Scandinavian American. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1945-1958, 1946-02-01
THE SCANDINAVIAN AMERICAN

formed it into electrical energy.
What Sweden has accomplished
in electrical and mechanical engi-
neering is matched by the prog
ress made in economic and social
engineering While the white col
lar" class is undoubtedly Caught
in between" the economic currents,
there as elsewhere, I saw no such
signs of poverty as were in evil
dence in England and France.
While some of the "grander" in
the old part of Stockholm were
pretty narrow and were lined with
ancient buildings that might as
well be torn down, except for their
historic interest, I saw no slums
as in London (and New York and
Chicago). The development of the
modern apartment homes in Stock
holm is really something to see In
her social advance and her eco
nomic program that cares for 1.-The
forgotten man." perhaps the high
est compliment that can be paid
Sweden is that many of the best
features of Franklin Roosevelt's
New Deal for America were def
nitely patterned after the Swedish
social and economic advances of
the past two decades.
The Swedes are friendly peo-
Pile. Their hospitality is gracious
and heartwarming. While in Eng
land we met quite a number of the
officers of the U. S. Eighth Air
Force. We were told by them that
if they had their choice of any
country in Europe in which to
make forced landing it would be
Sweden, for there they received
such good treatment and they en-
joyed the Swedish food so much.
If l were to make a comparison
b t w e en- the English and the
Swedes it would be something like
this: Give the English the best
food in the world and their cooks
will ruin it. Give the Swedes the
poorest food, just so it's food, and
they'll prepare dish fit for a
king"
1 met so many splendid people
in Sweden and was the recipient
of so many personal favors on the
part of outstanding leaders in
. state and church and in various
! fields of activities, that l hesitate
: n m ls.N 10
! too long. 1t includes the crown
prince, the archbishop, bishops,
pastors, professors, editors, diplo-
, mats, industrialists, foreign mis-
5 sionary leaders, publication execu-
t tives, leaders in the Red Cross,
= POW, and various War Relief
5 organizations. l dare say that
: these men represent a leadership
D of which any nation might be
: proud.
r Very frankly, told my friends
in Sweden that we were duly APP
1 preciative of the laudable benevo-
: lent work which had been done
n but also that we expected still
e more from them in the future, for
s they had been spared from paying
:. the terrible price in blood that We
n had paid. CAT the time of our visit
q in Sweden the American casualty
Y list was approaching the million
e mark. Since then it has passed
il that mark) They answered tina,
d they realized their responsibility
p and that they would do their ut.
most in sharing the cost of re.
h building broken world.
Y Can 1 forego saying it? II
d seems that no article about Swe.
t den would be complete without
$ raving about it's natural beauty. !
e shall leave it to others to do so
e who have seen it in its midsummer
d beauty. 1 saw enough beauty t.
r make me want to see more. 1,
t looked so good to me that wan
to go back. sensed an intimats
8 relationship between the charac
i ter of the Swedes and their nat
II ural environment. The North i.
d no place for soft people and it i.
d no place for people who canno
e make friends with nature. Afte
II seeing the Northland l can bette
l. appreciate the following common
d by Henrik Willem Van Loon il
Re his unique Geography" Note tina
n it is not written by Swede. blu
oy a Dutchman. There are coun