The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1923-08-30
SILVER WEDDING
Is CELEBRATED
Friends of Mr., and Mrs. A.
Landgren Stage Surprise
on Anniversary.
A MERRY GATHERING

i ana WIS. A4el IAanQRTen gaLHefeu AZ
DANA hall Tuesday evening and stag
ed happy surprise on the couple
| whose silver wedding anniversary 1t
CHANGED to be. The welded pair were
/ taken for an evening ride by Mr.. and
Mrs. John Bjorn, and then led into
/ the lighted hall where their friends
had assembled, as bewildered as if
the bandages had just been taken of
their eyes in game of blind-man's
i bluff. The affair was a complete and
/ perfect surprise, as seldom happens,
each one of the many conspirators
having managed to keep the secret.
| Then the fun of the evening began.
/ Lindstrand, friend of the family and
one of the originators of the surprise,
1 furnished the music and fleet were
soon in the whirl of the Swedish polka
and Schottiehe. Everyone knew ey-
eryone else, and the affair was like a
family reunion of old friends.
An URusual Marriage.
| At the close of the dancing, John
| Anderson as POSTMASTER for the even
| ing. arose and called the attention of
| the gathering to the fact that they
were celebrating an unusual event, a
successful marriage which had sur
! vived through twenty-five long years.
| Axel Landgren and his wife were old
fashioned people, me said, who when
they married, actually married with
| the intention of making it a lifelong
union. How many marriages of to-
day, he asked, would stand the test?
/ Old friends of the couple were cali
ed upon for "reminiscences and all re-
sponded with some anecdote or eulo-
gy. Among those who replied to the
toastmaster's call were Alfred Ed
gust, Gus Kullman, ]. A. Winberg,
/ j. A. Petersen, Mrs. Alfred Edquist,
1 Mrs. Strangbeng, Mrs. Lundquist, Mrs.
! II jalmar Huffman, A. F. Westine, Olaf
Nelson, John Strom, John Bjorn and
Charles Carlson.
| Gus Kullman declared that he could
testify that the couple had been mar
ried exactly twenty-five years ago, be-
cause he was present at the wedding;
| Mrs. Strangberg remembered that the
bride had worn BROWN dress; an
other remembered that the minister
at the bridal collation. had asked
4 "Har nj nogen bit-soker?" and anoth-
4 er contributed the recollection that
the marriage had taken place in Ke-
nosha at the old Unitarian church,
then rented by the Swedish Lutheran
congregation before the erection of
their own little church on Third
street. Mrs. Hjalmar Kullman's rec
objections were most rollicking and
set the entire room laughing. Mrs.
Edsuist closed appropriately by recit-
Ing poem composed for the occa-
sion. All the speakers touched upon
the regard entertained for the silver
wedding couple, Cor their sterling
qualities, their industry and honesty
End adherence to the Fundamental
Christian virtues.
He Tells How it Happened.
Axel Landgren, wearing the black
frock coat in which he had been mar
r1ed-now too small--responded in be-
half of his wife and himself In a Sim
pie and touching way, recalling incl
dents of his youth, and the events
which lead to his marriage and his
striking his roots down into the life
Of Kenosha, where he built up bust
ness upon the foundation Of hard
work, with the constant cooperation
Of splendid help-mate.
He told of how he arrived from
Sweden a young man in the middle
iof the middle west with just $1.25 in
his pocket. By trade he was a jour
neyman tanner and he secured a po-
sition in the tannery at Kenosha. He
said that like other lads before and
since his time, he had liking for the
lassies, and sometimes there was one
and sometimes there was another that
he faneied. Then he met Hilma NJ Ed
quist and he cat up and took notice.
1t was her force of character, some
thing strong in fibre, that held his at
tention as never before, and which be-
came woven into his destiny.
"And so they were married. Like
the Vicar of Wakefield, he chose his
wife as she chose her wedding gown,
for such qualities as would wear well.
Their first and consuming idea was to
have home. By dint of industry
they secured a lot and built home,
but then, he said, that was also all
they had. When couple of years
later he got notion of going into
business he had nothing, no capital
with which to launch himself even in
very humble way. At this crisis, a.
fellow countryman advanced him the
little sum Of money which meant ev-l
erything at that instant and which
started him on the career which was
eventually to prove that he had taken
the right course. The man who help
ed him, he said, was j. A. Winberg.
He had never forgotten the act and
had been inspired to help others in
his turn when he found himself in
the situation where it was possible.
He dwell with affection on the hap
plness that marriage had been, and
declared with pride that both his wife
and he could look back over twenty
FIVE years in which there had been
no bitterness, no quarrels and no
grievances, but instead a constant
pulling together for the common well
fare of their home and happiness.
Silver candlesticks and a silver bowl
were presented the wedding couple as
the gift of those present, and then to
the strains Of the wedding march. the
party adjourned to the supper room
where real "smorgas -bord0 had been
laid, bringing the merry party to al
close.
'PAPYRUS WINS AGAIN. 1
fErrA tol T