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Show I SCANDINAVIANS AND AMERICANS. This is the first day of the formal opening of the seventh Olympiad, Olym-piad, and a proeession of the most physically fit of the world s athletes ath-letes will pass before that hero. King Albert of Belgium. In the contests leading up to the main events, Anieriea leads by one point, whieh is encouraging. But there are many uneertainties ahead. The prospects are America will win once more. Tet we note )hat in the scores so far obtained, this country, though nosing out ahead of Norway, would be far behind, if the Scandinavian countries coun-tries were on p. There is a population of not more than 20,000,000 in the countries coun-tries inhabited by the Scandinavian people. Combined, they would be formidable opponents in athletics for not only America, but the world. The rigorous climate of the north makes for powerful men and women. In the earlier periods of settlement of the cold region, the weak did not survive. Only the hardy wrre left to multiply As a result, the Scandinavians became a people of great vitality and physical phys-ical soundness. Their privations and hardships brought them the compensating reward ol well developed bodies In these Olympic rivalries it will prove interesting to total the scores of Norway, Sweden, Denmark and also of Finland and compare com-pare them with our own achievements. |