Bethel University - Spire Yearbook (St Paul, MN)

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12 THE ACORN wee little boy on the 9th of July, 1897. He was a source of delight tc everyone, and not even his brothers regretted his arrival. When his parents thought they could trust him to go to school, he was sent to a little country school. He attended there for two years, when the school was removed on account of scarcity of pupils. He then' took up school work at the public school in Strandburg. After having spent a considerable amount of time and energy, he graduated from the eighth grade. He, too, having heard about the wonderful school located in St. Paul, decided to come and enroll, in the fall of 1912. For various reasons, particularly his own, he remained out of school during the term of 1915-1G. But, Bethel has its attractions and he could not resist its temptations, so in the fall of 1916, he came back. His favorite study is Swedish; his motto is “No pleasure is without pain.” His favorite flower is the Forget-me-not. FLORENCE L1NNGREN. In the year l$9$ on the first of September, the members of the Linngren family were beaming with joy at the arrival of the fair maiden Florence. She spent her first two years at Troy, South Dakota, but became displeased with her surroundings, so the family moved to Strandberg, South Dakota, where she has lived ever since. She attended school at Strandberg until the fall of 1915, finishing the tenth grade. She then came to Bethel to complete her course. Her motto is Don’t attempt it if you can't finish it,” which she certainly has lived up to. Her favorite flower is the pink rose, and her favorite study is History.

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THE ACORN 11 there until the spring of 1907. Her parents seemed to have the moving spirit and moved to their permanent home in North St. Paul. She started Bethel Academy in the fall of 15)12 and immediately became an en-thusisttc Student Volunteer. On account of illness she left school and re-entered again in 1915. Her motto is “To Help,” and her favorite study. “Mathematics.” Her favorite flower, “The dark red rose.” RUTH JOHNSON. During the very cold season of the year 1S95, in Clifton township, Kansas, Miss Ruth Victoria was born. She began school as soon as her parents would let her and finished at the age of 14. Very early her ambitious spirit was shown by leaving home the following year and taking up sewing and other lines of work. During the fall of 1913 she entered Bethel, but for various reasons she couldn’t continue the following year. But, in 1915, the students were fortunate enough to see her with them again. Her favorite study is “Physics.” Her favorite flower is the Sunflower. And she certainly lives up to her motto which is “Purity and Humility.” PAUL JACOBSON. The 21st clay of November, 1390, was a very Important day for Leonardsville, Kansas, because on that day there was an awful dust storm in Kansas, and also because of the fact that a sturdy, robust-looking boy was presented to the world. As Paul grew up, his parents thought he seemed such a restless piece of humanity, that they had better move. So they moved to South Omaha, Nebr., and then Paul started school. He finished his graded school work in Prentice, Wis. and entered the high school at that place . As the same spirit of restlessness seemed to stay with him, he went out to the prairies of Northwestern Minnesota to see if what he desired could be found there. But, not finding what he wished, he came to Bethel, and there he found his wishes and desires fulfilled. His favorite study is Mathematics. His flower is the Lily of the Valley. And his motto is “Seize the Opportunity ' GERTRUDE CROOK. Being such a modest young lady, and not wishing to tell you her age, she says she was born during the nineteenth century sometime; in Bjonesten, Skaraborgs I.an, Sweden. Being so very quiet and modest, her parents couldn't decide whether it would be safe to send her to school or not. But she grew less shy as she grew older and so she was sent to school However, like all Swedes, her one aim was to reach America, and she reached here September 12, 1901. Her first home was In Wiune-Bonjoun, Wis., later, I ake Nebagamo.n. Having learnt the millinery trade, she continued along that line for a number of years. Finally in 1913, she felt the need of further education and came to Bethel. Her favorite flower is the Forget-me-not. Her favorite study is Biology. And her motto is Climb, though the rocks be rugged.’’ HAROLD ’KERFOOT. Was born in Minneapolis, Minn., August, 1S95. Since then he has been traveling all over this state and South Dakota. He finished his graded school work at Dakota Westland University, in the Preparatory department. As he was not satisfied with this mere introduction to education, he entered Bethel Academy as a Sophomore in 1914. Because of ill health he was out of school for five years. He traveled during that lime and visited Vancouver, B. C., and also- the World’s Fair at ’Frisco, in 1915. His favorite flower is the Crocus: and his hobby seems to be photography. His motto is “Facta non Verba.” PAUL DAHLBERU. In one of the most beautiful, hilly spots in the Sunshine State, there was born a

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THE ACORN 13 (Elaoa iJrcjihery, 191Z Georgius We certainly realize, when we stop to think about it, that this latter part of the twentieth century is most wonderful. The developments during the last forty or titty years have surpassed the most vivid imagination. When 1 went to Bethel, we used to speak of the press-button age,’ but then we always had to get up early in the cold winter mornings and build a fire in the stove and make it comfortable for the rest of the family; in the field we always had to follow the plow up and down after a pair of lazy horses, or have our whole family engage in hard work when harvesting—but to-day all this is as strange to the new generation as tallow-candles and homemade spinning-wheels were rare to the youths of 1917. Nowadays: press a button, and you get all this done while sleeping. Press a button by your desk and you can speak with whomsoever you wish and from any distance desired. In a word, press a button and you can get whatever you want when you want it.” It was a morning in the fall of 1955. My ‘‘button-phone’’ was buzzing and I found that our prominent class-president from Bethel-days, Anton S., had called up from Petrograd. He was there on his tour as a Superintendent for a world-wide missionary movement. I was then, on behalf of Uncle Sam, In Reperio, a country newly discovered 1,500 miles west of the South pole, as the first priest to attempt the Christianization of the inhabitants, who were quite different from us in manners and culture. He told me to be at Bethel about evening as the whole class of 1917 was to meet there for reunion in connection with the fiftieth anniversary of the School. As space and time are now reduced to the insignificant by our modern inventions, when we compare the past, so it was no difficulty at all for me to be in Bethel at the requested time. 1 placed myself in my new flyomobile and, pressing four buttons; one for the height I wished to reach, one for the direction, one for the distance, and one for the speed, 1 could sit down and enjoy the trip all the way from the South pole to St. Paul, knowing that I would land within a rod or so of the place desired. Even an old man like myself felt happy to make this journey and meet with m former fellow students. Some of them 1 had not seen since the days in B. 1 had. however, communicated with them often and was well informed about what they were doing. I remembered so well the good old schooldays both in the first Bethel and the second one—our class meetings, our society doings, our chapel services, our class recitations, our social hours, and our teachers. How different it was now on the old School campus! New buildings erected and a University established, attended by more than three thousand students. As 1 sped on thru the air and felt the warmer climate of the equator surround me, I was reminded of the fact that I was nearing (he regions where my classmates were located. They were living on all continents. Clarence H., it was said, had even tried to get to the Moon by means of his great inventions. He had progressed wonderfully in his research work as an astronomer, and the whole learned world is excitingly awaiting his future achievements. As I passed between the two continents, South America to my right and Africa to my left, I was able with my strong glass to espy Australia at a distance. I was reminded of how well Mar-gareta A. had followed out the class motto, •‘Facta non Verba, ' in the southern part of that country, so that the Government had decided to change the name of the state from Victoria to Margareta. A little