The Daily Worker Newspaper, May 29, 1926, Page 10

‘ Grandpa Inge O*’ the west side of Norway near the coast, there are a great number of fjords, near the edge of one of these fjords the old homestead of the “Skjegstads” was situated; there I was born April 21, 1855. fl On both sides of the fjords were picturesque mountains. As a boy I stood by the window, looking up ovér to the other side and wondered if I were up on that high mountain I could reach up to heaven where god and the angels dwell. In my family on both sides there were cases of illiteracy. But, however, there were thinkers, among them was my own father. I was in a fair way to become an illiterate myself. At that time the country schools in Norway were managed in a crude and ineffectual way; the annual sessions were only 9 weeks, yet it was taken for granted that the scholar on entering the school should have made a fair beginning in reading, (at the age of 8). My father worked dil- igently with me for two years im»teaching me the abc and spelling before I entered school. Had it not been for the fact that I was the first born _ in the family he would have given me up as hope- less, long before I started in the country school. With only the 9 weeks annual schooling, and an indifferent and dull teacher and half of the time taken up with the catechism and bible history which I, with much tribulation, spelled my way through, my progress would have been very doubtful had it not been for a certain circum- stance. It was father’s custom, in the evenings and on Sundays, to read aloud the books and news- papers which were borrowed at the school library; on the other side of the fjord, and paid two skill- ings per book per week. During his readings, I was presumably the most interested listener, but soon I became dissastisfied with being merely a listener. I had a great desire to find out for myself what the books and papers contained, and it was with the greatest persistence with applied energy that I spelled my way through. When I undertook to read anything I never gave up until I mastered the subject. The first book which I worked:my way through was Bjornson’s “En glad gut,” (A Happy Boy). I attended the district school from 8 until I was 15 years old, when I was confirmed, which terminated my schooling. I did not learn much there. We had an old, incompetent and indifferent teacher, who eared little whether his scholars learned any- thing or not, and I lost all respect for him from the first. But he was an energetic speaker when he had occasion to discourse on the judgment day, the sounding of the last trumpet andy the everlasting torture in hell which would befall the wicked and faithless sinners. He frightened me so badly that dyring the night I wept so much that my tears made my pillow soaking wet in the morning. The only way to avoid that awful tor- ture in hell was to believe, believe in Jesus who had given us salvation by his blood on the cross, but the more I endeavored to believe, the less I could believe. From that time (9 to 10 years old) my faith in the Christian orthodox religion began to leave me. The last year I attended the district school there was a prize offered for the best composi- tion on the subject of the “17th of May.” This day in Norway corresponds to our 4th of July here in America. Norway declared her independ- ence of Denmark, and inaugurated a constitu- tional government (1814) which was worked out and completed the 17th of May. In my composi- , tion I wrote among other things: “We should be glad for what we received the 17th of May, 1814, but not contented therewith. There can be no satisfactory freedom in the world until all the kings, kaisers and preachers were all done away with.” . At this time I was 15 years old, and knew nothing about the evils of capitalism. Our preacher, being one of the judges in this prize contest, put me down as No. 1, with this com- . ment: “Nobody should draw the prize. There is only one who has thoughts, and his thoughts are utterly demented, his vocabulary is crazy, and his language and dictation is miserable.” One of the judges remarked that I ought to receive the prize. I got it. An uncle of mine was one of the judges, and he put me down the last one on the list. I much desired to learn other things besides the monoton- ous repitition of the catechism, which, as before A. brief [ wanted to study geography, but had to furnish my.own books, _My yearly income was mostly what I obtained from the crop of one bushel of seed potatoes. planted. On two occasions I sent my potatoes with my father to town and told him that from the proceeds of my potatoes he should buy me a gegoraphy and an atlas. On botlr oc- casions he sold my potatoes, but forgot to buy the books, and as he was usually hardup for money, he had used up my money for other things before returning home. The third time that I tried to get me a geog- raphy and atlas for the sale of my potato crop the hired man went to town to transact my fath- er’s business during his absence, but this time I went along myself. But woe unto me! The book dealer did not have the books I was after. On returning home I asked the hired man for my potato money, but he refused to give it to me and said he would settle with my father first. When my fourth potato crop was sent to town, I went again along with it and finally I got my books! Geography and atlas. During the Christ- mas festivities, I obtained a world’s history by going farther up the side of the mountain than where father got his wood, and I cut down two or three birch trees, tied a rope to them (the jogs) and dragged them down the side of the mountain to where I could get at them with a horse and sleigh. Then I cut them up into stove- wood, took it to town and sold it. It was not much of a world’s history, mostly about wars, and kings and not much about civilization. What interested me most was the history of Greece, and especially about Socrates, Solon and Lykor- gus law making. There was very little, if any- thing, about the Grecian slavery. What interest- ed me very much about world events at the time that I was 16 to 17 years old, was the Parisian revolts. In Norway at that time there were no newspapers that sympathized with the Commu- nists, at least not to my knowledge, and I knew but very little regarding the uprisings, and re- volts, but sufficient for me to know that it was the masses against the aristocracy,.and there- fore attracted my entire sympathy, | I remember well once when there was some dis- cussion about the Communist uprisings that father said to me: “Ola, you are not so crazy as to take sides with such wicked affairs are you?” I said no more about Communism within his hear- ing, but my convictions were firmly held in my mind just