Scandinavian American. [volume], February 01, 1948, Image 1

About Scandinavian American. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1945-1958

Image provided by: Washington State Library; Olympia, WA

                
Br. l-ygren Visiting
Augustana Synod
Dr, Antlers Nygren. president
of the Lutheran “'orld Feder
ation and professor of theology
at the. University of Lund. Swed
en, recently animal in New
York on the “Drottnlngholm,”
accompanied by his wife.
Dr" Nygren is here to take
part, in the 100th Annlversary of
the founding of the Augustana
Synod by Swedish pioneers, to
be celebrated this summer.
Sweden Sticks To
Her Neutrality
STOCKHOLM, Feb. 4—Swe—
den struck the first Scandina
vian blow against an anti-Com
munist West European union
today. Foreign Minister Oesten
Unden said his country will
stick to its traditional neutral
ity and stay out of any "power
bloc. '
Unden. in one of the most im
portant Swedish foreign policy
declarations in years. told a
joint parliament session in
Stmkholm:
“The government is convinced
that the overwhelming majority
of Swedes do not wish to join
any great power bloc~~be it by
explicit pact or alliance, or by
silent understandings on a com
mon military action in case of
conflict.”
Tne foreign minister declared
that Sweden will adhere to its
pledges under the United Na
tions charter instead of joining
the projected widening: of tho
Anglo-French alliance under thi-
SO-l'lllk‘d Bevin plan.
The number of new companies?
incorporated in Sweden last year!
was 2.347.
Danish Color Film Specialist Returns
John V. lions. n, the noiod color photographer and Iodun‘r. shown
as he returned with Mrs. liannon aboard the Swedish American
[Jan's "Drotinlngholm" I'Ii'l' spending considerable time in Don
mark and Norway making pictures for the Swedilh American Line.
P A l D
Seattle, Wash.
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‘ ' _ l . Serving the Scandinavian-American Population of the Great Northwest
Vol. 4, No. 2.
History In The Old Stone Tower
The decision of the Newport (R.
1.) Park Commission to permit a
scientific excavation around the
base of the old stone tower in
Touro Park, something that has
been urged for years by archeolo
gists, has revived speculation on
the origin of the ancient structure.
For more than 100 years his
torians have debated two theories.
One is that the old stone tower
was built as a windmill about the
year 1675 by Benedict Arnold,
Rhode Island's first governor—not
the Benedict Arnold who figured
a century later in American his
tory.
The other theory is that the
tower was built as a place of wor
ship by Viking adventurers who
came to these shores in the thir
teenth and fourteenth centuries. If
the Viking theory is correct—and
recent bits of evidence pieced to
gether tend to support itathe c-ld
tower may well be the oldest struc
ture built by Europeans in the
western hemisphere, a structure
that was old and probably aband
oned before Christopher Columbus
was born. '
Previous suggestions that the
site around the structure be ex
cavated scientifically in a hunt for
clues were rejected by the New
port Park Commission on the
ground that the digging might
cause the relic to collapse. Arch—*-
ologists have maintained, however,
that a careful excavation need
not endanger the tower at all and
that the chances are good that
some bit of evidence will be found
to prove the tower's origin con
clusively.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, FEBRUARY, 1948
Hjalmar R. Holand, an histor
ian who has specialized in tracing
the wanderings of ”the early Norse
men, published a book last year,
“America, 1355-1364," which was a
factor in inducing the Newport
Commission to change its stand.
The book was brought to the at
tention of the Park Commission a
few months ago by Robert R.
Young, head of the Chesapeak &
Ohio Railroad and a resident of
Newport. Mr. Holand's conclusions
are so intriguing. and his argu
ments in favor of the excavation
so persuasive, that the Newport
Commission decided to change its
previous policy and permit a sci
entific search for new evidence.
Oslo Expands
To 27 Times
Former Area
OSLO. ——- On January 1. 1948.
1the total area of Oslo, Norway's
capital city. was increased twenty
sev‘en told by its formal amalga
mation with adjoining Akcr and
surrounding districts. The city
now covers 113,000 acres in con
trast to the 4.125 acres which con
