n burial-place, to the chief municipal court of which they
gave their own appellation--the Husting."

It is, of course, impossible to ascertain the exact number of
Scandinavians and their descendants in this country, but we can come
very near it by studying the statistics of the United States treasury
department, a recent report from which gives the number of emigrants
during the last seventy years from Sweden and Norway as 943,330, and
from Denmark as 146,237, or a total since the year 1820 of 1,089,567;
while the same report gives the number during the same period from
Germany as 4,551,719; Ireland, 3,501,683; England, 1,460,054; English
Colonies, 1,029,083; Austria-Hungaria, 464,435; Italy, 414,513; France,
370,162; Russia, 356,353; Scotland, 329,192; Switzerland, 174,333.

When we take into consideration the numerous Swedish colonies that
settled in Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey in the seventeenth
century, and their descendants, together with the descendants of
Scandinavian emigrants of the last seventy years, I think it is safe to
estimate the total population of Scandinavian descent at over four
millions, or fully one-sixteenth of the entire population of the United
States. The very fact that the nationality assimilates so readily with
the native American element causes it to be lost sight of; and it should
be so, for the only desirable immigrants to this country are those who
cease to be foreigners, and merge right into the American nation. Such
are certainly the Scandinavians. They do not bring over any grievances
from the mother country to correct or avenge, and there are no
Clan-na-Gael, no Mafia societies among them, nor are there any
anarchists or revolutionists. They come here to build homes for
themselves and their children; they are contented and grateful for the
privileges of American citizenship, and make themselves worthy of it by
pushing into the front rank in the onward march of education,
philanthropy and religion, as well as in material progress.

One illustration, among many that might be given, is found in the report
of a late conference of the Swedish Lutheran Church, from which it
appears that they have now in Minnesota alone two hundred and forty-five
parishes, with one hundred and seventy-nine churches, valued at over six
hundred thousand dollars, and all paid for. The Norwegian Lutheran
Church would undoubtedly show equal if not better results, though I
cannot give the exact figu