, 1886-11-28
LAND OF THE MIDNIGHT SUN.
Where People Go to Bed in Broad Day
lIght-A Cold Fourth of July.

Where People Go to bed In Broad Day
Ilght-A Cold Fourth of July.
I've been across h ocean more times
than / care to tell, and j know London
almost as well as / know Philadelphia,
but | have never been to northern Lu-
rope before this summer" said ex-Attor-
ney General Brewster to a reporter. 81
left here on the 21st. | went up to Hull
on the 23d, and On the Gath | joined the
ship Angelo, and after a very smooth
and pleasant passage arrived at Chris
tiansand in Norway, on the following
Sunday. It's a very interesting old
place. l went to church there. It's a
clean, nice style of Norwegian town..
The people are very quiet, nicely be-
haved, plain and simple. Monday was
passed in Christiania, a own of consid-
cradle Importance. l staid there one
day and then went by rail up to Thrond-
jem, the old capital OF Norway, which
at one time was the largest and wealth.
est town in Norway. 1t had at one
time many monasteries and churches.
"In Throndjem is the oldest cathedral
in all Norway. 1t was founded in lOl6
by st. Olaf, and on the ground where
he was buried the present building was
erected in 1151 and completed in 1910,
and was enlarged in 1900. The cathe-
dral is a very interesting work OF gothic
architecture. 1t was damaged three or
four years ago by fire, and in rebuilding
it large walls were erected, which
changed the architectural appearance of
the structure. 1t is now being restored
with very much pains and care. There
was an annual fair being held in
T%hrondjem while l was there and it was
filed with specimens of farmers and
working people. 1t was held in an open
street. 1t was quite crowded and every
thing was orderly and quiet, and all OF
the people appeared 10 be comfortable,
well-dressed, sturdy, vigorous, and sim
pie in their ways, and a very honest
people. The fair was held for business
and friendly intercourse. All the time
| was in Norway l saw no dirty pow
erty, no beggars, no tramps or idle,
worthless people. The farms all APP
peared to be thoroughly taken care of.
Everything around the house was kept
in good order. Farms were in perfect
condition. The houses were clean N
comfortable and small and unpretend-
ing. The women are plain looking but
very vigorous, and they are quiet and
clean and mild in their ways. They
look as if they were exposed to hard
work, and they have n healthy, com
Portable, satisfied look. The men had a
sturdy, manly look. They look like
people who rave no wealth and they
appeared to all be on a social level
There seemed to be no distinction be-
tween them, but they had al air of in
dependence. l saw no drunken people
there and heard no noisy people. 1t is a
very peaceful place. Throndjem is built
of wooden houses, good broad streets,
well paved, and has plenty of good
shops.
"The u reaches its uppermost point
on the 2lst of June. l got to Thorndjem
at 7 o'clock in the morning on the Goth
of June. There was no night. 1t was
broad daylight at midnight. There was
scarcely any darkness. The sun shone
night and day. The people went to bed
regularly at an early hour, with the sun
shining, and closed their shutters and
pulled down their curtains and slept, and
the town was as quiet as if the night was
totally dark. After leaving Throndj em
l took a ship named after some ancient
Norwegian king, and in company with
fifty or sixty other tourists, all people OF
responsibility and intelligence and men
from different nations. There were
twenty-five Americans; the rest were
natives of France, Spain. Germany,
Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Eng
/ I.nJ Nv. ,.ant -, tla comet IN Trnms az
and then to Hammerfest, the most
northern town in the world. l saw the
high mountains and the whole of the
coast all the way up to the North cape,
the extreme northern point of Europe.
Il arrived there on the 4th of July. 1t
was IA cold, wet day. The climate is
harsh, cold and wet, rainy and damp.
When it is not raining there is a heavy
mist. The North cape is on n point of
land at least I 1000 feet above the level of
the sea. When | was at the North cape
the sun was obscured with clouds. AT
~ o'clock at night the sun was visible
for n time. In winter it is dark there
nearly all day, as well as at night.
returned by the same towns, but through
different waterways. The whole of the
udNlBdtlou NA piolt'tch ~ manu. i'i
fore the sea was mild. We We're sur
rounded by immense mountains, covered
with snow. On my return to Thrord-
lem | went across Norway through a
country which was filed with lakes,
high mountains and green valleys, cas-
cades and falls, and farms well cared
for. 1t all had n solitary and bleak ap-
pearance. People were making the mos
out of what they had, but their life wa
evidently a hard one. The railway sta
tions are supplied with eating-house
that are clean and with an abundanc,
of good and wholesome food and frui'
and wines at reason prices. The traveller
is treated honestly. The women attent
these eating-houses generally. They are
all qiiet women. pleasant and prompt.
Philadelphia Times Interview.