the same. Another important move- ment which arose during my youth were the Rus- sian-Nihilist movement which also stirred me to intense interest, although I understood but lit- tle of the underlying cause. I only knew that they desired to rid themselves of the ezar. * My most. beloved author during. my youth was Bjornson. I almost idolized him! He under- went an extended process from a faithful ortho- dox Lutheran to a free thinker, and all his doubts and cogitations in this regard he made public in his writings, and I read after him all that I could find: At the age of 21 I heard him lecture on “His Persian Majesty, the Devil.” To me the lecture was intensely interesting. The effect of his fearless outspokenness has done more to re- move the fear of the devil among the younger generation especially, than anything else in Nor- way. I had no more use for Bjornsen after he, like so many other highly intelligent and accomp- lished mén, in their old age became conservative. In 1905, when the union with Sweden was dis- solved, Bjornsen worked for the installation of a king and against a republic. I could not un-} derstand Ibsen in my younger days. Later I ob- served that in order to understand him one had to read Bjornsen first. Another author, Danish, had perhaps a greater influence on my spiritual life than Bjornsen, as he was, in many ts Bjornsen’s contemporary. Gruntvig died at 90 years of age when I was 15. He wrote one place that the world’s enlightenment would be moved to Russia. The light of liberty has now moved to Russia, but hardly the way that Gruntvig meant it. Since then I have always had my eyes on Russia and expecting something to happen there. What interested me most in Gruntvig was his theory in regard to training and the school. At that time he called the so-called “Latin schools” the “black schools.” The school’s aim should not be to clutter up the mind of the pupils with use- less knowledge, such as the dead languages. It should be a po Be life. It should seek to make mentioned, took up much of the time in school.' people better, to create an incentive to self-think- Memoirs on his 70th birthday, April 21, 1925. ‘me Ingersoll’s eulogy at his brother's funeral. een ee nant eae tena Neate comet Amt ee oy ing, and to live & moral and noble life; to have courage and manhood enough to firmly adhere to what they beliéVed to be true, even if persecu- tion and suffering followed. He would have abolished the catechism and religious ‘lessons fromi the schools. His pedagogical theories were followed up with practical results in that private high schools were built up in Denmark and partly in Norway and Sweden. In Denmark a so-called private university was established in accord with Gruntvig’s theories, and presumably is still in existence. This had a great influence on the public school system and was therefore of great merit and value. Outside of Scandinavia this particular system was doubt- less not very much known. ‘This movement, called the people’s high school movement, intey’ ested me more than anything else at that ti and to become a teacher in such a school was ambition. I decided to go to a state teacher’s seminary first. At the age of 19, I went there with expense money that father borrowed. The full course lasted three years. I acquired some useful knowledge; among other things was, how to write passable Norwegian. Religious instrue- tion I cared very little for, and took up little time for it. I must meniton an incident at the seminary. One of the teachers took up five or ten minutes on Darwin and evolution. This teacher was re- moved ‘soon after. It was a tremendous impres- sion on my mind. I had no longer use for either the Mosaic story of creation nor the plan of sal- vation, When I came home during the summer vacation, I could scarcely talk about anything else but Darwin and his theories. Once I saw my father turn aside with tears in his eyes after all he had done in sending me to this school, I should turn out to be a Darwinite. It was too much. After fininshing up at the seminary Twas go- ing to take a course at one of the public high schools. I was fortunate enough to enter one and to pay my expenses myself. This was a boarding school and I earned school money by, teaching the manager’s two siiall' boys.” He decline? #6 send them to either the public or Latin schools. T liked him very much. At this place I enjoyed the happiest days of my life. The school’s aim said the principal, was to polish up the ideal of the young people. For this purpose, histo and modern literature were utilized. Althoug! this procedure in the schools was far superior to the old method, yet I do not now regard it as infallible. In my estimation the old-time customs were too frequently resorted to for the solution of modern problems. ~ After I was through with high. school I en- deavored to establish a private child’s school by the Gruntvigian method. I presided over such a school for two years but failed to earn snffici- ent to live on. Then I tried for a position in the public school. I was going to practice the new way but I was rejected. I was too radical, and too well-known as such. What I was best fitted for was as teacher and the teachers at the sem- inary admitted it, but they objected to my rad- icalism, so there was no place for me in Norway. When I was 25 years old I emigrated to I might have overcome ‘the obstacles to sec a position as teacher only for another hi I was afflicted with asthma, which I will mention further later on. The first year I. was in this country I met a Norseman who translated for araeteeted sketch of Grandpa Inge Skjegstad’s > GB Om mrt ttto BP tm oH © to ct Rt et a ee me st NO e om ctu © @ tS kee we ead Pr POs wee oes Immediately I became so interested in Ingersoll that I began to spell my way through, and by using a dictionary, find out the meaning of words, and in this way I believe I read nearly all of his works which were at that time available. In this way I learned to read English, as similarly when a boy I learned to read Norwegian by becoming really interested in Bjornsen. While I did learn to read English I never could speak it fluently. [ settled in a Scandinavian settlement in Min- nesota where I heard no English spoken except when I was in town and then too, but seldom. Now there is nothing which embarrasses me so much ag my imperfect speech in English. It was y plan and intention to write at some length but eg work and the cost of translating was too much. I have existed as an ordinary working man, farmer, store keeper, surveyor, peddler and au- thor. Since coming to Denver I have sold tooth picks, shoe strings, etc., but with no success, and before my daughter came, I often went hungry. oeneeeetiemenenmteneanentemmnen