SWEDES: TheWayTheyWere
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    • The Bethany Artist & the Bethany Scientist: Lydia & Emil >
      • Their 1869 Swedish Lutheran Galesburg Colony and Olsson Colony Smoky Valley Arrivals, ~ With a Galesburg account by Mr. Holmquist >
        • Their Värmland Swedes ~ The "First Swedish Agricultural Company" Lindsborg Founders, 1868, ~ An account by Dr. Lindquist >
          • Swedish Pastor Olof Olsson Emigrating to Lindsborg 1869, June 27th Arrival ~ An account by Dr. Lindquist >
            • Bethany Lutheran Church and Lindsborg Founder Pastor Olsson, 1869 - 1876 ~ An account by Dr..Lindquist
      • Their 1869 "Bethany Lutheran Church" ~ Accounts by Dr. Lindquist and Mr. Carlson >
        • ​Their 1860-1962 "Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Synod" ~ Gaining and losing its Swedish identity >
          • The 1860 Formation of the Augustana Synod ~ An Account by Mr. Holmquist
          • Their 1892 "Augustana Women's Missionary Society" ~ An account by Ms. Humphrey
          • The 2000 - 2016 "Augustana Heritage Association"
      • Their 1907 "Bethany Lutheran Home" ~ Accounts by Bethany Home Writers >
        • 1976 Lindsborg’s Bethany Home’s Swedish King's Visit ~ An account by Mr. Carlson's
      • Their 1909 and 1919 Swedish Smoky Valley Community Chronicles ~ Compiled and written by Bethany Lutheran Church Rev. Dr. Alfred Bergin, members and others >
        • 1909 translated to "Pioneer Swedish-American Culture in Central Kansas," 1965 ~ By Mrs. Bergin Billdt
        • 1919 translated to "The Smoky Valley in The After Years," 1969 ~ By Mrs. Bergin Billdt & Mrs. Jaderborg
      • Their 1910 Messiah Lutheran Church conducting services in English ~ An account by Dr. Lindquist >
        • ~ An account on the Messiah Lutheran Church formation from Rev. Dr. Alfred Bergin's 1909 ​"Pioneer Swedish-American Culture of Central Kansas"
      • Their 1916 Sohlberg House ​ ~ 322 North First [College] Street ~After their honeymoon
      • Their 1920 Old Main Apartments of Bethany College ~ Living on campus with the students for 20 years
      • Their 1940 Deere Home to 1943 ​~ 344 North First [College] Street ~ With new occupants after Lydia
      • Their 1936 1873 Swedish Homestead," "Our Peaceful Acres" >
        • Their 1873 Swede House ~ A close twin of Founder Rev. Olof Olsson's stone house >
          • Peaceful Acres Smoky Valley descendant friends and helpers ~ Honoring them and remembering them
      • 1943, after Lydia, Emil's part in the building of the Lindsborg Community Hospital ~ An account by Dr. Lungstrom
    • Their “1882 on . . .” Bethany College Handel’s “Messiah" Performances” >
      • "Messiah" Performers, Venues & Audiences, Press and Broadcasts >
        • Special 20th Century "Messiah" Performances
      • Handel's "Messiah" & Bach's "St. Matthew Passion" ~ Described for viewers unfamiliar with these oratorios
    • Their “1899 on . . .” Bethany College “Swedish Artists’ Midwest Art Exhibition” ​~ An account by the Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery
    • Their “1902 on . . .” Bethany College ‘Terrible Swedes,’ Their “1903 on” ‘Rockar Stockar’ ~ An account by Dr. Lindquist
    • Their “1904 on . . .” Bethany College St. Louis World's Fair “Swedish Pavilion”
    • Their "1895 to 1981" Bethany College Anniversary Celebrations ~ 15, 20, 25, 100 years >
      • Their Celebrating 15 Years of Bethany College, 1881-1896. The First Bethany Annual, 1895-96
      • Their Celebrating 20 Years of Bethany College, 1881-1901. The "Forget-Me-Not," 1902 >
        • The King of Sweden's Emissary, 1901
        • Yale University's Bethany Club
      • Their Celebrating 25 Years of Bethany College, 1881-1906, "Souvenir of Lindsborg and Bethany College"
      • Their Celebrating 100 Years of Bethany College, 1881-1981, "The Centennial of Bethany College"
    • Their "1937" Bethany College's Introduction to New Sweden ~ Founded in 1638 >
      • Deere's Introduction to New Sweden
  • Swedish Immigration Story, 1854
    • "The Story of the Old Spoon" by Ingrid Anderson Sohlberg & Daughter Lydia Sohlberg Deere, 1937
    • Who They Left Behind
    • From Sweden with Love Collections >
      • The Swedish Sohlberg Kosta Portraits, 1867 >
        • The Swedish Sohlberg Kosta Glass
        • The Swedish Sohlberg Letters
      • The Swedish Sohlberg Royal Gold Thread Embroidery Sampler (c1890s)
      • The Swedish Sohlberg Post Cards (c1890s)
      • The Swedish Sohlberg Magazines, (c1940s)
      • The Swedish Sohlberg Books, 1819/1886 to 1899
      • The Swedish Sohlberg Albums, ~ Late 19th early 20th centuries
      • The Swedish Deere Coins -- 1801-1929
  • Artist Lydia Sohlberg Deere
