More than ten thousand Norwegians turned out today to celebrate Norway's day of independence. The speeches, as usual, were many, but we will print only the speech by Reverend Jens C. Roseland, the main speaker.

"My Fellow Descendants of the Brave Norsemen! I assure you that I am glad to be with you today, and I feel truly honored to be asked to address you on such a delightful occasion.

"The question has been asked all along the line of march this afternoon: 'Who are these, and whence do they come?' Allow me to suggest an answer to that question. We are all graduates of the Prenatal Training School. A prominent scholar, upon being asked as to the best time to begin the education of a boy, answered: 'The best time to begin the education of a boy is one hundred years before he is born'. That original answer suggests a number of interesting reflections. We are the children of a people in whom 2love of liberty and country constitute striking traits of character. If the beginning of the education of these boys and girls dates back one hundred years before their birth, it takes us far away from Chicago, across the Atlantic Ocean, to some point not very far from the historic city of Eidsvold. Your education was begun in old Norway if that is your fatherland. And it should be a matter of congratulation to you today to know that you are the descendants of such a brave and liberty-loving people, and that your education takes its beginning in the most interesting period of Norwegian history when the flame of patriotism was at its height. Yes, the fair-haired youth of the Norsemen in America are Uncle Sam's seed--imported seed--from which the old fellow expects to raise a fine crop of desirable citizens.

"But in suggesting an answer to the above question, it seems to me, as I look around upon this waving sea of flags and banners, that you look most of all like a beautiful army. And so you are; the Christian youth of the land are Uncle Sam's best Grand Army of the Republic. They are the hope of our 3nation. The dear old soldier who stood so nobly in our defense in the Civil War is fast passing away, his duty done. And his responsibilities are being shifted to the shoulders of the younger generation. There are plenty of battles left to be fought--battles that require just as much courage and bravery as those of the Civil War. They are moral battles, but they are just as real as the battles of Gettysburg and Lookout Mountain. The foes are many and formidable, and they are fighters to the last ditch.

"Let me name some of them: they are Infidelity, Intemperance, Social Impurity, Sabbath Desecration, Profanity, etc. Intemperance alone, is a more destructive foe than war, pestilence, and famine combined. To arms! you brave young soldiers of this beautiful and hopeful army. Let it not be said of any of the descendants of the Norsemen that they joined the ranks of Uncle Sam's foes to shackle his freedom and throttle his liberty. I blush on behalf of my people when I read names above the doors of the grogshops with the suffix 'sen' or 'son'. Unworthy 'sons' they are, and unfit to be owned by 4by the lovers of true liberty from whom they boast their pedigree.

"But what is the more immediate purpose of this demonstration today? It was said during the Civil War that 'Ideas were behind the cannon, and ideas pointed the muskets'. And it was that which made the great Union Army victorious. Thousands of the bravest soldiers behind the cannon and the musket were shot down, disabled, or killed. But the ideas remained. They coyly dodged every rebel bullet. It is not so much the men and the military skill and equipment, as it is the great underlying ideas, that decide the outcome of battles. And so also there are ideas--noble, inspiring ideas--behind this beautiful army today. We are celebrating a sort of Norwegian 'Memorial Day' as a fitting prelude to the great Memorial Day, May 30.

"In speaking of the purpose of the day, let me place as number one the purpose of honoring our ancestry. Webster has said: 'There is a moral and philosophical respect for our ancestry, which elevates the character and refines the heart.' And the first commandment which contains a promise says: 'Honour 5thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.' This is where all true patriotism begins. Show me a man who dishonors his parents, and I will show you one whose patriotism is not worth a pinch of snuff.

