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5423969_5_1088.xml
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5423969_5_1088.xml
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<bibl><title>Skandinaven</title>,
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<title level="a">The Jubilee Gift</title><title level="a" type="sub">(Editorial)</title></bibl>
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<note>Transcribed from digital images contributed to the Internet
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<bibl><title>Skandinaven (Daily Edition)</title>,
<date when="1909-03-26">Mar. 26, 1909</date>.
<title level="a">THE JUBILEE GIFT</title><title level="a" type="sub">(Editorial)</title></bibl>
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<p>Skandinaven believes that the Norwegian-Americans should do something worth while in the way of participation in the Independence Centennial in Norway in 1914, and we also believe that something worth while can be done without hurting the Norwegian-American co-operation with local communities in Norway....</p>
<p>Before presenting our opinion as to what ought to be done, we should like to quote a letter received by us from a farmer in Sacred Heart, Minnesota. The letter follows in part:</p>
<p>"Is the jubilee gift to Norway on the occasion of the centennial in 1914 of the country's independence to be a gift in honor of national art from the people who moved away, or is it to be a sum of money for the purpose of social or economic betterment? Let us settle this question first; then the field of discussion will be narrowed down, and we may come to some agreement about the form <pb facs="5423969_5_1089.jpg" n="2"/>of the gift.</p>
<p>"Personally, I vote for the national type of gift. If any great misfortune were to strike Norway, beyond the power of our old homeland to cope with, the Norwegian-Americans would show, as they have shown in the past, that their hearts are in the right place, and that they would be ready with money to assist. But the conditions and needs of modern Norway are understood by the Norwegians better than the Norwegian-Americans can understand them, and I also believe that the Norwegians in Norway are able to cope with such situations as may arise there under ordinary circumstances."</p>
<p>The view presented by the farmer here quoted is shared by many. It seems that the gift must be in honor of the Norwegian nation; no other gift has any justification on the occasion of the centennial. On the other hand, a majority of our people place emphasis on the utility of the gift, stating that a gift which does good may also be considered a gift of honor.</p>
<pb facs="5423969_5_1090.jpg" n="3"/>
<p>Many of those who share the view of the majority in this matter have failed to understand the arguments presented by the other side.</p>
<p>None of us want to do something just for the "high and mighty" in Norway; on the contrary, everybody wants to do what he considers will be best and most suitable for the Norwegian people as a whole. Nobody wants to give something that merely "glitters," just for the sake of this glitter, but many believe that a festival gift should have a festive character. Nobody wants to waste a million dollars or so on brick and wood. Those who are advocating some kind of memorial in marble or wood are thinking in terms of far smaller sums. But if these and similar misunderstandings are overcome, there still remain two camps: one places the emphasis on the historical aspect of the gift, the other on its practical utility.</p>
<p>We believe it will be difficult to reconcile these two viewpoints. But why not bow to both? What the minority wants is something we ought to do on an occasion like the one in question. What the majority wants is to do something which will <pb facs="5423969_5_1091.jpg" n="4"/>benefit Norway. The majority can have no objection to the carrying out of the wishes of the minority, for the minority plan, if carried out, will bring honor to all. The minority can have no objection to the course of action desired by the majority, for such a course, if adopted, will be of benefit to the homeland.</p>
<p>Under these suppositions, the task before us will be to find a form for the idea of the minority about which this camp will be able to rally, and also a form for the idea of the majority which can also constitute the rallying point for this camp.</p>
<p>Acknowledging the good and appealing points in the various proposals brought forward by the minority, Skandinaven believes that the members can most easily be rallied about the following: (1) one hundred thousand kroner to the Eidsvold Monument; (2) fifty thousand kroner for a statue of Hans Nilsen Hauge; and (3) fifty thousand kroner for a fund to support the periodical of the Normandsfor-bundet (Norsemen's Association).</p>