    • Lydia's Lindsborg Photography, 1900-1925 >
      • The Hats
      • The Smoky River
      • The Smoky Hills >
        • Coronado Heights -- One Winter's Day
      • In and Around Lindsborg
      • Sohlberg House with Parents >
        • Our Sohlberg Home and Neighbor Alma Luise Olson
      • Sohlberg House with Emil 1916 to 1920 >
        • Lydia's Travels with Deere 1916 - 1930s >
          • Lydia's California Photographs for Painting
          • Lydia's Palm Springs Pictorial Magazine, 1938-1939
          • Lydia's California Pressed Wild Flowers, c1930
      • "LYDIA'S WORLD" Photography Exhibitions in Lindsborg, 2005 - 2011
    • Lydia as Bethany College Lane Hart Hall Dean of Women, 1906 - 1913 >
      • Lydia's Signatured Black Book of Her Handwritten Sewing Instructions >
        • Nina Sohlberg's Child's Sewing "Little Dots" PICTURE BOOK
      • Lydia Sohlberg Deere's 1927 "Lindsborg Swedish Club's" Handwork >
        • The Lindsborg Swedish Club's "Allers Monster-Tidnings" magazine, 1940
    • Lydia's Art, 1919-1938 >
      • Lydia's Art: The Kansas Collection >
        • The Sketches
      • Lydia's Art: The Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico Collection >
        • The Sketches
      • Lydia's Art: The California Collection >
        • The Sketches
        • Lydia's "Palm Springs Magazine " 1938-39
    • Lydia's Art Professor Sven Birger Sandzén, 1871-1954 >
      • Lydia's Assignments for Professor Sandzén >
        • Students of Sandzén 2019 Exhibition
        • Bethany Home ~ Celebrating Artist Birger Sandzén through his students' paintings
    • Lydia's Art Professor Birger Sandzén's "Art Exhibitions" and "Reviews" .. 1893-1940 >
      • Lydia's Art Professor Sandzén's Exhibition at the Babcock Gallery in New York, 1922
      • Lydia's Sandzén's Body of Work Reviewed by N.Y.C, 1984 "American Impressionism," author William H. Gerdts
    • Lydia's and Sandzén's Swedish Artist Friend Charles Edward Hallberg, 1855-1940
    • Lydia's and Sandzén's Swedish Artist Friend Oscar Brousse Jacobson, 1882-1966
    • Lydia’s Sohlberg Family Connection to Sandzén, 1880-1894-1993
  • Scientist Emil O. Deere
    • Deere & Lydia's Bethany -- Lydia's Photography, 1906-1925 >
      • Bethany College "Campus from Above"
      • Bethany College "The Gateway," 1917 and "Bethany Campus Association," 1912
      • Bethany College "College Street," today's "North First Street"
      • Bethany College "Campus Life"
      • Bethany College "Field Trips"
      • Bethany College's "Earliest Buildings" >
        • Bethany College "​Ladies Dormitory" / "Lane Hart Hall" 1883 - 1899 - 1983
        • Bethany College "Old Main" 1887-1968 >
          • Lydia's and Emil's Old Main Apartments, 1920 to 1940
          • Deere's Bethany College Classes in Old Main
        • Bethany College "Messiah Auditorium" / "Ling Auditorium" / "Ling Gymnasium" 1895 - 1946
        • Bethany College "Swedish Pavilion," 1904
        • Bethany College "​Carnegie Library" / "Bethany Library" 1908 - 1980
        • Bethany College "​Bethany Academy" 1882 -- Swensson's Bethany's Beginnings
    • Deere's 1959 Interview on Rev. Dr. Carl A. Swensson (On YouTube) >
      • Rev. Dr. Carl Aaron Swensson, 1857-1904 ~ An account by Dr. Lindquist >
        • Swensson's "Bethany Lutheran Church" and the "Augustana Lutheran Synod"
        • Swensson's Bethany's Beginnings: "The Bethany Academy of 1882"
        • Olsson's Influence, the Swenssons,' the Musicians' and Singers,' "Messiah," 1882 on … >
          • Thure Olof Jaderborg ~ One Lindsborg "Messiah" Commitment from 1901-1954
        • Swensson's Swedish Artists of the 1890s
        • Swensson's "Bethany College Museum," 1882 - 1966
      • In Memorium**Dr. Carl Aaron Swensson, 1904 ~ An account by Dr. Lindquist
    • Deere's Rev. Dr. Ernst F. Pihlblad, 1873-1943 ~ An account by Dr. Lindquist >
      • In Memoriam**Dr. Ernst F. Pihlblad, 1943
      • Rev. Dr. Pihlblad on Bethany College, 1904 - 1941
    • Deere's Smithsonian Institution's Souvenir, 1904
    • Deere's 1940 Presidential Address to the Kansas Academy of Science
    • Deere's 1955 Letter to President Eisenhower re Tuttle Creek
    • Deere's Service, 1901-1966 >
      • Deere's Education & Degrees
    • The Deere's Library ~ What remains of 2,000 books -- pending project
  • "The Other Swedes"
    • Honoring Them and Remembering Them ~ The Smoky Valley Writers >
      • A suggestion to individuals and entities in charge of these books ~ ​Digitalize for posterity and perpetuity
      • Rev. Bror Carlsson and Mr. Alf Brorson from Sweden ~ Tracing Värmland's Rev. Olof Olsson's church life in Sweden and in Swedish America with the Augustana Lutheran Synod >
