The Portland daily press., 1883-03-12
Land of the Midnight Sun.

Mr.. Harry W. French delivered his lecture
on the Land of the Midnight SUM- at City
Hall, Saturday evening, and despite the storm,
there was very good attendance which will
add neat sum to the Lengfellow Statue fund.
Mr.. French's lecture was admirable in sub
stance as we'll as beautifully illustrated.
He began by saying that if ever the North
East Passage becomes reality, many may fly
to the North Pole for Summer vacation, and
the Land of the Midnight Sun become no more
special attraction; but until then it will re-
main the mysterious land of ice. 1t would be
sarcasm to name the entertainment lecture
it was only sketch, a ramble through few
important places on the coast of the Polar Sea-
They would cross the Polar waters by the light
of the midnight sun, through seas of floating
ice. The Norwegian still clings to the original
theory to account for the topography of his
country. His belief is that God after creating
the world fell asleep, and that the devil
brought huge rock from the bed of he'll and
flung it at the North Pole, scattering it into
fragments, which created the huge rocks and
boulders on the Norwegian coast. This is the
only way they account for the existence of the
place called Norway. 1t has been often asked
of travellers by the fishermen there "Why do
you come to such placer" And the traveller
asks: "Why do you stay?" The fishermen
say, to fish, and the traveller replies: 1--WE al
SO came here to fish," But there are more
things than fish, added Mr.. French, to be seen
in Norway, and before he left the platform he
fully impressed this fact on the audience The
literature of Norway is beautiful and interest
ing, ard it would well repay the trouble OF
studying it to be able to read the wonderful
and thrilling romances of the land of the mid
night sun. A traveller can there find both rec
reation and relaxation. After his brief intro
duction the gas was turned down and the
steamer in which the traveller to the North was
to make his journey across the blue ocean was
thrown on the canvas The Norwegian coast
having been reached, dozen or more views of
the approaches to Christiana were exhibited,
and finally the Capital of Norway itself was
presented from various points of views, Mr..
French giving running sketch of the inter-
esting features of the place. The principal
buildings exhibited were the palaces OF the
princes, the cathedral and churches and the
university. While lacking architectural beau
ties or ornamental features the buildings were
solid and substantial. The views included life
scenes in Scandinavia, the journey from Ber-
gen to TroudhJem, mountains and fjords, up
| the coast of Norway, westward through the ice
| fields, the beautiful polar sea, landmarks and
| incidents of daily life in the Arctics, homes,
| fishing gIounds and ruins, summer and winter
| in Greenland. along the coast to Julianshaab,
through ice foes and floating mountains, over
| the Greenland Sea and along the coast of Lab
| razor. The views and descriptions of the i'm
mense icebergs are especially Interesting The
| powerful stereopticon and the novel process in
troduced wildly displayed the effects of SUM-
| light and moonlight on the gigantic ice noun
| tains, and the audiences testified to the great
| pleasure experienced by eye and ear by fire.
| quent applause. Toward the close of the lee
| ture, companion views of polar and tropical
scenes were introduced, showing the wonder
full contrast between the inhabitants of the re-
| spective regions.