The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1874-02-11
Family Paper, inquiry Industry Literature
Land Of the Midnight Sun.

4 Paul Du .Chaillu, the noted travel
er, says There is Il beautiful conn
try far away towards th. icy north
1t is a glorious land, with snowy, bole
and magnificent mountains deep
narrow and delightful valleys; blcal
plateaux and slopes wild: ravinos
clear and picturesque lakes immense
forests of whito birch and fir Trees
! gigantic and superb glacicrs, un
rivaled in size by any in Europe. II
is Of this country | como to tell you
The rivers of this. country in their
hurried flights from the nights above
to the valleys below, tumble down
as if from heaven in gigantic water.
falls and oascades, SO beautiful, so
lovely, SO white and chaste, 50 match
less in their beauty that the bcholder
never tires Of looking upon them. 1
have told you of the leading features
of the country, geographically con.
sidered let me now say a few words
about the people. their mode of
living, their code Of morality. I
have been an extensive traveller, but
never in all my experience have met
with such an honest and simple class
of people as the inhabitants of Nor
way, Sweden and rL,pIaud. Their
faith in human nature is. something
Incredible, and their honesty exceeds
all bounds, Often have | left my
money behind mo in farm house,
and as Often have I been followed on
the road by my late host with the
treasure | forgot in his domicilc.
They scorn to. take any reward for
doing what they consider their duty,
and as often as I have offered them
rewards they have been rejected.
They are worry religious people aud
o very democratic booplc" OF their
religious simplicity, volumes could
bo written. Theyfare for the most
part, in fact all, Protestants or Luth-
Grams. They bury. their dsad, in
graveyards around the churches, and
if man dies 200 miles away, his
body must be brought to the grave
yard and inferred. y etaugcr can
tell the condition Of almost any lady
he meets. Those that are engaged
to be married have one plain gold
ring those who ere married wear
two, and those .who have family
wear three. When a mans wife
dies in this northern cline, tho hus.
band and his friends have a three
days jollification. About their
democratic ideas c,unot give you a
! better notion than by mentioning the
fact that [ sought an interview with
the King, and was accorded d the same.
Before l was five minutes in the royal
presence. was asked to smoke Il
cigar, and at separating was asked to
call again, which l did. When
returned had to look for the King
myself, there being no guards or
servants around the house. | found
him putting on his coat upstairs,
having just put the finishing touch
on one Of his pictures. A few words
about the midnight sun. | witnessed
this grand phenomenon while st,nd-
ing on Cape North, tho most north.
ern extremity Of Europe. The sun,
instead of setting as it does here, and
running course from east to west,
keeps going around in circle, tho
lower periphery OF. which is Just on
the horizon. When it makes the
lower curves it is partially obscured,
but it rises again and describes cir
cIes in the air for nearly two and o
half months. 1t then goes away, but
total darkness does not cn,uc, for the
u!oop, the. stars and tho northern
lights illumine the land.