Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-01-08
SWEDISH CITIES.
rHRgx-srocXHoLM, ooTHENBURe, AND
uPsALA-vIsITgD
The Northern Venice -swsden's Great
Past-Ihs Centre Of
Learning.

A letter from Stockholm to the New
York Times, by Jonathan Sturges, says:
1t used to seem 10 me, while the eve
nings we're warm, as il every soul in this
little city Of $50, 900 inhabitants must be
out of doors. And ut other times, when
| walked along the fine stone quays and
the broad, well-paved streets, by hand
some shops, l wondered whence came
the money to support all this. 1t Is
not, perhaps, so very magnificent after
all, only surprisingly fine when you think
that this is a nation OF only 5000, 900 or
5000, 600 souls. And You have not very
far TO go before you, sympathetic
stranger, are overcome with feeling oil
sadness at the decay of this once so great
race. You pass gradually into this
mood as you walk about the older quar-
ter of the city, the Island of the Knights,
recalling historic monuments, standing
in historic squares where the noble
Knights of the SeraphiIh-from whom
the island takes its name-suffered pun
ishment or took vengeance, at once
the thorns and the jewels of the King
of Sweden's crown. They fought
his battles for him in time of war, they
plotted against him in time OF peace.
You stand in the Stor Torg, the scene OF
the famous Stockholm Bloody Bath, "
where Christian of Denmark, IN 1920,
beheaded in one day eighty-two Swedish
bishops, councillors, and knights who
had rebelled against the house OF Olden-
burg, among them the father OF Gustav
Vasa, the founder of the free line OF
Swedish kings. They say the square
ran, in fact, with blood. 1t is now n
prosaic modern market-place. In the
Riddarhus Torg, however, you see relics
of the past-the old Town Hall and the
Riddarhus, or knights House, itself
picturesque, pointed bRilding OF red
brick, softened to mellow tone by age,
with gray, moldy, moss-grown stone
trimmings and allegorical inscriptions
and figures OF Greek and Latin divini-
ties in relief of its long facade. In a
hall of the Riddarhus hung the portraits
OF all the marshals OF Sweden since
1927, with the exception OF the unsuc-
General Levenhaupt, Who was IN l!l3
conveniently enough beheaded in this
square by the mobiles for their loss OF n
Russian campaign. You are astonished
when you reflect within how late years
scenes. bloody enough for the hot, i'm
passioned actors Of the stage OF an ltal-
ian medieval city, have been performed
in this staid northern capital. You re-
member how, in 1743, there was the be-
heading of Levenhaupt, and IN lI06 the
execution OF Counts Brahe and Horn
and their fellow-conspirators. You think
of the assassination OF Gustavus Ill. by
Captain Ankarstrom at o masked bail IN
| 1892; Of the fortunes of Ankarstrom ;
and how, in 1910, after the sudden death
of the Crown Prince, Marshal Won Fer
sen was in this square torn limb from
limb by the populace, who thought he
had murdered his royal master.
And then | walked up to the Rlddar-
holms kyrka, bare, dreary, Lutheran
place with whitewashed walls, and dusty
glass windows filed with masons' repair
/ ing scaAioldings Of wood. And there |
took off my hat silently before the green
marble sarcophagus. where, surrounded
by the marshals OF his world-known wal
school-Torstensson Baner, and the
rest-hes Gustavus Adolphus, the Lion
of the North, who "braved dangers,
loved piety, oyercame his enemies, exalt-
ed his nation, liberated the oppressed,
and triumphed in death. Nell-won
praise, for at the end OF the epoch
IN which he sands the grandest
/ figure Sweden was the greatest Eu-
ropean Power; half Germany was
hers, and the Baltic was but Swedish
/ lake. All about the cold and barrer
chapel in which he quietly sleeps hang
the powder-stained Russian, Austrian
and Bavarian flags and curiously-shapeo
battle-drums Of the Thirty Tears War
There was certain dignity about 1t all
but was overcome with sentimental
sadness, thinking Of the decay OF TIM
mans work for the country which he
loved. On the other side Of the
church. in black marble toni
over which is flung a lions skiI
of gold, lies Charles NIL, the fiery
paladin whose injudicious though bril-
liant wars ushered in the decadence 81
the might which Gus.avus had made
But the Swedes bear their mistaken tlns
no malice it is one of the peculiaritle
of their nature that while they remcmbe
their former glory with pride, The,
neither seem depressed by comparison
OF their past with their present posltiol
among the nations, nor stimulated by /
to ambition for the future. There IS al
amusing unheroic seli-contentment abou
this kindly, good-natured race. Unlik'
Anglo-Saxons, the Swedes follow tn,
worthy German customs and cherlsl
by many outward ceremonies th
memory OF their greatest men. On I'M
anniversaries of Gustavus's victories tn
| Stockholders assemble round his statul
and sing with fiercs enthusiasm thu
sonorous hymn which he composed befOr'
the battle of Lutzen "Fear Not, Littl
Band" And then, instead OF goinl
home to brood over Sweden's fall, the.
all adjourn to the Deer Garden, plac
which L must presently describe.
The Deer Garden, as its name implies
was once q royal hunting ground, but
now the Peoples Park OF Stockholm
spreading over an island five minutes
distant by steam launch from the town
Here is situated Hasselbacken, the IA
nous restaurant where the best dinner
are TO be eaten and the best music to b
heard here are cafes, muslc-halls, va
riety shows, an open-air theatre, circu:
merry -go-rounds, shooting galleries
here there is no thought but OF amusG
ment; here on Sunday you wande
about among the throngs of people
all shouting and singing and at play
and You see many a scene who's
animation and broad humor OF lo'
comedy recalls the joyous memory c
Tenier's Village Fete. On one Of thos
Sundays, when had sufficiently We've
the crowd, l wandered away to EMO
the pleasantest and most peculiar featur
of this island park-the forest. L wen
by little lakes along the tow-paths OF th
quietest Dutch canals, passing a Lu'
, Haus now and then, catching glimpse
, of white sails and the far blue Baltic
: when 1 approached by winding road
the rocky island shores, down long
grassy glades, under the finest primevt
oak and beech and linden trees. L wa
, never alone, to be sure, but it wa
rather entertaining than otherwise
macs ever and anon n pair OF sweet