Philosophies, Speeches, Thoughts, Ideas
by
Memories and Opinions
(Written during the Fall of 1963)
Yesterday we had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Danielson, the wife of young Dr. Danielson as we called him 60 years ago. The old Dr. Danielson, his father, was a pioneer doctor here. He was the first doctor to administer chloroform west of the Mississippi River. Up to that time operations were quite painful.
There is a rumor that they are going to make a saint out of the late President (Kennedy) that got murdered. I do not favor that because he was a loyal Democrat and we Republicans could ask few favors from him as a loyal Democrat.
The Norwegians are decendants of the old Viking sea robbers. They terrorized the sea and robbed everything in sight. They even stole pretty girls to be their wives. I am a Norwegian and a descendant from those Viking sea robbers, and I am proud of it. But I am still prouder that I am an American. “I was born an American, I have lived an American, and I shall die an American.”
Do you know that man is the only animal or creature that can smile? So smile! Smile! Smile! I told this to a party in the other wing of the hospital. It went up through the wing in a hurry. The Norwegian photographer (Lorhammer) came into one room smiling and they asked him if he had trouble to get people to smile? He said, “No, when I take pictures of a Norwegian, I speak German. And when it is a German, I talk Norwegian. No trouble at all!”
The excitement of the murder of our President is now over. Schools and all kinds of amusements were called off until after his burial. All ball games were postponed. As far as I can learn, the saloons were left open.
Some misguided, would-be patriot shot Kennedy. The world will never know why because Oswald was shot by another misguided patriot who took the law in his own hand. Now the world will never know for sure who shot the President and why. We have two nurses here at the hospital that came direct from Africa with their husbands for a one year stay. After the murder of our President these nurses said that they thought America was a civilized country. It could not happen in America!
God feeds the birds. But He not only feeds them, He also leads them to the feed. When we were farming in North Dakota nine miles west of Langdon, we got stuck with 80 acres of oats cut by a self-binder and shocked. It was snowed under and stood there all winter. InJune when we got ready to stack it, 75 mice were in each shock. When we started to remove the shocks to stack them, mice were all over. Big, white sea gulls came in flocks from the sea a couple of thousand miles away. They picked up the mice. When the last shock was removed, there was not a mouse left. We never saw sea gulls at any other time.
The homesteaders in Nicollet County, Minnesota told me that as soon as they had cleared a patch of ground and planted a patch of corn, in due season the blackbirds from the lowlands and lakes flocked into their corn. In order to induce the birds to seek other feeding grounds, the old fellows invented what they called a “Kraake Smelle”, or Crow Scare. There were deep grooves cut in the heavy part of the rod. Spinning it around made a terrible noise, enough to scare the blackbirds from any corn field. We have a sample hanging in the woodshed at home. Ask to see it and hear it.
The most important thing in my life was the selection of my parents. I had nothing to do with that. I thank God that He selected for me a pair of Christian people who by their lives and teaching taught me the Christian religion that is revealed in the New Testament. We are sinners. But it was sinners that Christ who was born on Christmas Day came to save. For sinners He opened the door to heaven. It is open to all sinners who trust Him.
We had a close neighbor at our home in Nicollet, County Minnesota. She was a graduate of the University of Minnesota as a teacher. She kept at her job to a ripe old age when she was run over by a car in the street of St. Peter. Little Jacob was big and dumb for his age. He was a German immigrant that was working for some farmer. The teacher in the school district stayed at the same place as Little Jacob. In the adjoining district John Lind, who later became Governor of Minnesota was teaching school. They visited back and forth. One night Little Jacob and the school teacher and a young lady went to visit the teacher, John Lind. There was a comet in the sky at the time and Jacob was asked not to look up because he would die. When they went by the graveyard, the girl said, “This would be a fine place for a wedding. I shall be the priest, Jacob the groom, and the school teacher the bride.” Jacob said, “No, that would be sacrilegious.”
Time went on and Little Jacob was forgotten by the neighborhood. One day the teacher visited John Lind, then Governor of Minnesota. They talked about bygone days. What became of Little Jacob? “Oh,” they thought, “he probably died in his ignorance.” One day the old teacher had a visit from a former teacher and rapping at the door were two well dressed men. One even wore a flat top silk hat. He was Jacob. He asked the schoolman to come and hear him lecture that night in the church. He was now the presiding elder of the Methodist Church in the West Pacific District.
So, little boys and girls, if some boy or girl comes to your school next Fall that may have some defect, help them and give them time.