        • ​"He Gave God Glory" "The Story of Olof Olsson, ​" 1841 - 1900 ~ By Rev. Bror Carlsson
      • Rev. Dr. Carl Aaron Swensson ~ Author of countless Swedish & English publications, newspapers articles & books for local, national & European readers
      • Bethany Church, Bethany College, Augustana Synod Writers ​~ Remembering Rev. Dr. Carl Aaron Swensson and Rev. Dr. Ernst Frederick Pihlblad
      • Rev. Dr. Alfred Bergin ​~ Compiling foundational Swedish Smoky Valley Augustana Lutheran settlements' histories and more
      • Dr. Emory K. Lindquist ~ Chronicling Swedish Augustana Lutheran Lindsborg and Bethany College from their earliest years >
        • ​1953, "Smoky Valley People, A History of Lindsborg, Kansas" ~ The Words of Dr. Lindquist and Contents & Illustrations
        • 1975 "Bethany in Kansas, the history of a college" ~ The Words of Dr. Lindquist >
          • "Bethany in Kansas" PART I ~ Contents & Illustrations
          • "Bethany in Kansas" PART II ~ Contents & Illustrations
        • 1984 "Hagbard Brase, Beloved Music Master" ~ The Words of Dr. Lindquist >
          • "Hagbard Brase" ~ Contents and Illustrations
      • Mrs. Elizabeth Jaderborg [Selma Lind] ​ ~ Chronicling the Lindsborg of her day, its early histories, its early citizens >
        • 1965 "Lindsborg On Record" ~ Contents & Illustrations
        • 1967 "Living in Lindsborg and Other Possibilities" ~ Contents & Illustrations
        • 1973 "Talk About Lindsborg" ~ Contents & Illustrations
        • 1976 "Why Lindsborg?" ~ Contents & Illustrations >
          • 1975 Why Lindsborg ~ For the King of Sweden
        • ​1990 "Two Reprints" ~ Contents & Illustrations Lists
      • Mr. Thomas N. Holmquist ~ Chronicling Lindsborg's neighbors, the Galesburg Swedes of Salemsborg and Freemount, with a personal connection, 1868
      • Mr. Bill Carlson ~ Chronicling Lindsborg's earliest and later histories, with a personal connection, 1867
      • Ms. Karen A. Humphrey ~ Chronicling highlights of Swedish Augustana Lutheran Lindsborg and Bethany College culture in the earliest years >
        • 2012 "Grace, Faith and the Power of Singing: The Alma Christina Lind Swensson Story" ~The Words of Ms. Humphrey
        • "Grace, Faith and the Power of Singing" ~ Contents & Illustrations
      • Mr. A. John Pearson ~ Chronicling the Bethany College Presidents from 1882 to 1983
      • Mr. Kenneth Sjogren ~ Chronicling the Bethany College Presidents from 1941 to 2016
      • Mr. Chris Abercrombie ~ Remembering him as "The Historian," the SVHA president and his body of work
      • Rev. Eugene K. Nelson and the Bethany Home Writers ~ Chronicling the "only known" Smoky Valley story on Bethany Home since 1907
      • Smoky Valley Historical Association Members ~ Chronicling 1993 " Where Did They Live? " "Early Residences of Lindsborg, Kansas"
    • Honoring Them and Remembering Them \\// >
      • Mrs. Alma Christina Lind Swensson ~ Remembering her as Mrs. Rev. Dr. Swensson, the "First Lady" of Lindsborg, organizer of the "Messiah Chorus" and much more ~ From ​Ms. Humphrey's Book
      • ​Samuel Thorstenberg ~ Remembering him as the "earliest" internationally acclaimed Bethany College "Messiah Chorus" conductor
      • Dr. Hagbard Brase ~ Remembering him as the second "earliest" internationally acclaimed Bethany College "Messiah Chorus" conductor
      • B.G. Gröndal ~ Remembering him and his photography in the earliest years of Lindsborg and Bethany College >
        • B.G. Gröndal ~ Accounts by Mr. Abercrombie and Mrs. Jaderborg with LINK to Mrs. Eddy, B.G.'s granddaughter's book review
      • International "NY Times" Correspondent Miss Alma Luise Olson ~ Remembering her as "First Honored American Woman by Sweden" ~ An account by ​Mrs. Elizabeth Jaderborg* >
        • ​​Miss Alma Luise Olson ~ Remembering her and the extraordinary life she led at home and abroad ~ An account by Ms. Karen A. Humphrey
      • Artist Birger Sandzén ~ Remembering him for "sharing his art with the world," starting "first" at Lindsborg's Bethany College >
        • Dr. & Dr. Mrs. Charles Greenough III ~ Remembering them for their gift of the Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery -- pending
      • William Holwerda, M.D. ~ Remembering him as "Doc Bill," a city father and loving citizen, by Dr. Leon Lungstrom and Mrs. Elizabeth Jaderborg >
        • "Svensk Hyllningsfest" ​ ~ Remembering Dr. William Holwerda as a founder and "the key" organizer in 1941
        • Dr. William Holwerda ~ Remembering their family doctor and Messiah Lutheran Church tributes to him by Dr. Leon Lungstrom
      • Artist Lester Raymer ~ Remembering him as the renowned virtuoso artist and "behind the scenes" community supporter