"Notice how beautifully this commandment fits our case today. We and our fathers have come here to stay. We are not contemplating leaving our homes for other countries. America is good enough for us and our children. But in order that we may count on the divine favor, and the respect of our fellow citizens of other nationalities, we must not forget the self-respect that finds its best and noblest expression in loving respect for the people from whom we have sprung. Our purpose is to show an emphatic recognition of the prenatal training that we have received as a birthright, that patriotic imbuement which is our legitimate legacy from this little sturdy people of the North. We have inherited a predisposition for the inalienable rights of personal liberty and popular government which makes our sons and daughters fit into this democratic Republic without another hundred years of preliminary 6education; and who will deny that such a legacy is worth more than gold and riches? Let us honor the memory of our forefathers, then, in filial recognition of what their struggles for liberty have meant to us. And the best honor we can give them is to show ourselves their worthy descendants.

"Another purpose of the day is to keep alive in ourselves and our youth a knowledge of some of the principal events in Norse history. This is so intimately connected with the duty of ancestral respect that this can scarcely exist without adequate historical knowledge. Any self-respecting Norwegian young person who will take the trouble to read the history of his ancestors will not find it difficult to admire and respect them. It is ignorance that breeds disrespect and forgetfulness of our world-honored forefathers. Among the events in Norwegian history that should be familiar to every American of Norwegian stock are such events as the founding of the Norwegian people by Harold the "Fair-Headed" in 872 A. D.; the introduction of 7Christianity into Norway in the eleventh century by St. Olaf; the discovery of America by Leif Ericson in the tenth century; the adoption of the constitution in 1814; and the dissolution of the union in 1905.

"Thus, the whole purpose of this beautiful demonstration is to stimulate in ourselves and our children the principles of true liberty and patriotism as American citizens. As I look at the two beautiful flags that constitute the chief decorations of this parade--the American and the Norwegian--I try to translate the beautiful symbols into verbal language, and they seem to spell 'Eidsvold,' 'Independence Hall'--the closing scenes at which have scarcely a parallel in human history so far as impressive beauty is concerned; they seem to spell the 'Seventeenth of May' and the 'Fourth of July'--liberty and patriotism. Liberty seizes every opportunity to emphasize and advertise her greatness and her glory. We read of an old Norwegian peasant, Helge Vaeringsaasen, who generally displayed three flags in his home on three different independence days every year--the Norwegian, the American, and the French. Upon being asked the reason for this unusual custom, he replied that all independence days belong to the human race, rather 8than to any individual people. And so the Seventeenth of May is also a welcome opportunity for Uncle Sam to boost his freedom. And the triumphs of liberty, no matter when or where, are always blessings both to the victor and to the vanquished. In some cases liberty seems disguised for a while, but she will soon draw aside the veil and smile her beatitude upon her honest suitor. Her voice is constantly heard in the land. Today her loud and long cry goes up from Mexico and other parts of the world. We are proud to be her patrons, and to know that we have already been in her mould and under the chisel of her deft hand for hundreds of years. We are proud to know that among the thousands of roots of this sturdy oak of liberty that leads us back to as many men and nations, there are some of her vital roots that may be traced to the fjelds (mountains) and fjords of old Norway.

"Let us not forget the meaning of true patriotism. Someone has said that patriotism does not mean to go out with a brass band and kill somebody, nor does it mean blind following of parties or leaders. The Norsemen have 9always been too independent of disposition to become hero worshippers. Patriotism, briefly stated, means devotion to patriotic principles such as love of our adopted country; and if anybody has cause for loving America, the sons of the Norsemen have. America has certainly treated us with motherly kindness and consideration. Patriotism means loyalty to her laws and institutions. It means willingness to sacrifice private ends for the public good. To be an American does not mean proficiency in cigarette smoking, 'cussing' and swearing, Sabbath breaking, and beer drinking. It means sincere devotion to the great principles of true patriotism.

"Finally, we came here today gratefully to recognize the hand of a kind Providence in the history of the humble people from which we have sprung. He is, after all, the sole author of all true liberty of every man and state and nation and realm. And His old Book is its bulwark from which pulpit and bar and desk gather their best and noblest inspiration.

"'Our Fathers' God, to Thee

Author of liberty,

To Thee we sing.

Long may our land be bright

With freedom's holy light.

Protect us by Thy might,

Great God our king.'"