stituted Oslo-proper on the last
day of the old year.
That there is plenty of room for
growth is indicated by some un
ique statistics. Three quarters of
the new capital is covered by for
est. Some 350 farm houses, a to
tal of 2.200 cows which may now
consider themselves city residents.
A total of 60 lakes now within
Oslo‘s boundaries now comprise an
area almost half again as large
as the capital's total former
spread. Total population of the
enlarged city is 424,000 or approx
imately 14% of the. 3,164,000 per
sons living in all of Norway at
the turn of the new year.
It may be noted that 40,000
more women than men are now ne
siding in the expanded Norwegian
capital.
Alvaro C. Shoemaker
ls Taken By Death
Alvaro C. Shoemaker. associate
editor of the Scandinavian Amor
lcan. died at the United States
Veterans Hospital at Portland.
Oregon. Tuesday morning, Febru
ary 3. 1948. He was formerly an
editorial writer for the Seattle
Post Intelligencer and other pub~
llcations.
He was born in Redford. Iowa.
October 26. 1882, and left surviv
ing him two daughters. Alvara
Forbus Deal of Caracas. Venezue
la. and Dale Fol-bus Fleury of Se
attle. Washington. Death was due
to cancer or the lung.
In keeping with his wishes, no
funeral services were held. His
body has been cremated. and his
ashes will be scattered over San
Francisco Bay.
The barb of his pen will long bc
remembered. He was a mastcr of
expression and analysis. His edi
torials on political and economic
subjccts received national rccog~
nition, and his pocms. such as
“Hymn Before Battle." recently
mibliahcd in the Post lntcllizcncer.
have been widew acclaimed.
Sweden Captures Olympic
Championship 0n Points
Aam- Seyffarth. Swedish winner of the 10,000 mom-r sliver-skating
(went. He also placed second in tho 1.500 mvh-r mrnt.
ST. MORI’I‘Z, Switzerland. Feb.
9.1The Fifth Winter Olympic
Games were ended, but the dis
cord of an uprecedented ice
hockey row lingered on today as
the athletes headed for their
homes in 28 nations.
Sweden won the majority of
honors during the 10 days of com
petition. The United States fin
ished third in total points. The
United States provided an unex
pected heroine in Mrs. Gretchen
Fraser. winner of the women's
special ski slalom and second in
the alpine combination ski event.
France's Henri Oreiller was the
star individual performer. winning
two first places in downhill skiing
and the alpine combined But long
after these performances are for
gotten. the tug-of-war over which
of .two United States hockey teams
should represent the U. S. A. will
be remembered.
The U. S. Olympic Committee
hockey team came. saw and re
mained just tourists in this pic
turesque alpine resort. where
tattered bunting flaps lazily over
worn and dirty snow. .
Its rival. the Amateur Hockey
Association of America. was ac
cepted as the U. S. entry by the
Swiss Olympic Committee. Thi'
AHA team played in the nine
team tournament, and finished a
good fourth behind Canada.
szhoslovnkia. a n d Switzerland
This fourth place. however. wnL
never show in Olympic records.
For the Internauomu Olympic
Committee ruled out the AHA
Avery Brundage, American 10(‘
member. said the AHA rcpt-elem:
Sec. 562, P. L. & M.
U. S. POSTAGE
10¢ a Copy,
commercial interests in ice hockey.
The IOC also decreed that the
International Ice Hockey Federa
tion, of which the AHA is a mem
ber, shall no longer be the gov
erning body of amateur ice hockey
throughout the world.
That was the windup after two
weeks of torrid debate. Nothing
like it had been known in the his
tory of the mode rn (tymp-
Games. founded in 1896 to pro
n‘mto peace among nations.
.Some said there might never
again be an. Olympics. But the 10C
(Continued on Page 2!
llorway Village
Slashes Iaxes
OSLO.~~— In these days of ris
ing tsxcs coupled with frenzied
appeals. prunises and dis
courses as to the vii-dom or
tax reduction. 3 news note from
the Norwegian fjord village of
Vu'tdsl comes :5 an interest
ing contrast to the usual story.
Herc. city fathers decided tn
reverse the normal process.
Municipal taxes paid by Vart
dill citizens who spent thc war
years aboard Norwegian mor
chantmen arc to be returncd as
a gift from thv city, (,‘1ty fa
thcrs have dccidz-d that cvcrv
Vartdsl sailor who risked his
lifc to transport Vital war sup
plies {or the Allies Is tn be ex—
tended ; gift of thanks by his
fellow citizens in the form or
s returned tax check.