The Sun.
London, England, 1829-04-24 00:00:00

NORWEGIAN LADIES.

Eating and drinking is the great business of
the Norwegians, the sole occupation of many,
and the chief luxury of all ; and it is owing to
this that the condition of the Norwegian females
is so much lower than it is in any other of the
European countries. I have heard an English
lady, married and settled in Norway, say, (not
from her own experience, but from what she
saw around her,) that she would rather be a
maid servant in England, than a from in Nor-
way. And let me here mention a distinction
between frou and madame, which is peculiar to
Norway. In all parts of Scandinavia, except-
ing Norway and Denmark, every married woman
may be called frou,madanze being a more
honourable appellation; but in Norway and Den-
mark it is otherwise. There, every shipper's or
tradesman's wife receives the title of madame,
whereas that of fi ou is the distinctive honour.
Formerly, it was only the wives of noblemen, or
superior officers in the army, who were entitled
to be calledfi oil ; but, by a late regulation, the
wives of dignified clergymen, of doctors in me-
dicine, and of persons holding certain offices un-
der Government, are entitled to be so distin-
guished ; and so much is this distinction prized,
that I heard of an instance in which a gentleman
purchased an office in Copenhagen, that his
wife might be entitled to be addressed frou.—
There is, perhaps, no occasion to apologize for
this digression, as it contains some information,
the want of which might lead the traveller into
an error in etiquette, that might be prejudicial
to him. But to return : well might the English
lady express herself as she did. Women even
of the highest rank in Norway are slaves;
the greater, indeed, the establishment, the
greater the slavery; which is precisely the
reverse of the condition of females in Eng.
land. Whatever the number of servants may
be in the different departments of a Norwegian
establishment, they are not entirely trusted to in
any thing ; the mistress of the house is still prin-
cipal housekeeper, chief laundry-maid, and head
cook. The cook-maid in Norway is not in-
trusted with any of the great operations in the
art ; her duties are precisely those of the menial
who, in England, is designated a scullion. If a
frou be so fortunate as to have grown-up daugh-
ters, her duties are, in some degree lesseEed.
In a family with .which I had constant inter-
course, the two young ladies,frokens, as young
ladies of quality are called in Norway, had their
alternate weeks in the cooking department ; at
least half of every day was spent in the kitchen ;
and she whose turn it was to do this duty, did
not take her seat at the dinner table with the
rest-of the company, hut 'appeared when din-
ner was Dearly concluded ; and then with cheeks
that would have made rouge be superfluous.
I have mentioned elsewhere, that the duties
of the ladies do not end with the cooking
of dinner ; the young ladies (if there be any)
carry in the dishes, and if there be none, the
mistress of the house. They also change the
. plates, wipe the knives, and perform every other
office that is performed elsewhere by servants ;
Norway, a servant is seldom or ever seen
in 414141 in-room. The Norwegians would, in-
deed, consider, it disrespectful treatment, were
they to employ their servants to wait upon their
guests. In one 'house where we occasionally
visited, and in which' therowere no young ladies,
'two farmer's daughters, neatly dressed, always
assisted the lady of the inansion-to wait upon the
company,, A.Norwegjan lady might, indeed be
cited as ii pattern to any English servant in the
waiting department. She is constantly walking
round the table, observing the wants of the
guests, and supplying them. Nor does she, in
general, partake of dinner with the party, but
clines either, before dinner is served, or after it is
taken away.—Coutony's Jou, ney,