Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1927-03-03
NEWS AMONG
SCANDINAVIANS
Interesting Items Concern
ing People From the
North.

students Oh SWoulSH ptlIolIS Gil
rolled at the state university of Texas
at Austin, have petitioned the pres
ident and the faculty of the institution
to establish a.chair in Swedish Ian
guage and literature, beginning at the
opening of the fall semester of this
year. One reason for the petition lis,
it is claimed by the signers of the
document, that there are at the uni
versity several hundred students with
Swedish blood in their veins, and a
large number of these students are
DESTROYS of becoming familiar with
the language and the lore of their
fathers. No decision has been made
at the time of this writing.
Was on American Tour.
Professor Georg Brandes, the world
famous Danish literary critic who
died in Copenhagen few days ago,
never evinced conspicuous interest in
American literature, but acclaimed
Upton Sinclair and Jack London as
the greatest writer's this country has
produced In 1914 Professor Brandes
lectured at Yale University, also sew
eral places in New York City, at the
University of Pennsylvania, in Chica-
go, and at the State University of Min
nesota. While here, he lectured var
iously in Danish, English, German,
and French and was received with
more enthusiastic ovations than gen.
orally are given leaders in the field of
literature.
Perfects Invention.
Captain Harold Nelson, Norwe-
gian sailor, whose home now is New
York, recently after incessant efforts
extending over a period of fourteen
years perfected the invention of an
automatic safety gate to be used at
railroad crossings in such a manner
that the gate will close upon the ap-
proach of train, and, also, auto
matically, open as soon as the train
has passed. Experts have pronounced
the device one of great usefulness.
From the Dim Past.
In connection with the preparations
now going ON under the auspices of
a national Swedish-American commits
sion to commemorate the earliest ar
rival of Swedes in this country in
1888, special efforts will be made to
secure general recognition of the his
torically attested facts that John
Morton, one of the signers of the
Declaration of Independence, was of
Swedish descent, and that John Han
son, who by virtue of his being pres
ident of the first Continental Congress
was practically the first president of
the United States, likewise was Swe-
ish-American. The facts are known
to historians and to Scandinavians
generally, but have not, it is felt by
the commission, been adequately
stressed in the school books of this
country.
Bast at the Hague.
A number of American and
northumberland Methodists
have foregathered at the Hague where
an ecclesiastical court is probing the
case of Bishop Anton Bast of Copen-
hagen, Denmark. He was recently
released from prison after serving a
term of three months for misappro-
priation of charity funds, and the
church now will determine whether
his status as a Methodist executive
is affected by the judgment of the
civil courts of Denmark. The case
is attracting unusual attention
throughout the Methodist world. BIZ
shop Nicholson of Detroit, Mich, pre-
sides over the proceedings of the
church tribunal at the Dutch city.
Opens Campaign.
''Nordlyset", Danish paper in New
York, announces that it has opened a
subscription campaign to collect funds
for the Danish Soil Defense recently
organized in Denmark for the pur-
pose Of hindering German capitalists
from investing in Danish farm pro-
perry in Slesvig, the province con-
quered from Denmark by Germany in
1864. and partly restored in 1920 as
the result of plebiscite ordered
in accordance with detailed stipula-
tions of the Versailles peace treaty.
The problem OF retaining Danish SOIL
in Slesvig as such has become ma
tional issue throughout Denmark. and
is engendering unusual enthusiasm.
Diplomatic Appointment.
Leland Harrison. assistant secretary
of state, has been appointed United
States minister to the Swedish court
at Stockholm as successor to Robert
Wood Bliss, recently resigned. Mr..
Harrison is native of New York
city, A years old, and a graduate of
Harvard university. He began his
diplomatic career as secretary to the
legation in Toxic some twenty years
ago, and also has been secretary to
the American Legations at Picking,
Bogota, and Paris. He has been as
sistant secretary of state since 1922.
CONTINUED on Page 3D.