New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-10-14
Literature I'm Sweden and Iceland.
The Syracuse Dailv Journal publishes ID


ter written by D. W. FrsKE of that city, to his parents
and containing some account of tour in Norway and
Sweden We extract stme portions, which will no
doubt crafty many of our readers We are especially
glad sec that there Is one country where the sound and
farreaching writings of great political economist
CAREY, are properly appreciated and hail it as an
omen that in our own land the time will come when
European theories will give way TO system founded
upon Natures laws, and deductions from partial or
limited view of the facts of universal experience
Sweden IL a country where if man il ambitious 70
learn nothing is easieror the people are proud Of
their history their literature and their language and
glad 10 see the foreigner interested in either.
Mans an hour have passed with some studenttriend
reading the works Of Swedish classic authors IA fond
of poetry their language is well adapted TO it. can
imagine pleasure true than sitting with some
enthusiastic living Swede the poems OF dead one,
listening 10 the clear musical tones OF that soft but
strong tongue. GEDER, TEGNER, FRANZEN, VIrALIs.
RUNEBERG and crowd of other names have been fas.
tened in my mind and memory with strength that can
never decay. They are heroes in my mental Vahaa,
whose images shall be ever gazed at thank them all
for the great thoughts and wonderful words they have
pnced upon paper The first Is the historian of his
tive land and has told the tale OF her existence in
philosophical which il at the time repete with the
beauties Of style and exhibits those clearsounding inn
pressiye sentences which other language can pro-
duce. TEGNERis the poet of century IL is useless
for to attempt to make dull words express my feel
ngs toward his creations Ny enthusiasm for them IL
think Of the great author of Frithofs Saga Axe"
and "Nstvardsbarnen" The last mentioned of the FIVE
above s that Of the only living man among them
all He Fnlander, and has written national poem
composed of a number Of lyrical pieces founded on
incidents in the last war between Russia and Sweden
They are .plendid. think no foreign literature can
make that impression upon me that the Swedish has
done went 10 that northern land prepared 10 see lts
productions OF mind in agreement with those OF It's soil
to see come orrcpondence and similarity between man
and nature, But was sadly in error ! saw in the
Swedish mind the hardhood of polar cline, and the
briliancy md grace of the tropical Show me Ian
guage well adapted TO the purpose OF the bnrd and
equal that Of Sweden. SwEDENBoRG, LrNNEvs
and meny other widely-known names bear witness to
the past
AZ | now and then catch glimpse of an American
book or of the Literary World, am enabled to obtain
an outward view Of the progress Of things mental az
home And the English literary Journals, more and more
ae time grows older show the influence OF the western
world upon thetrsns-Atlantic mother land Comparing
the authors and authorship Of England with America,
feel proud Of the Inter- which ia now as large and re
speisble ~ the former. The fact H. however, not sur
psing for the amount of learning among the sonamei
loner classes always determine the amount OF MARION
printed wiidom aud the number of its authors This !.
nowhere better seen perhaps than In ceandan sani
OF 6OOOO inhabitants and list OF writers unequaled IN
numbers BY that OF any nation OF ten times lis popua
ton for the farmers and poorer classes Of no country
are 50 wen enlightened ns the Icelandic.
Those in America who are accustomed 10 regard tnh,
uar hand of ice and fire sister OF ureeniaha anu
OF Nova Zmla will perhaps stare at this staten mt put
the fact nevertheless certain that there u something
else there than Ilecla and the Geysers-;hm there are
Glowing minds ~ well as burning mountains, AMI ioun
tains of knowledge ess than springs Of boiling water
But 10 return from Iceland 10 our authors those VINO
src ,he bet known here besides the genial Irving and
the inventive Cooper Emerson, Carey, Sthe poltca
economist) Bancroft Prescott and Lonrellow. Whcn
say here mean in Sweden, there are several rea
sons why American books are more read IN that couh
trv thnn in Denmark The more important Is doubt
les the influence exerted by three Swedish travellers
in America who have within two or three years re-
,urncd home These are Professor Bergfalk, OF Up
sal Mr.. Sistrom of Stockholm anu Mus breineI me
6rtnamed uarticularv who sent out 10 study the
economical and legal condition Of the United state has
done much TO promote knowledge OF our books Long
fellow however is here known from his beautiful trans
ation of one OF Tegners poems and from the Scandn
avian character of many OF his own pieces