Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1939-09-14
By GEORG STRANDVOLD

Only rarely does the present writer
emerge from that realm where the
personal pronoun in the first per-
son is Stunned for reasons that have
to do with impersonal and profess
sional newspaper work But, there
are occasions And let this be
one.
Perhaps it's just an impression,
but it does occur to me that l may
be Hjalmar and Svend Petersen's
oldest fellow-Worker on the outside,
from the viewpoint of years of unin-
terrupted weekly association; that
supposed fact doesn't entitle me to
anything but is mentioned merely as
an indication that more than twenty
two years of unbroken cooperation
may have endowed me with some
excuse for writing few words about
them and their paper-especially
when other than merely professional
bonds unite us.
Long Association.
In May of 1916 l saw Askov for
the first time, and became enthus-
iaStic enough about it to contribute
my impressions to the Askov Amer
lean; fresh from the more or less
effete superficialities of New York
l dreW-perhaps, in the aftergloW of
vanished years, bit inconsiderately
some comparisons between New
York and Askov New York wept-
or should, at least, have blushed
when it saw all the nice words about
ASkov!
In March, 1917, I began to write
for the Askov American as reg
ular long-distance member of the
staff, week by week; from then until
the last issue of July, 1882, there
was each week a column known as
News Among Scandinavians. 1t was
there for more than fifteen years.
And then, on August 4, 1882, I
began the still continued series of
International News Review-and have
been at it ever since; altogether,
there have come eleven hundred and
seventy-three articles to the Askov
American from MY was going to
say pen, but nowadays we say
typewriter.
Straight Thinking Displayed.
When 1 mention these little office
statistics, it is for the purpose of
letting them furnish the reason for
stating that during all these years,
all these columns, all these issues,
Hjalmar and Svend and their long
distance collaboration have been get
ting along so absolutely harmoniously
and so literally without even hints
of friction that they must merit being
called the ideal newspaper publishers.
You don't often tell your publish
ers or other friends how we'll you
think of them, but a tWenty-fifth an
niversary justifies public compli-
ments when they areas here-gen-
timely and sincerely meant.
1t took courage to start news
paper in Askov only eight years after
the foundation of the settlement; it
must, indeed, have required a quite
Pol llSCldI hlllO VI plOllSSl COU1 dye
and vision to begin large enter
prise at a time when things were
undeveloped, when the future was
uncertain, the investments sure, the
returns anything but that. Also, into
it all went some rather unusual fore
sight, for to start newspaper a few
weeks after the last world war broke
out, and when no one could tell what
would happen to Askov and the rest
of America, most certainly betokened
almost prophetic insight and a lot of
clear planning, straight thinking.
Good Advertising Medium.
There is much discussion about
popular education, and although ex-
perts disagree on ways and means
and aims, they all seem to be as one
unit in mentioning the weekly rural
press of this country as one of the
foremost factors. From purely
professional viewpoint, the Askov
American has always been in the
front ranks, in this connection. It