Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1932-12-15

Inc IOllOWluS Is al duuiCSS "
President l.. D. Coffman of the
University of Minnesota, at the
observance Of the Tooth anniver-
sary of Bjornstjerne Bjornson, at
Cyrus NOrthrop Memorial Audi
forum on December 6.
1t is a matter Of great personal re-
gret to me that / am unable to speak
to you about your distinguished coun-
tryman in the language of your own
country, and also that l am unable to
discuss his poetry with the apprecia-
ton and insight that student OF
poetry would be able to give to 1t.
l have found that the story OF Born
sons life, in English, although meag-
er and incomplete. at once rivets the
attention and appeals to the magma
ton of a reader interested in the
biography of a great man.
Bjornson lived at time when Nor
way was engaged in an heroic strug-
gle to establish her Independence; at
time when remarkable characters
were playing notable parts in the
drama of Norway's national life; at a
time when the adventurous hansen.
encouraged and supported by his gov
eminent and the people at home, was
travelling the wastes Of the frozen
Arctic in the interests of science;
when Ibsen was producing his great
dramas in the theatres Of Norway;
when Michaelsen, the statesman, was
seeking international recognition and
support for Norway. 1t was a time
when the restless spirit of the people
was expressing itself in new ways
in politics. science, drama, and re-
ligion 1t was a time when bold
spirits played conspicuous parts in
the various fields of action. The ac-
claim with which they were received
was not attributable to their boldness
or daring alone but to their knowl-
edge. their deep purposes, their sim
cere and unselfish desire to contribute
to the life, comfort, happiness, and
security of their people.
BjsrnsOn Was Son of Parson.
Born in 1882, the son of a parson
rearing of children, in a region COW
cred with snow during seven or eight
months of the year, with few COM
panions and associates besides the
nomad Laps who travelled with their
reindeer and boatlike sleighs, Born
sons early experiences were typical
of the peasants way of life. Willful,
headstrong, mischievous but good at
heart, he was constant problem to
his parents and neighbors. He early
showed an avidity for reading and es-
pecially was he impressed by Snorre's
Sagas of the Kings, whose story he
loved to relate to other boys and to
the farm-laborers. Perhaps his own
writings were more influenced by
those Of Wergeland than by any other
Norwegian writer.
OF his early experiences. reference
can only be made to his life at the
University in Christiania. 1t appears
that students of those days were not
wholly unlike students of today. They
| invented terms to describe all sorts OF
things. Sometimes their descriptions
were more colorful than accurate;
sometimes they made innocent at
tempts at expressing affections by
contrast. The term applied to the
university was a case in point. Ii
was referred to as a Student Fac
tory" This factory" had one teacher
who taught one subject-Latin. The
teacher was old, equity and asthmatic.
He never. so far as | can determine,
wrote anything. And yet he knew
how to teach, to make his students
think, and to appreciate the beauties
of style and fine language.
The courses over which this old
professor presided had no entrance
requirements. Everybody came who
desired learning: Mature men, youths,
peasant boys, seamen, bankrupt mer-
chants, serious students, social climb