      • Dr. Arvin W. Hahn ​​~ Remembering him for saving Bethany College from going under!​ >
        • Dr. Arvin W. Hahn ~ Remembering him handing me my Bethany College Diploma on Sunday, May 26, 1968
      • Dr. ​& Mrs. Elmer Copley ~ Remembering them and their 29 years of dedication to that Bethany College "Messiah" tradition of excellence >
        • 1976 Dr. Elmer Copley ~ Remembering him as the “Messiah” conductor for the Bethany College "Swedish King’s," Carl XVI Gustaf's, performance >
          • 1981 Dr. Elmer Copley ~ Remembering him as the "Messiah" conductor for the Bethany College "Centennial Celebration" performance >
            • 1986 Dr. Elmer Copley ~ Remembering him as the televised "American Easter" conductor of the Bethany College Oratorio Society Holy Easter Week
      • Mrs. Elizabeth Jaderborg ~ Remembering her as the founder of the 1963 "Lindsborg Swedish Folk Dancers" ~ An account by Mr. Chris Abercrombie
      • Mr. & Mrs. Hilding Jaderborg ~ Remembering them and their “Swedish Crafts Shop” of 65 years and 50 trips to Sweden
      • The Swedish Lindsborg Builders ~ Remembering them for the lovely homes they built
      • Mr. Chris Abercrombie ~ Remembering him for "first" shining an international light on Lindsborg and Bethany College, via YouTube
      • Dr. Greta Swenson and Mr. & Mrs. Mark Esping ~ Remembering them for founding Lindsborg's “first” "Swedish-American Folklife Institute of Central Kansas," 1986 >
        • Remembering their Lindsborg's Folklife Institute's "Swedish-American Heritage Center," 1996
      • Mr. Claude Koehn ~ Remembering him as restorer and preservationist of Smoky Valley stone farmhouses and other stone structures
      • Ms. Rebecca Copley ~ Remembering her as Bethany College's “first” graduate to become an International Concert & Opera Soprano >
        • Ms. Copley's "International Concert and Opera Soprano" ​~ The REVIEWS
      • Mr. Bruce Karstadt ~ Honoring him as a Bethany College graduate for heading up a major national Swedish American institution
      • Dr. Mark Lucas ~ Messiah conductor bringing the Lindsborg “Oberammergau of the Plains" to a "new" world audience
    • 1894-1962 Bethany College Graduates in Augustana Lutheran Synod World Mission Work ~ An account by Dr. Emory K. Lindquist
    • 1901-2014 The ​Bethany College Swedish Knights and Ladies ~ Honored by the Kings of Sweden
    • 1961-2021 ​"McPherson County Old Mill Museum" leaders ~ Moving forward in August 2021 as "The Lindsborg Old Mill and Swedish Heritage Museum"
    • 1971 -2020 "American Scandinavian Association of the Great Plains" leaders ~ Providing cultural history and heritage programs with meaningful links to Sweden and Swedish America
    • 1976 His Majesty the King of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf's Visit to Lindsborg April 17th >
      • The Lindsborg & Bethany College "Swedes" ~ Honored by the King of Sweden, June 6, 1976
    • 1977​ Swedish Emigrant Institute Staff from Växjö, Småland Visits Lindsborg October 16-18
    • 1978 Swedish Documen- tary Film Crew Visits Lindsborg October 2-9 >
      • "Lindsborg News-Record" Clippings of 1978 Swedish Film Crew Visit
    • 1992 - 2020 ​Honoring Them and Remembering Them ~ Their ​Smoky Valley History Research Writers Website Designers
  • Contacts
    • For 1869 Lindsborg CONTACT Today >
      • "A Time to Remember" 1882 - 1988
    • ​For 1881 Bethany College CONTACT Today >
      • "Bethany Campus Walk” ~ Remembering the buildings and the "Bethany Family" of their era, 1882 - 2015
      • Their "I WAS THERE" Coin ~ Bethany College 21st Year Celebration, 1902
    • For 1957 Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery CONTACT Today >
      • Sandzén: "Ecstasy of Color" ~ PBS Doucmentary ~ Aired 6/11/21
    • Closing Remarks >
      • Traveling through SWEDES ​~ The Table of Contents ~ The "Outline" "Online"
      • SWEDES' Swedish American Legacy Photographs >
        • ​Lydia's Lindsborg Photography​, ​1900 - 1925 >
          • Lydia's Bethany College Photography, ​1906 - 1925
    • Kansas Smoky Valley Swedish People's Memorial, 2009 ~ The virtual one >
      • In real time, the real 1941 memorial, the "Pioneer Cross" ​~ Created by Messrs. Lindholm and Oberg
Scientist Emil O. Deere
 'Kunskap är makt' -- 'knowledge is power,' and, when joined with the Christian view of life and destiny, ...it provided the ultimate meaning ...
                                                                                                                                                   --Carl Aaron Swensson
                                                                                                                                                                                             
