Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-09-14
NORWEGIAN SKETCHES.
The Genuine Rural Democracy of tn
North-Looking Westward to Americs


eial customs Of the people, and intimated
nGt l would give more detailed account
of these matters. have been staying in
a little village at the head Of ford and
surrounded by mountains, some 80 miles
| from Bergen. The place was beautiful in
the extreme; most delightful was it to
| row on the placid surface OF the ford, to
| walk through tbs MEADOWS OF sHeet-Scent.
| ed hay, o seals the heights in order to visit
some waterfall, and to ride up the steep
mountain road. It was the ideal place
fcy one weary OF bricks and mortar, and /
made the most OF it. But beyond the
scenery, there was much 10 interest one
in the people. Some persons would think
| it strange to study sociology in little
| village of a few wooden houses, miles
! away from the railway, and with no tele-
| graphic communication, and would per-
| haps recommend, instead, a visit to cities.
! But Norway is land Of country villages,
/ and it is in these that the true national
| life is to be found. 1t was my good for
| tune to find in my host of the little coun-
| try inn where / so journed one Of the very
/ best men / ever met, from whom derived
much solid information, and whose kind
ness and courtesy | shall long remember
with unaffected delight. Our conversa-
| ton was amusing to ourselves, and would
/ have been still more so TO bystander,
| for it was a curious mixture of Morse
| Latin and English. He understood Eng
| lish, though he could speak but little. /
| mustered up few words and phrases in
| Morse, and we patched up this tattered
| linguistic garment by the aid of Latin.
Here was phenomenon worth study.
| A country innkeeper, who was also post
/ master, storekeeper, parish clerk. school
master, vel Tread IL his own literature
and history VINO read, also, and to small
| extent spoke Latin and English. He was
I deeply interested in English literature.
Like all true Norsemen, he greatly loved
and admired Shakespeare; he had also
read Mill and Darwin, Tennyson and
| Longfellow. He was q religious man,
| too, and acted as clerk in the church,
reading the opening prayer of the service
| in clear, fine voice, with deep s0lemuity
of manner; while in the evening of San
day he walked nearly two miles to teach
the boys and girls Of the school in the
neIghboring township. He was a firm
! and intelligent democrat in opinion, rot
OF the ordinary European cosmopolitan
stamp, not socialist, not revolutionist,
but a national, constitutional democrat,
who was brought to that view By cArsf1i
study Of English history.
He was an admirer Of Gladstone. as
also Of the American republic, as, indeed,
are most of the people in the rural dis
trlcts OF Norway. For the stronghold of
Norwegian democracy is among the
farmers, who are somewhat ef the type OF
the New England and north Of ireland
farmers, and as great contrast to the
dull, landlord-ridden farmers Of England
as can well be imagined. They presented
in their village church on Sunday last a
scene comparatively rare on the cent?
Hent OF Europe, but which would be much
more closely paralleled in Scotland or
New England. From 8 to 10 in the morn
ing small boat loads of people could be
seen rowing across the lake from diff
ferent points to the village church.
When the occupants of the boats landed
attired in special Sunday clothes,
and that they had a look of
earnestness, and, in some cases,
even solemnity on their faces. The men
were dressed in black serge suits, while
some of them wore black velvet hats, while
the women wear their Norwegian head
dress, the linen of which was white as the
driven snow; while the young girls had
their hair neatly braided and wore red
bodices with velvet border into which
silk was worked, and they had beautiful
embroidered work round their necks, |
Without being beautiful (indeed many Of
them toll with their hands too hard to
preserve their beauty, these girls were
exceedingly attractive and interesting,
looking, as they did, so clean, so tidy, so
modest and unaffected. / shall long re-
tain in my mind the picture of young
girl OF some 10 years, who sat
Immediately in front OF me,
with a face as placid and as sweet
as that of the beautiful ford, by which
was her home. 1t was an important day
at church, for the "prest" or clergyman
Of the district was to preach. This per-
scnBge has large district, and can only
take each church in 1t once a month.
There was christening Of one infant and
a catecaising OF the children by the
"prest" after the regular service. Nearly
all the congregation were very deVout,
especially the old men (of whom there
were many and the young women. The
married women had to attend to their
children, and the young men were con-
spicuous by their absence. These latter
are in many cases far away in Wiscon-
sin, Minnesota and Oregon, where they
are striving to gain better living than
they can acquire in their native land.
/ had seze talk with che OF: hese who
had been for four yesrsi 4 Iowa, who had
come back to see his parents and probably
his sweetheart, and who was going back
to settle in Washington Territory. He
had become strongly attached to America,
though he was delighted again to climb
his native mountains after so long time
in the level plains of Iowa. There are
few families in Norway who have not
close connection with America, and the
influence of American institutions is re-
acting upon Norway. 1t is true that the
people of Norway look rather to England
saan to the United States for political
counsel and guidance; but this is due to
the fact that both England and Norway
have a historical monarchy. Many per-
sons think that Norway is ripe for a re-
public, but the general sentiment here is
in favor of constitutional monarchy, Par
Lament being supreme. With the excep-
ton of the Swiss the Norwegians are the
most democratic people in Eu-
rope, far more so than the
English. The aristocratic feeling
which pervades large sections, even of
in Norway. The tone, the manners, the
sentiment Of the people, are all demo-
cratic. The village innkeeper, the village
children, the boy who looks after your
pony, will all shake your hand on bidding
you goodbye or on receiving any payment
or gratuity. Fancy any Of the English
slower classes' presuming to do such a
thingl And L am bound to say should not
as rule care for such familiarity in Eng
land, where it would surely degenerate
into vulgarity; in Norway it is so natu-
raj, so kindly, even so polite that it is a
distinct addition to the pleasure of the
journey. This feeling of equality, there
lore, aSSImllaLeS the NOrWeglanS more
closely to the American than to the Eng
lish people, though their political institu-
tions have necessarily developed after the
English model.
I have said that it is among the farm
ers that the democratic sentiment is
strongest. Here in Christiania an aristo-
cratic feeling prevails, which, perhaps, is
not to be wondered at in the capital city,
containing the Kings palace and an off,
cial and military class. The old eccles-
iastical city of Trondhjem is also arIsto-
cratic, but Bergen Stavanger and Christ
iania are the urban stronghold Of democ-
racy. The democratic leader in Norway
is Johan Sverdrup. the Minister Presi- |
dent, who is regarded much as Gladstone
is by English Liberals, or as Gambetta
was by French Republicans. He has led
the peoples movement against Selmer, |
the impeached Minister, and, TO some ex-
tent, against King Oscar, who has not |
understood his position as King in the |
constitutional Norwegian sense. ''The |
farmers do not like Oscar" said my
friend, the village innkeeper; ''they are !
for Sverdrup, who is really uncrowned |
King of Norway" One sees Sverdrup's |
portrait everywhere-a face a little re-
sembling that of Mazzini-and the people |