Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1935-02-28
GREATEST SWEDE
BY BERT MERLING

1t Is inconceivable that we know
so little about the real beacon-lights
of our race. We learn early of mill
tary conQuerors. Of mighty kings,
princes, bishops and money lords. But
the actual emancipators Of humanity
the giant intellects-what do we
know of them? Ask any Swede who
the greatest son of Svea was. Invar-
iably Gustavus Adolphus will be
named. True, he was one Of the
worlds outstanding military genius.
However, did his brilliant sword teach
mankind to think; to strike off the
shackles of ignorance, poverty and
prejudice?
The supreme war is the blasting OF
superstition and ignorance. There is
a war that calls for leaders endowed
with super-intellects. They are the
true benefactors of humanity.
A Mighty Pen.
Such a genius was August Strind-
berg. The province Of his prodigious
gift was to blast the superiority as
sumptions of the handful Of masters
at the top and to demand social, eco
nomical and political emancipation
for the mass. The artificial regula-
lions imposed by law and society he
exposed mercilessly. His penetrating
eye cut through the hypOcritical con-
ventions to the cruelties, pretenses,
and deceits underneath. His pen
famed like a meteor for the down.
trodden-the people with the hoe;
the humans transformed into spirit
less oxen by poverty and ignorance.
He pointed out the blighting slave
mindedness resulting from blind
obedience to theological and pharisa-
ical convention.
He writes: Suffering has stamped
on the faces of the lower classes that
expression of hopelessness and tor
ment which neither theological res
ignation nor the hope of Heaven can
obliterate and from which the upper
classes flee as from an evil con-
science"
Little wonder the wealthy, the priv
ileged, the self-centered, run away
from the realistic literary pOrtraying
of human suffering. They cannot face
truth, and the grim and unacceptable
fact that they are guilty in perpetual
ing the stark injustice of social in
equality and economic thralldom-
Strindberg's life long crusade was
ever against restricting social laws
which crippled the spirit of the peo-
pie. He was ever against dOgmatic
theology with its gilded negativism.
ecclesiastical creed, subservience and
unquestioning obedience. And against
the colossal and myriad shams of so
ciety he delivered his most telling ex-
posures. everything that was dis
honest, cruel, banal. and vile in the
social system, he exposed graphically.
particularly in his book. THE Red
Room" So notes Moritzen in his ex-
cellent biography of Strindberg.
The cloak of responsibility was ex-
actly that to Strindberg. He lifted
it and revealed the pOisons in every
human relationship wherever wrapped
HI tiC iucoh VI lCoPSStdpilits. liz Sih-
phasized that the so-called qualities
which lead to success are actually
ethnO-centric barbaric in ruthless
ness, rapacity and self-centeredness.
Crooked finance, amassing wealth at
any human cost. dishonest corpora
tion promoting. show-off charity, oily
cold religiosity, servile, wealth, obey
ing journalism and cracked-brain
egotism. in short. climbing to mastery
by legalized fraud and societal in
fantilism. Crack-brained lunacy and
humanless egotism riding the back
of a bludgeoned humanity.
These characteristics are SO typ
ical. and Strindberg's psychological
analysis of motives and behavior so
accurate. that the writings seems like
some mirror held up to show society
the face under the mask" (Morit-
zen).