The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1890-07-11
THE COURTEOUS swepes.
Point. Which Attract the Attention si
Travclers In Oscar's King iom.


THE COURTEOUS swEpEs.
Point. Which Attract the Attention si
Travellers In Oacar'd King iom.
Tho beautiful politcncss and courtesy
OF the Swcdcs Is thing that is very
strikin9to visitors, writes contributor
to Temple bar. They have large as
sortmcnt OF lows, bobs, courtcsics and
hat-liftings, according to ago and sex,
but the lifting of the hat to mere ac-
quaintanccs reaches, fancy, much
lower down in tho social scale than else
wherc in Europe; it looks odd to sec tho
butslicr-boy in blouse olaboratcly
taking oil his hat to the bakers assist
ant: / suspect, on examination, Swcd-
ish hats would be found to contain lit
tic extra stiifcning, in order to enable
them to stand tho wear and tear of
these greetings in the marlsot-placcs
On ono occasion, when going by
steamboat to Cpsala, I noticed very
quaint example of this National trait.
/; The steamboat, as it nc;.rs l'psala,
passes through many shallow reaches of
tho Malar lake, where the depth of
water is insufficient to allow of tho pas
scngcrs being landed in tho ordinary
, manner directly on to landing stages.
and SO have to be taken on shore in
small bouts. Tho ferry,nan on shipping
his complement of passengers would
first take q dozen strokes or So in order
| to clear the screw of the stcamcr, and
then would carefully lay asilc his oars,
rise FROM his scat, and tal;t. of his hat
with Il solemn bow TO the people sitting
i'll tho stern whom lic had just taken off
tho deck of the steamer. lie would
then row on again and put them ashore.
This did not occur as an isolated iu-
stance. but regularly every time tho
passengers had To be landed by shorc-
boats.
The women of the middle and lower
classes; are little If ut all behind their
husbands and brothers in this mattcr.
Their good temper and pretty behavior
arc worthy of all praise. The servant
girls in Da.ccarlian peasant dress. tho
ccfs-mamseics and the young persons
employed in shops all make the prctti-
est Of all possible little hob cour.esies,
and SO, oddly enough. do the young la
dies of good family up to tho day Of
their confirmation, which ceremony
takes place rather later than with us.
generally about the age of sixteen.
From that day forth they put their hair
UP and take to bowling.
Tho Upsala students an,usc ono n
good deal by the elaboration and cerc-
monionsncss of tlioir manners. ANY
day during the vacation few of thcm
may Ike seen gathered around ~ table in
the garden cafes of Illsscltuckcn or
Iivoli, drinking their punch. They arc
mostly lads under twenty, hut they bow
to each other, and make little civil
speeches. and pledge each other with
solemn s.lutation, all according to the
strictest Swedish etiquette, as if they
werc ,nid,ile-ased gentlemen of high
dignity and position but slightly a.
l"aintcl with one another. They ccr-
tainly take themselves very seriously.
The custom of plcdging or hcalth-
drinking. il; /. survival from very ancient
times. The glass, is; raised Il s.i-h, how
Eiadc, the word sk;:i (lltcraily bowl
pronounced. followed by another slight
bow, w'"n tnc glass Is replaccu on tho
table, generally empty; it is not dc
r'g;etr, hcwever, that it should l,c 50,
but in Denmark, where {. similar c,ls-
tom obtains, the glass must alwavs be
drained to the last drop. To English
eyes it appears quaint to 500 this COM
plicated ceremonial observed toward
each other by college companions not
yet ont uf their teens.
Another point which soon ATTRACTS tho
attention of visitors is tho puilctilious
! honesty and trut.lfu.ness of tho Swe.lcs;
this is best seen in the many little i'm
cidcnts of daily lifc. When asking for
places at tho thcatcr, for instance. tho
ticket clerk never fails to inform YOU If,
! owing TO tho crowded state OF the house,
, better position would bc secured with
cheaper ticket than the one asked
for. Again, wien parcels arc taken
: out by steamers from Stockholm
to country places in the neigh
! borhood they arc just thrown out on
/ to the qHty, where they frequently re-
main hail the day without being claimed.
1t never seems to occur to any one that
they could possibly be taken by any one
! but their rishtful owners. On :. trip of
any length. as for instance to Gothcn-
burg by canal, a little book lies in the
saloon of the steamer in which each pas-
senGcr keeps his own account of the
number of meals. cafes, cognacs, etc.,
hc may take during tho journey. but,
indeed, it is impossible to talk to a
Swcde for any length of time and not
sec how incapable of any mcanncss or
dishonesty lie must be. There is nearly
, always q simplicity and straightforward
ness of manner the very antipodcs of
afIcctation. which is certainly n very
pleasing attribute, and which can
scarcely fail to convince tho least OBJ
servant person that he has before him
man who thoroughly respects himself,
and who walks very stcadfas,ly on tho
! Straight line. Tho :swcdcs, you feel,
arc nation of gcntlcmcn down to tho
coal-hcavers and tho wharf-mcn.
Necklace of Human Eyes.
The wife OF w. Il. Curtis. Of Washing.
ton, says tho st. Louis Republic. is tho
/; posscssor of most uncanny ornament
in the shape of necklace made of l.u-
man eyes. Tho eyes were taken from
Peruvian ,nummics, polished and placed
In their present sittings. Accounts
given out few years ago. when tho