--Lindquist's Bethany In Kansas
                                          When days look their darkest, Dr. Swensson would always say, “I morgon blir det bättre” – Tomorrow it will be better!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  --  Emil O. Deere          
Rev. Dr. Carl Aaron Swensson
(1857 - 1904)
~ An account by Dr. Emory K. Lindquist

Carl Aaron Swensson was born in Chandler's Valley not far from Sugar Grove, Pennsylvania,  His parents were Jonas and Maria (Blixt) Swensson from Smalånd, Sweden, who had immigrated to America in 1856.  He was the eldest of six siblings.  His father was to become a minister of the Swedish Lutheran Church and president of the Augustana Synod of the Swedish Lutheran Churches in America.

While living in Andover, Illinois, home to the Augustana Lutheran Church where his father was a pastor, Swensson as a youth received his
parochial schooling.  At the Augustana College and Theological Seminary in Rock Island, Illinois, he would graduate in 1877 from the College and then immediately entered the Seminary, graduating in June of 1879.  Just days later he was ordained as a minister of the Swedish Lutheran Church of the Augustana Synod on June 22nd.

He was called to Lindsborg, Kansas by the Synod to serve at the Swedish Bethany Lutheran Church there after the departure of its founder, the Dr. Rev. Olof Olsson, who had been called back by the Synod to teach at the Theological Seminary (and would become third President) of the Augustana College.
   
