America at the opening of the pro-
gram. the thought came to my mind:
Would this hymn have beer written
and would there have been a United
States Of America If some Of the fore
fathers Of the>Sons and Daughters OF
Norway had not refused, about a
thousand years ago to become obedi-
ent subjects of King Harold Haar-
fager when he succeeded in bringing
all OF Norway under his authority?'
Rather than losing their individual
liberty. many Norsemen took their
small boats to seek homes in new
lands. Some of these Vikings located
in Ireland, Scotland, England, France,
Normandie, Spain, Italy, and even
Russia, and they brought with them,
to the down-trodden peoples Of south
ern Europe. the idea of personal and
political liberty.
"This idea, a few hundred years
later, wrested from English kings the
bill Of rights. Magma Charta and a
few hundred years later eliminated
in the Declaration of Independence
and the American revolution, making
My Country IT'S of Thee possible.
Lafayette and many other French
men Joined in the struggle for Ameri-
can liberty and saw the Revolutionary
war brought to a successful termin-
alton.
Success in America undoubtedly
raised the hopes and ambitions for
liberty in the hearts and minds Of
Frenchmen, as we'll as others, and
eliminated in storming of the Bastile
in Paris on the 14th Of July. 1889, as
q protest against the missrule and
autocratic government Of Louis the
Fourteenth.
July IA came to mean to the
French people what the Fourth of
July is to US. We celebrate the
Fourth of July and the French. today,
the 14th, but al these days only mark
progress in political and individual
liberty, the French and liberty loving
people Of other countries, comment
crate our Fourth and we join in
celebrating today the fourteenth.
Autocracy is Shaking.
Liberty is not established in a day
aid it took the French longer to
establish a stable government of the
people, but they succeeded. and
France has made wonderful progress
under Its influence, and that progress
is probably one of the leading causes
to the present great conflict on the
battlefields of Europe. =.
MANY people thought that the at
tackipg of France by the German
military machine was merely to settle,
an old score between France and Ger
many, but it seems quite clear that
on the battleields of Europe two
ideals are now in the death grapple
for supremacy-individual and politi-
cal liberty-democracy against au-
tocracy. G
THE great progress Of the French
republic n the wonderful success Of
America made it more difficult for
autocracy to maintain itself.
THE German government is the
exponent of autocracy. The emperor
has. for at least the past generation
been the foe Of liberty and freedom.
His influence has been used to balk
freedom in the Balkan states. Some
years ago he supported the blood
thirsty ruler in Turkey, aided and
abetted the massacre, Of the Armeni-
ans. In 1908 when the revolution was
on in Turkey and the government was
for freedom, the German kaiser was
against Turkey, but when the Turkish
government became tyranical again
he made Turkey an ally.
"Our forefathers went into the
revolution in 1915 for liberty and
freedom. and they won. In 1912 our
forefathers fought for the freedom Of
the sea-, and won. During the Civil
war our boys fought for the freedom
Of b black race, and won, and in
1918 our boys. over a million strong.
are over there fighting for liberty
and freedom, and we shall win and
tho faster We send nj boys over
there, the sooner u liberties and the
liberty, for others will be made safe"
Besget Speaks on Food.
Aaker. which was much applauded.
tho Odiu male chorus NJ Fertile .aono