Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1880-10-21
THE N0RW EGIAN POET.
An Interute'o tolth Bj0erusBerns Bi1rnson
He has come to his Country 10 Study
its Institutions Mrs Ole Bull as In
teTpreter,

lNanDrluge correspondence New ork utra!G
Mr. Bjoernstjerne Bjornson, the dis
tin1uished Norwegian poet and leader OF
the Norwegian National party, arrived In
this city last Mondsv evening. Mr.. Bjorn.
son, as the guest of Mrs. Ole Bull, is stay
ing at Eimwood, the pleasant home of
james Russell Lowell, our Minister to
| England, where a representative OF the
Herald found him this morning, The re-
| quest tor an interview with the distin
guished visitor was promptly complied
with, Mrs. Bull remarking pleasantly to
the correspondent that the gentleman was
not quite accustomed to the system of in
| terviewing, and that she had been ex-
| planning the merit of the institution TO
him. Accepting the cordial invitation,
the Herald representative was ushered
into room which may have been the Ii.
brary of MIR. Lowell, and found himself
In the presence OF a tall gentleman, whose
well. proportioned body WAS crowned with
a massive head, a cleans shaved face, with
a.pair of short whiskers, barely reaching
below the Level of the ears, the whole sur,
mounted by mass OF fair hair that rose
high above the forehead, and was scru.
pulously innocent Of parting" or "lie
down " ss any could be. Leonine would
be fair description of the expansive face,
and the kindly light eyes were halt con.
cealed by pair OF heavy gold spectaces.
MRS. OLE BULL AS INTERPRETER.
AT the outset a difficulty occurred
which brought Mrs. Ole Bull promptly TO
the front. Mr., Bjornson, while able to
read English, cannot speak II tiuently.
The Herald representative was not of
! polyglotic commence, and the interview
would have dragged somewhat but the
| lady had kindly acted as interpreter The
visitor desired 10 hesr from Mr. BjOrnson,
who not only represents, but Is leader OF
the Norwegian national party, the con
dilion of the political parties in that
country. and his opinions on the rumors
which had been cabled across, as to the
| present policy of the scandinavian penin
| sula,
Mr.. Bjornson felt reluctant at first to
enter into the matter. He was anxious to
| place before the American people the
exact position of affairs. He had come
10 this country to learn rather than to
give Information, but noticing and appre
ciating the demand for his views, he mad
determined to give them TO the public al
time and In a form when over his own
signature he could be personally respon
sibe for his utterances
TIE Herald" remarked Mrs. ole Bull
TO the distinguished visitor, "is so well
| known in Europe, and the difficulty for
conveying Information through a third
parsonage Is so great, that while Mr..
! BJ0rnson Is anxious to give all the iDfor
nation possible, he wishes 10 do 80 in
such manner, that he can be personally
| responsible"
Yielding, however, courteously to my
request. Nj. Rtornson stated that the tele
| grams which announced that the relations
between the two Scandinavian Kingdoms
we're greatly strained and that the people
Of Moray were satisfied with the gov
eminent of Sweden, were not ouy ex
aggersted but were almost wholly untrue.
| Oa the contrary, he could not recolect a
time when the Norwegian people were
better satisfied than st present
TUB LIBERAL PARTY,
which is mostly Nor Segisn, had come to
the front, and the new ministry was com
posed of many OF that way of thinking.
The two Kingdoms had always been separ-
tie and independent, the only bond OF
union being the King OF Norway. In
It's constitution and methods Of govern
ment it has always been more democratic
than her neighbOr, and while Sweden has
q nobility and grAdstlons of caste, the
sister nation is entirely free from them,
! The Conservative party-which the King
sad the nobility naturally tavored-were
now in the minority, the Liberals for the
I first time having a plurality, and the
/ King has been thus compelled TO call to
/ his councils statesmen OF the liberal type.
/ In answer to suggestion, Mr.. Born
/ son, through Mrs. Bull, said that the Gov
1 eminent OF Sweden was now OF English
/ type; Norway, be considered, was more
sssimilsted in feeling to the American re.
public. Both countries were bound to-
gether for mutual defence and for certain
administrative features, Norway agreeing
to supply so many men for the first named
purpose But the Storthing or Norwegian
House OF Representatives was the gu
preme law OF that country, the Reichstag
being the Swedish House.
TIE POET TURNS YAEREE.
Mr.. Biornson, at this stage Of the con.
versstion intImsted, through the lady who
acted as interpreter, that he wished to
turc the tables on the eager quesIioner, by
intcrrOgating him The question was:
What position in your mipd does Nor.
way take in the confederation ~ The
Herald representative said that while he
knew comparatively little or nothing Of
the importance Of the two countries he
shOuld feel inclined to place SWC den first