Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-04-16
Introductory Article Point,
Out That Background Of
Cooperative Movement in
Small Kingdom i. Histor-
ical and Educational
tBy G. S. ~strandvold.)

d1ttonS IN an e1ort 10 SHOW IAdI .1Ao
principle of. Socialistic. cooperation
; has produced a, most phenomenal sue
cess, and that the population gener-
ally has derived unparalleled benefits
! from the application of that principle.
The claim is a fallacy, for while CO
| operation has been more consistently
taken advantage Of in Denmark than
in any other country, IT. has nothing
to do. with Socialism,. nor with any
form of state paternalism.t .. -,
A very small minority of Danish
farmers are Socialists. and their eco
nomic movements have been almost
entirely separated from. political de-
velopment. Indeed. at the time when
the present cooperative system had
its inception among the peasants Of
Denmark, they knew practically
nothing Of Socialism. They had a
vague idea that it was some abhor-
rently revolutionary movement which
aimed at upsetting the government
and at creating strife between labor
and capital.
They know more about Socialism
now-and for that very reason have
not changed their views. =
No Political Background.
Denmark's amazing development
first Of all, inspired by IN intense ma
tional feeling which found its concrete
expression in the famous slogan.
What we lost without, we must win
Within" coined almost Immediately
after the defeat administered to, the
small Danish army by the combined
legions of Prussia and Austria in
1864. 80 f
In the effort to rehabilitate the ma
ton everyone joined-aristocracy and
bureaucracy, business and labor, large
estate owners n small fceeholders.
Class distinctions, were perhaps not
entirely ignored. but no attempt was
made to emphasize them, and. no
strife was engendered between the
except. that of friendly and spirited
rivalry.
1t was the idea of national unity
which bore fruit in the remarkable
system now everywhere recognized as
peculiarly Danish. Political differ
ences, fractional fights played an al
most infinitesimal part in the work of
making Denmark greater-and Social
ism played no part whatsoever, ex-
cept in the sense hat some Of the
methods applied by the Danes were
afterward amplified and incorporated
in Socialistic programs.
In other words: Pat .iotism, not
politics. created modern Denmark.
Country Had Suffered Much.
Fifty years age Denmark. Twas han
dicapped in a number Of ways: Dur
ing the early part of. the nineteenth
century she had been involved in the
her great me chant marine captured
or destroyed by British men-of-war.
was separated from Norway. went
through a state bankruptcy, and
thirty-five years later through a war
with Prussia which lasted three
yeas. Although it ended VIGOROUSLY,
the military success had cost the ma
ton heavily
In 1864 Prussia and Austria sent
their armies against Denmark, and no
pledge of foreign aid was respected
with the exception that a large num-
Der of volunteers from Norway and
Sweden sacrificed their lives for the
Danish cause. After a most persistent
resistance the small remnant of the
feat-with the result that one-third
Of the entire area of the country was
coded to the victors. (That portion OF
the country is now about to be re-
stored.)
Spirit OF Despondency.
Denmark was defeated: Danish sol
was taken by foreign robbers-and
for a time it looked az though a mood
of dependency would settle upon the
DdLi:s. WLdIS tHe use OIL 0oAne
anything" was a question which was
asked a thousand times during the
period Immediately following the war
It was typical of the age, for the
Danes saw no hope anywhere, and
even thu great powers who had
promised that Denmark would not be
left alone in her hour Of disaster
found it inconvenient to make good
their promises.
Thousands Of men had been killed
the fields were untitled, industry wa
paralyzed, trade with foreign coun'
tries was practically nonresident, thu
country wassheavily indebted, and, tt
make matters worse, a very large
number Of farmers and laborers wht
had lost hope altogether, went away
to America and Australia.
1t was no wonder that pessimisn
reigned supreme, and that the gener.
alton of ga grew up with the sting Q,
defeat penetrating their very hearts
The Will to Win.
But no nation can for any length o.
time bury itself in the consciousness
that it has been un~deservedly. humili
ated. and it had o yet been writer
been fulfilled. The Danes emerged
from the war and the period following
It, priding themselves upon the. fac
that during their more than .two'thou
sand years of existence. their old f1al
had never yet been hauled down ii
disgrace, and that never yet had tn
country for one moment lost It
sovereignty. ~ -
There was an inspiration In Thu
thought-and out Of It grew u will =
win, within what was lost without.
This will has asserted itself 'inss ucl
a manner, as to make other nation
wonder what is the real mainspring>o
1t, and the results have been nothtnl
less than marvellous. fi3
One peculiar feature4ofs the ad
within the last half century IL tina
economic and political progress wa
preceded by great .strides In the 4edu
cattonal field. In Denmark It ID mo
believed ithat:great movements An.ih