This week we are celebrating the earliest known discoverer of the American Continent, Leif Erickson. Although this is said to be a national, if not an international occasion, we suspect that the Middle West will do the celebrating for all. We suspect so because of our own ignorance and bewilderment on our first visit to New England to find on a certain day, the schools and shops closed, and thousands of jubilant Italians parading the streets, and to learn that this was the birthday of that great Columbus who discovered America. The point is that the East, having large colonies of Italians and southern Europeans, celebrates Columbus. The Middle West, having whole States given over to the Norse and Danes, celebrates Leif, Evickson. And the West, assuming the Pacific Slope to be the real America discovered by themselves, gives credit to themselves.
Very stviatly speaking, Biorn Herjulfson, a descendant of In-golf. the founder of Tceland. found the American continent in 986. Leifur Erickson, son of k the Red of Norway, how-not only found it in 1,000 or 1,002 but named it Vinland because of the abundance of grapes. Many authorities to-day believe this Vinland to be the present state of Rhode Island. Grapes do grow there in abundance, but strange to say it is the Italians who cultivate them.
Since the Middle West is largely the product of the northern European, this occasion has a deep appeal for its residents. Thirty years ago indeed, before these descendants had become hardened and incredulous Amer-us, the alleged body of Leif Erickson was placed on_ exhibition here, and scores of Norsemen travelled long distances across ihe prairies to view the remains of their daring hero.
Mr. and Mrs. Howard Hull came to our town yesterday Hull is no other than Mar Anglin. said to be America's foremost emotional actress. (She is a Canadian.) IL pictured to Mr. Hull the delights and profits as well as blessings that would be theirs if they would visit the Orient on tour, and illustrated my words with Fritz Kreisler's experience. _''Nothing—doing." said Mr. Hull. "Artists can travel with a violin, a glass of water, and three sheets of music. Kreisler doesn't even carry the three sheets. Such a trip is out of the question for a company. One night you have crowded house, the next night, no one. You play Monday in Shanghai and then have to travel for a week to find enough foreigners to make an audience." So that's that!
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.