<p>The idea of erecting a memorial for the Eidsvold undertaking is not new in Norway; <pb facs="5423969_5_1092.jpg" n="5"/>it originated about the middle of the last century. During the subsequent years a certain amount of money has been gathered for the purpose. Now, as the centennial celebration is approaching, the movement for such a memorial has gained impetus, all the more so since the Eidsvold undertaking today, after the dissolution of the union with Sweden, stands forth in its original significance.</p>
<p>The Norwegian constitution of 1814, as well as the development and progress of the country on the foundation laid by the men who wrote the constitution, forms one of the brightest chapters in the history of Norway. It would seem strange indeed if the Norwegian people were to celebrate the centennial of the events connected with the shaping of the constitution of Norway and the winning of independence for the country, and then omit the raising of a memorial of the event, a memorial which could stand for all time to come as an expression of the gratitude of the people for the great work accomplished by their forefathers.</p>
<p>Every other nation has erected monuments in memory of the great events in their history. Why should not the Norwegian people in a similar way express their joy <pb facs="5423969_5_1093.jpg" n="6"/>and national pride in their independence?</p>
<p>The idea of an Eidsvold monument has expanded of late....It is only natural, then, that the people in Norway should desire that the monument be built in common by Norwegians from all the countries where Norwegians dwell. Of course Norway could erect the monument all by itself; the two hundred thousand kroner required would not be too immense a sum to raise. But the belief is widespread in Norway that Norwegians everywhere will wish to join in the erection of this memorial for the Norwegian nationality. The invitation to join in the work has been sent to the Norwegian-Americans not only because the largest number of emigrant Norwegians are here, but also because the Norwegians at home know what we have done to preserve for ourselves and our children the inheritance which we derived from our fathers; they also know that we are clinging to the memory of our old homeland with undiluted love.</p>
<p>The Norwegian people have especially noticed how, in cities and in country districts, we are celebrating the Norwegian day of honor, thereby testifying to <pb facs="5423969_5_1094.jpg" n="7"/>the fact that the Norwegian constitution is alive also in us. This statement is not merely an empty phrase; it is largely due to the Norwegian constitution that we are respected in this country as a group which has been trained in the school of liberty, thus being ready and mature for participation in the popular government here in America.</p>
<p>It would seem very strange to the Norwegians in Norway if the big and strong Norway-in-America were to be the only one of the groups having departed from Norway which would not join in erecting a memorial for the liberating undertaking at Eidsvold. And when Norway is dressed for the festival of 1914; when the Eidsvold monument is unveiled, as the supreme touch of the celebration; when the proud memorial is covered with wreaths from those who contributed, from Norwegians in every land; when this historic day is celebrated also in this country, in the cities and country districts all across the American continent--how would we like the position of being the only group of Norwegians away from Norway, which did not have any part in the monument for the great liberating work by the Norsemen? Would we not bow our heads in shame at our narrow-minded- <pb facs="5423969_5_1095.jpg" n="8"/>ness and unseemly attitude in the matter? We would then regret, only too late, that we had brought upon ourselves that hour of humiliation.</p>
<p>It must not happen!</p>
<p>Hans Nilsen Hauge was one of the greatest men produced by Norway in the nineteenth century, and it is doubtful if any of his contemporaries exerted a greater influence....over the Norwegian people than he. He awakened the people to a living faith in God, to deep earnestness and vigorous activity.</p>
<p>It is unnecessary to dwell on his religious activity; all of the Norwegians know that he brought about a complete change in the attitude of the people of his day, a religious revival which has set its mark on the development of the Norwegian church both at home and abroad.</p>
<p>But Hans Nilsen Hauge was also a teacher, educating the people along lines of work and industry. Wherever this man traveled he sowed the seeds of the fear of <pb facs="5423969_5_1096.jpg" n="9"/>God, of an earnest attitude toward life's tasks, of inventiveness, activity, and diligence.</p>
<p>At present, as a day of new endeavor is dawning over Norway, this man should be remembered and his memory honored. Nearly one hundred years ago he initiated the new industrial era for his nation, yet this great son of Norway still lacks a memorial. Let it be erected, then, by the Norwegians in America!</p>
