Show L LETTER E T T E R F FROM R 0 M DENMARK simon simo n christensen christens en tells experiences Is laboring in ia large city where ere he finds financial and other conditions different aalborg dan damark narl nov 14 1908 editor richfield reaper dear sir it is 13 now a little over a year jear since I 1 bid farewell to my family and friends friench in richfield to fill a mission to my native countr country 3 and I 1 cans a n se creely it cely realize thit that I 1 have been away from home that length of time but I 1 feel thankful and grateful to rny my heavenly father for his blessings and protesting prot eiting ting cite care which has been over my me and my loved ones up to the present time I 1 can truly say t that hat I 1 have enjoyed my labors while I 1 have been here and although I 1 hac been traveling from place to place visiting the beneral branches in this aalborg conference and holding meetings around in the country as well as in the cities I 1 have stood the strain and exposure incident to this kind of labor far better than I 1 could possibly have had any reison reason to expect especially when the condition of the climate and weather in this country is 13 taken into consideration during the whole last winter we scarcer had aej an snow in this part of denmark but it was cold rainy and disagreeable none the less ard there were periods of several weeks at a stretch that we never saw a glimpse of the sun I 1 well remember on one occlusion sion u hile bakina through the sire streets ets of hlll this city on nn rry return from a trip in the country ohp th sun came peeping through the coude and riot not haing had a look at it for such a long iong tink I 1 turned squarely around to 0 o gaze at it an aej can idethel it a great treat reat the weather conditions duang the bummer 7 were conidi conid LIed aed very favorable e tor r t this his country coun tri although we had but very fw f w dis b that could rally ally be called warm the people thought bought the heat was almost ucb unbearable r the crops were as a rule the past pact season and the weather conditions were favorable during the carli part of the harvest time but during dui ing the latter part of august and first of september we hd bd a great deal cleal of rain and a great deal of oats barley and some hay were put up in a very unsatisfactory and poor condition the people of this little kingdom have been quite prosperous roub for a number of years yearb until they think that as a matter of fact it will continue forever fo reer I 1 have been told on sheral occasions in coner bation with nith farmers and others that a crisis such as was experienced by the united states could not be brought about in this countin but since that time several of the banks and money institutions n of this thib country have been others shaken collapsed and failed and others ra 13 reel reeling ilig almost ready to fall at any time asa climax lima to the whole we have the ce lebraUd P k albeit albetti affair which in it its ramifications ard disastrous results eclipses everything of its kind in this country or at al no t any other country the financial and business conditions of this thib country are anything but satisfactory testing resting a as they doupona do upon a ery r y shaky foundation the majority 0 of t the ile farmers and bu business briness iness men are doin boins business with er pe peoples pes gonei ones fo fla illustrate A person bus a zarin farm and if per chance he has no debt on oil it which bl the way is the exception and riot not the rule he will go to work and borrow nearly all the money lie he can on it the object for doing this is twofold first the law pr provides oides ides that in valuing a persons property for foi th the purpose of taxation the amount of the debt shall br be deducted and while his ready cash if he has ana an is also alio assessable he gets around tint that pirt of it as I 1 have been informed by placing it in a foreign bink bank second if at any time he deserts to sell or dispose of his proper property tv he cin do this so much easier if there is no bonev cor sidera tion in the transaction is s lie he simple turns the whole thing debt and all over to the purchaser iaser on this cobweb of a foun foundation clation rests the financial and business proposition of this country to a fecat nat extent ct ent and it appears to me tint thit it would mould riot not require much of a prophet to fortell tile the ultimate outcome of such a I 1 policy and it will riot not require many alberti all an urb to precipitate the catastrophe cata the condition ondi tion of the working class although much better than it was marij many scars ago is far from nhat could be nearly all the articles of food consumed are higher in price than at home here are tile the prices of 01 a low few articles in common use the price quoted is por per pound pork 16 cents beef 13 cents wheat flour 34 cent ryo rye bread 21 cents eggs 32 cents per doz sugar ci nis per pound the wages for common laborers in this city ai are c fion fio n 80 cents to 1 per dil in the country from 50 cents to 57 cents per day girls in the cities from 3 to tn 8 per month with