Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1920-06-17
DANISH PEOPLE DISAPPOINTED
Many i'm This Section Had Hoped
That College Would be Moved
TO Harlan

A great many of our Danish peo-
ple are disappointed in the failure of
the recent national convention to re-
move Dana college from Blair, Ne
braska. to Harlan. The Kimballton
Record, no doubt speaking the SEN
timent of the Danish people in Au-
dubon and Shelby counties. has the
following to say concerning the ac-
ton that was taken in the matter:
Eat the national convention of the
Danish Evangelical Lutheran church
of America held at Hutchinson,
Mimi, last week the question of
moving the college which the church
maintains at Blair, Neb., to some
other location was taken up and it
was decided not to remove the col
lege. This action on the part of
the convention delegates, is regret
able and, we are sure, does not meet
with the approval of a large major
ity of the people of Danish descent.
The committee of seven which
had been appointed at the 1919 con-
vention are reported to have recon-
mended the removal of the college
to Harlan, that city. having offered
very liberal proposition to the
church if a college would be estab-
lished there. A delegation from
Spencer, Iowa, was also sent to the
convention and made a bid for the
college which was even more liberal
than that offered by the Shelby
county city. The city of Blair
made no material offer to help the
church if the school was maintained
there
In spite of these facts the conven-
ton decided to leave the college in
it's present location. Spencer's offer
is undoubtedly the cause of Harlan
losing the school, as the delegates
voted on these three places and af-
ter several ballots Blair won. Spen-
cec and Harlan are both better towns
than Blair by far and the locations
offered by these two cities cannot be
compared to the steep sand hills on
which the delegates have decided to
establish a creditable college.
About the only people interested
in having the school established at
Blair, are the people of that city and
some influential professors whose
property would decrease in value
with the removal of the school.
Blair were successful in influencing
the convention to such an extent
that the votess were split sufficiently
between the three locations and the
poorest one was chosen. 1t is in
deed unfortunate that politics
should enter into this matter and
few people were able to put through
deal that the people of Danish des-
cent all over the United States will
soon come to see as mistake.
Besides being more favorably To-
Gated, Spencer or Harlan offers bet
ter campus grounds. The grounds
at Blair would not be out of place
in the bad lands. Recently ten
acres west of the school were pur-
chased and this ground is more hilly
and rugged than the original
grounds. II the church is going to
establish such school as people
have been led to believe, it is neces-
sary that grounds be secured for
athletic fields and for building To-
cations and this is not available
near the present school site without
more engineering work than was
necessary to complete the Panama
canal. likewise the buildings on
| the present school site are in poor
condition. A former professor of
] the school is authority for the state
ment that If the buildings could de-
eide which way to fall, they would
all go tumbling down the hill.
The people of this vicinity all
seem to think that the convention
made a mistake and we do not see
how anyone can look at the matter
in any other light"