On July 27, 1879, at twenty-two, (22) Swensson, was installed as pastor of the Swedish Bethany Lutheran Church by the first president of the Augustana Synod, Rev. Dr. T.N. Hasselquist.

​Thus, this is how and why, Swensson, the "d
reamer of dreams" arrived in Lindsborg.  It was in one of those dreams that he envisioned a needed Christian school in the little Swedish community.  For he viewed that education was a means by which the worship of the almighty dollar and materialism might be averted, if individuals could first be given the opportunity to develop their God-given talents which might otherwise never be discovered.  The purpose of the school was to mold and elevate the character of the students by making available to them life changing experiences and exposing them to opportunities that would otherwise never be dreamed of nor realized. 

Henceforth, at the age of 24, on October 15, 1881, this Swedish American Bethany Lutheran Church pastor of devout faith, blessed with strength and optimism, feeling the call of God, stepped out on his own to found the school he had dreamed of in the very church he ministered to from which the College would receive its name.

From fourth Swedish American Bethany College President Emory Lindquist, on pages 17 and 18, in his 1975 book, Bethany In Kansas, a history of a college, we read the following:

     "Carl Swensson's first address as [second] president of the College was delivered at the opening convocation in September, 1889.  He told the students:


        'A good education is the greatest of all riches and a condition of liberty.  The ignorant man is a slave in proportion to his ignorance.  The development of the intellect . . . will furnish knowledge but it must also build character.  The latter is the most important of the two.  Let us build from the fine marble of the classics, and founded on the granite of ancient wisdom, let the furniture come from the Eddas and the Valas, but allow it to be cemented together by nothing except the unadulterated and divine truth of Christ's religion . . . .'

