Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-01-29

the, port Of Gottenbors and We sailed
4 away for America on the 18th of June.
lNow, gentlemen, let me say one thing.
These we're all good, men. and willing
Etoo. and their children-young farmers:
Ethere was not one from the city. They
were tough fellows and good fellows.
Ewelf suited to WELD the woodmen's axe.
They were men Of some means. Let me
say this, and do not forget It! There
i; was not one Of that colony that came
with me. or came afterwards, who did
not pay his own way from Sweden to
maine. where he Settled. and they
Fbronght money and tons and tons OF
baggage with them. They were not
paupers. That little band sailed away
from old Sweden. They left home and
fcountry and they faced the perils OF a
voyage of 1000 miles and the hardships
Land toll Of hewing themselves a home
in the wilderness in a foreign land-they
tpaid their own way too-without so
much, "a the scratch of pen by way
of contract or obligation, but with sim
pie faith, in the, honor. and the hos
tpitality Of the good State of Maine.
They were not given anything except
100 acres to each head Of families of the
wilderness land Of which Maine still
possessed some. We sailed over the At
lantic, landed at Halifax. crossed the
Bay of Fundy. forced our way up the
ST. John River in large scows drawn by
horses, along the bank, crossed over the
line into Maine, cut our way into the
thick, deep woods, eight miles beyond
the last American settlement. and there
we were on the. spot just four months
from the day that the bill was passed.
When We got to the center Of the town.
ship we stopped. The Swedes with
their wives and their children clus-
tered around me and we devoutly
thanked God who had led us on our
long journey and brought US safely to
what was to be our home in the new
world. 1t was then Township No. Is,
Range 3. west of the east line Of the
State. / baptized it New Sweden,
name thought commemorative of the
Fast and suspicious of the future. Then
1t was about noon. We looked around
US. All around. as far as the eye could
see. In great fluctuations, ending with
the horizon against the sky, was one
unoroken wilderness. A colossal forest
covered all the land. In those forest
depths the blows of the settlers axe
mad never resounded. Through the
branches Of those gigantic trees the
smoke from settlers cabin had never
curled heavenwood. There roamed the
moose and prowled the bear and the
silence of midnight was broken by the
hooting of the Arctic owl. must con-
Tess that when 1 awoke about midnight,
lying on some spruce boughs under a
shelter of poles and bark with my 50
children OF the woods. not one of them
speaking word of our language, lying
around me. and heard that COMPOUNDED
Old owl boot very strongly that I was
up against IL; but we surmounteti every
dihculty because We went to work. We
worked. worked. worked on the soil of
Name. Trees began crashing down,
logs We're hewn and rolled up into
houses. twisted trunks of trees were
made into crude furniture. i, In going
about one would hear the axes re-
sounding and the trees crashing down
and there was the good man of the
mouse telling trees and the Swedish,
mother. usually singing some song to
her children. So the work went on:
ciearings opened up; crops were put in.
work! work! work. that was the tails
man, and that is what carried us ahead.
we Kept on, working. and 1t has not
| stopped to this day. The qualities of
i those Swedes were such that took them
\ anead, and have built the community
in the wilderness They were first. in
dustrious: they worked from morning
until night. In the second place. they
were economical. They had to have
some animal to help them, but IL
/ oWede ala not have enough money to
ouy TWO horses, he only bought one.
II ne did not have money enough to
buy horse. he bought an OK. II an
OK was beyond his means. he bought a
! steer; and II he could not afford a steer.
ne made rope harness. threw it on
his only COW and stubbed around with
her among the blackened stumps until
! ne could do better. 1t became a great
joke up through Aroostook-the Swedes
with those rope harnesses on their cows
but we did not know them All the
while the Swedes were teaching us a
! lessoh--<sLlve within your means"
Those same Swedes, or their children.
] are riding around today, If the snow is
not too deep, in $50 automobiles. and
they have paid for them ali. CAD
plause.). - .
Another reason for our success 10
| that we were a temperance COLONY.
There has never been a rumshop in
1 New Sweden. and never will be-, thank
GOD. (Applause). Another reason is
that they are a religious colony. AS
soon as their own little log huts were
built, they built churches. and thew
went to church. too. They filled those
churches every Sunday, and do today.
God fearing. temperate. Industrious,
economical; they must get ahead in
the woods of Maine. = | s-.'
Another thing! Every wife was a
| helpmeet. They cut their logs to be
rolled up into houses generally with
crosscut saws, with handle on either
end. Go anywhere where there was a
man and his wife and the wife had
hold Of one end Of the saw and she
did half Of the work. too was rid
ing out on horseback to the nearest
village; Caribou, enc morning, and
met one of. our Swedish women trude-
| ing along with great meal sack on
her back. 1t was pretty, heavy. but
she was trudging along with 1t into the
village. When passed her. I was
L <~&s A.