<p>In erecting a monument for Hans Nilsen Hauge the Norwegian-Americans will show the Norwegian church in Norway that the new life occasioned by Hauge's activity has had creative force also among the Norwegians in this country....Under the present religious strife in Norway, such an undertaking by the Norwegian-Americans might have more important consequences than many people imagine.</p>
<p>In regard to the Nordmandsforbundet (Norsemen's Association) Skandinaven maintains the attitude expressed in the pages of the paper so far; the future of the <pb facs="5423969_5_1097.jpg" n="10"/>Association depends upon the inner growth. The greatest impetus to development of the Norsemen's Association would be derived if Norwegians everywhere joined the Association. Yet, since the biggest Norwegian society in America belongs to the Norsemen's Association, it would seen advisable to insure support of the latter by permitting a part of the jubilee gift to be devoted to the advancement of the Association. In the opinion of Skandinaven the amount set aside for the purpose mentioned had best be applied to the development of the Association's periodical, the Nordmandsforbundet. This magazine has made a most promising start but it can be improved, and in time it might become a lasting tie between the Norwegians in all the countries where they are found.</p>
<p>The majority of our people want to do something different, something of greater practical value. From the contributionsto Skandinaven we find that by far the greater number within the majority are in favor of a land fund, a fund to enable poor people to clear their own land and build their own home in Norway. The arguments in favor of such a fund have already been presented by writers on the <pb facs="5423969_5_1098.jpg" n="11"/>topic in this paper. We shall therefore merely add a few remarks of practical significance.</p>
<p>If the amount contributed were to be comparatively small, it might yet be employed for the increase of the capital of the Boligbanken (Housing Bank). If, on the other hand, a larger amount were collected, from one million to five million kroner, the amount might be employed as capital for an independent institution, to be named, let us say, the Norwegian-American Homestead Bank; and by using the methods employed by the "Hypothekbanken" it might acquire a large capital for lending purposes, eight times as large as the capital of the bank. In this manner it could give a mighty impetus to cultivation of new land in Norway.</p>
<p>With suitable reference to the demands of the future, the objective of the bank ought to be determined as indicated by "An Old Norwegian-American" writing in Skandinaven. In his opinion the bank ought to be at liberty to support interests and industries such as reforestation, fisheries, etc., while the clearing of new <pb facs="5423969_5_1099.jpg" n="12"/>land for homestead purposes should remain the chief objective. It is of course unnecessary to enter into the details of such an arrangement at the present time.</p>
<p>The form of jubilee gift which, in the opinion of Skandinaven, is most likely to win the united support of the Norwegian-Americans is as follows:</p>
<p>1. One hundred thousand kroner for the Eidsvold Monument.</p>
<p>2. Fifty thousand kroner for a statue representing Hans Nilsen Hauge, to be erected at a suitable place in Norway.</p>
<p>3. Fifty thousand kroner for the periodical of the Norsemen's Association.</p>
<p>4. Capital of at least one million kroner for the organization of Den Norsk-Amerikanske Homestead-Bank".</p>
<p>In addition to this "Vor egen Saga" (Our Own Saga), a reliable, richly illustrated <pb facs="5423969_5_1100.jpg" n="13"/>and in every way well-appointed Norwegian-American history should be written. Such a history would cost the donors nothing, since it would more than pay for itself. But the work should be placed in the hands of a committee of mature and able men, the very best among the Norwegian-Americans.</p>
<p>It will be noticed that for the realization of the idea of a gift of honor to national art an amount of about fifty thousand dollars will suffice, while a million, or so, would be required for the land fund.</p>
<p>Skandinaven believes that both the majority and the minority will each be able to take care of its own part in the task involved. Or the matter might be arranged in such manner that each donor be permitted to contribute to the objective of which he particularly approves, within the accepted framework of the whole.</p>
<p>The proposal outlined above is hereby presented to the Norwegian-American people for their consideration. If anybody has a better and more practical plan, and <pb facs="5423969_5_1101.jpg" n="14"/>one which can gain broader acceptance, Skandinaven will gladly lend its support to such a plan.</p>
<p>The important task at hand is to find the idea which can best gain the united support of the Norwegian-Americans, and at the same time fit in with the historical situation. It must represent the type of gift which best expresses our sentiments with regard to our mother country--a gift that will do honor to the givers and also will honor and benefit Norway and its people.</p>
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