        'No man is complete, no government is safe, no civilization will be perpetuated without religion.' " (31: from the Lindsborg News article of Sept. 20, 1889.)


Lindquist continues on page 38 in his Bethany In Kansas with the following:

     "A dominant characteristic of the founder of Bethany College was faith and optimism.  In dark and difficult days he confidently declared:  'I morgon blir det battre' -- 'tomorrow it will be better,' and like all great dreamers and leaders, he believed in the future, in the tomorrow's tomorrows.  Moreover, his credo in education was expressed in the phrase which he affirmed again and again with zeal and confidence:  'Kunskap
är makt' -- 'knowledge is power,' and, when joined with the Christian view of life and destiny, he believed that it provided the ultimate meaning for individuals and for society. 

     "His many admirers on the faculty and in the Lindsborg community believed in him.  They sacrificed their personal standard of living to support Bethany; they mortgaged their property in times of crisis so that the College would live; they signed notes to keep the institution solvent; they worked, they prayed, they dreamed dreams for Bethany.

      "Carl Swensson was dearly loved, esteemed, and respected.  Although he had his critics, arising largely from his exuberant enthusiasm for the Republican party or because some felt he promoted the College too rapidly at times, these dissident voices formed only a minimal number.  Swensson possessed a certain kind of charisma that was a great personal resource.  He inspired his associates and supporters with his own abiding confidence in the promise of the future."


The sudden loss, in 1904, of the first leader and founder of Bethany College, Swedish American Bethany Lutheran Church pastor Dr. Carl Aaron Swensson stands out to be the saddest event ever in the history of Lindsborg!  Would the community ever get over this; would this community heal?  
 
- Carl Aaron Swensson -
“the father" of Bethany College
Picture
Lydia's Swedish Bethany Photographs, 1906-192)
To comfort and ease their pain as well as to honor their fallen leader a grand statue in his likeness to be made of Italian marble was ordered from Italy to be erected on the Bethany College Campus in 1905.  It would so appropriately represent “the father" of Bethany College, and so appropriately stand in front of the great building--the largest building of its kind for its time west of the Mississippi River, "the biggest and best" in Kansas, the structure that he had erected and so loved--Old Main, identified as the Bethany College of his day!

Lindquist continues to write so appropriately on this most remarkable man of God, of America and of Swedish origin on pages 39 and 40 with the following:
 
      "Many honors came to Carl Swensson in the United States and Sweden.  Included were the honorary degree of doctor of philosophy from Uppsala University in 1893 and honorary doctor of divinity degrees from Augustana College and Theological Seminary and Thiel College in 1894.  In 1901 he was decorated as a Knight of the Royal Order of the North Star by King Oscar II of Sweden through Bishop von Sch
éele, Visby, who was visiting in the United States.
 
      "Carl Swensson—pastor, educator, college founder and president, churchman, editor, author, member of the Kansas legislature, public speaker of great renown, promoter of art and music, co-founder with his wife of the Lindsborg “Messiah” tradition, friend of many—has been described as “the colossus of the Plains,” “the giant of Kansas,” “the incomparable Dr. Swensson.”  Ernst Skarstedt, the Swedish American author and journalist, has written: 'Swensson loved everything great, nobel, and beautiful: poetry, art, and all that lifts and ennobles.'  At the time of Carl Swensson’s death, the Kansas City Star observed in an editorial: 'It is scarcely too much to say that Dr. Swensson was at the time of his death the most famous man in Kansas and his fame will grow as his remarkable achievements are revealed in the light of history . . . . He accomplished what few men would have thought of attempting.'"