baird in the country the girls gills generally work b the car and aid get fro from in 1 31 l to ZO 0 a year and most of them have to mill milk cows help in the chiv hiv and harvest field and sometimes in bauh haulrig g and spreading manure in t the h factories the women omen and eirls can earn arn from 2 GO 60 to sa 5 per week weck but them the liae have to beard themselves the working hours are arc generally from 7 in the morning till 6 at night todal toda I 1 visited W C tobacco factory here in aalborg the largest of its kind in denmark it employs about persons of which number I 1 should judal that two thirds are women and girls this plant turns out lbs ibs of smoking tobacco per da cigars and cigarettes per week 1000 lbs ibs of twist besides abarge amount of fire cut chewing tobacco per day it took about two hours to pass through the alart and our clothes were 0 so o saturated with the odor of s if we had been using tobacco for a month what would our women aid girls j eirls at home think or say if they hod had to work in such a place for a livings one of the largest cement factories in the world is located here besides three other cement factories in addition to these there are A woolen factory one steam flour mill one oil mill two or three machine shops and foundries one distillery one cotton goods factory factor two fac factories one oleo oleomargarine margarine factory factor one glass factory one gab works one paper mill besides several other faL factories tories that I 1 cant thi thick ia of at present aalborg is the fourth largest city in denmark and has a population of 32 inhabitants it is a seaport located on the south shore ebore of lim fjorden fi orden about 20 miles atiland inland from t the he se sei a and is one of the oldest cities in denmark there are several seven build ings here dating back 25 to 3 ears the people of this country are as a rule dead to that pertains to tl true e religion although they have a great deal of so called religion but it i is of the kind of which the apostle paul wrote A form of godliness s but dening den ing the power thereof yet ther therease elare eare miny many horest hearted people here who if ft they could be made to understand the truth could be willing to pleat adept it and live ac according to its require the greatest obstacles w we e have to contend with are ignorance and indifference some of th people hardev know to which church they belong and many of them care less the majority of them have got it into their heads thit they cant dol anything iny thing for their bal lation and dont need to do anything as christ has done it all A short time ago a small tract fell into my hands from which I 1 copy the following the sinner is like ohp th bonded set benant senant ant trie has nothing wherewith herewith to paa pa neither does the lord requite any pay all is paid not b gold nor silver but by the blood of jesus christ and in addition to this the sinner is ruined so that he cannot get any better neither does the lord require that he should improve and get letbetter better no I 1 just accept and receive ei ve jesus andee and he cleanses the heart by his blood he makes ahlie aie he who was dead in sin and transgression thit is religion made easy with a vengeance our meetings gh have of late been fairly well attended here in aalborg and we haie hae a few investigators and quite a few frien friends db and we feel that wherever we can get into conversation and association sufficiently with the people so 0 th it they become ta with our aims and objects and oar daily lives and conduct in most instances we can make friends of them some of the newspapers especially those edited and Dubli published shed by the social democracy beem to be willing to gi give e us fair pla but the so called christian Alini ministers cire are the W boist ast 1st agitators against us but I 1 have w wished ill several times while here that they would make things a little livelier so as to ake up people and give us a chance fend and explain the principles of the gosve gospel we have bae the satisfaction of seeing a few honest souls accept the gapol gup cl during the last s si months we ba 0 baptized 25 11 persons in this conference this is ib a good showing according to conditions 33 ti tiey they ey exit here lt it present yet w when hen we consider that there bere I 1 is in an average of 21 or 2 22 elders scoring here from year to year the harvest is not very bourteois bourt but as the scripture qa as s paul plants appolos watches wat cres buthod the inara increase c now mr editor I 1 should po possibly sibly have said in the beginning that I 1 tile take this means of communicating with ith my friends as time will not permit me to v rite nto to them all and I 1 im satisfied sati fied t that the great maiori tv ot or my friends and acquaintances read the reaper I 1 have taen en great satisfaction ind and delight in reading the while here and it has agns bien ben bi b en i welcome isidor success to the reaper ind and all its friench frien dh at d w wishing ishin all a merry christmas rind and a happy happ new I 1 car I 1 subscribe myself i our friend and brother SIMON christensen |