Lindquist carries that thought of "accomplishments" with the following in his book where we find:

Swensson Schedule on pages 35 and 37
      "In the comparatively brief span of forty-seven years, Carl Swensson had fashioned great achievement.  His rugged and sturdy physique could scarcely conceal the surging energy and vitality of this pastor of a large congregation and founder, and later president of Bethany College.  In describing his schedule in the 1880s, he wrote:  “I often preached five times a week, sometimes three times on Sunday, and I rode twenty-two miles in a farm wagon.  During the week, I delivered five addresses at the college chapel and twelve lectures to classes; articles were sent to three to six newspapers each week.  There was additional work on a large book and worry and anxiety day and night for the school’s financial situation, together with carrying on correspondence which on occasion amounted to twenty letters a day.  In addition there were continuous trips on the railroad.  In 1888 I traveled 25,000 miles, in 1889 it was 22,500 miles.”
 

Swensson Authorship, Writings, Founder of Swedish American Newspapers on page 37
      "The unfailing energy of Carl Swensson produced an amazing range and amount of work.  Four books were written:  I Sverige (1890), Ater I Sverge (1897), books of travel and commentary, Vid Hemmets Hard (1897), a large volume for the home, and I Morgonstund (1903), a devotional book which has been translated into English, In the Morning Hour (1927).  He was a major contributor of two volumes:  Forgat-Mig-Ej (1902) in Swedish and Forget-Me-Not (1902) in English, dealing largely with Bethany College and Christian education.  He had an impressive role as an editor and co-editor of Korsbaneret in the 1880s, an Augustana Synod church annual, and of Ungdoms-Vannen, a bi-monthly journal for young people, 1879-1887.  He was founder of Fosterlandet, a Swedish American weekly newspaper, and a contributor for twenty years.  He was the founder of Lindsborgs-Posten in 1897, serving as editor for many years.  He was closely identified with the Lindsborg Record, founded in 1896.  He was a regular correspondent for Hemlandet, det Gamla och det Nya and Svenska-Tribunen, Chicago weekly newspapers.  His column Vid Skrifbordet (“At the Writing Desk”) and his pseudonym, “Leopold,” were well-known in Swedish America.  He was the founder and a contributor to the Bethany College publications, Framat, Budbararen, and the Bethany Messenger.
 

Swensson Church Life on page 37
      "Carl Swensson was active in the general work of the Lutheran Church.  He served as secretary of the Kansas Conference of the Augustana Lutheran Synod, 1880-82, and represented the Conference on the Synodical Council, serving as secretary 1886-1888.  Although an ardent champion of Lutheranism within Swedish American circles, he realized that the future belonged to a united Lutheran Church with an American orientation.  In 1885 he was elected secretary of the General Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of North American.  In 1895 Carl Swensson was president of this organization.
 

Swensson Politics on pages 37 and 38
     "The arena of public life also received Swensson’s time and talent.  Citizenship implied responsibility for participation in the life of the body politic.  He was a staunch Republican and an especially bitter critic of the Populists in the 1890s.  He campaigned extensively in Swedish communities in the United States, devoting full-time for six weeks to the McKinley campaign in 1869.  Carl Swensson campaigned for public office on only one occasion, when in 1889 he was drafted and then elected as a Representative to the Kansas legislature on the Republican ticket from McPherson County. He served as one of seven members of the committee on education in the House of Representatives.  Included among the bills that he introduced was House Bill No. 299, January 22, 1889.  “An Act relative to trusts, and providing for the punishment of persons organizing, managing, controlling, or conducting the same for the purpose of general consumption” and House Bill No. 574, February 6, 1889: “An Act in relation to foreclosure of mortgages,” designed to protect the interest of hard-pressed landowners.  Swensson declined to serve longer in the legislature, choosing to devote more time to Bethany College."

                                                                                                                   
    - Old Main -
Picture
Lydia's Swedish Bethany Photographs, 1906-1925
Emil O. Deere, with over 3,000 other Swedes and non-Swedes as well, would attend Swensson's funeral on February 23, 1904.  Later, Deere received a book commemorating that sad day.  It was titled:  In Memorian ** Dr. Carl Aaron Swensson.  Click on Old Main above to go to this book revealing "the way they were" at Swensson's funeral.

​Information source: Swedish American fourth Bethany College President Emory Lindquist’s 1975 book, Bethany in Kansas, the history of a college.
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