Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1890-06-04
THE COURTEOUS swEpEs.

THE COURTEOUS SWEDES.
Points Which Attract the Attention of
Travellers in Oscars Kingdom.
The beautiful politeness and courtesy
OF the Swedes is a thing that Is very
striking to visitors, writes q contributor
to Temple Bar. They have a large as
sortment of bows, bobs, courtesies ana
hat-liftings, according to age and sex,
but the lifting of the hat to mere ac-
qua1ntances reaches, l fancy, much
lower down in tho social scale than else
where in Europe; it looks odd to see the
buteher-boy in blouse elaborately
taking off his hat to the bakers assist
ant. l suspect, on examination, Swed-
ish hats would be found to contain lit
tie extra stiffening, in order to enable
them to stand the wear and tear of
these greetings in the market-places.
On one occasion, when going by
steamboat to Upsala, I noticed very
quaint example of this National trait.
The steamboat, as it nears Upsala,
passes through many shallow reaches of
the Malar lake, where the depth of
water is insufficient to allow of the pas
sengers being landed in the ordinary
manner directly on to landing stages,
and so have to be taken on shore in
small boats. The ferryman on shipping
his complement of passengers would
first take a dozen strokes or so in order
to clear the screw of the steamer, and
then would carefully lay aside his oars,
rise from his seat, and take off his hat
with a solemn bow to the people sitting
in the stern whom he had just taken off
the deck of the steamer He would
then row on again and put them ashore
This did not occur as an isolated in
stance, but regularly every time the
passengers had to be landed by shore
boats
The women of the middle and lower
classes are little if at all behind their
husbands and brothers in this matter.
Their good temper and pretty behavior
are worthy of all praise. The servant
girls In Dalecarlian peasant dress, the
cdte-mamSetes and the young persons
employed in shops all make the pretti-
est of all possible little bob courtesies,
and so, oddly enough, do the young la
dies of good family up to the 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.
The Upsala students amuse one
good deal by the elaboration and cere-
moniousness of their manners Any
day during the vacation few of them
may be seen gathered around table in
r6n Of
Tivoi, drinking their punch. They are
mostly lads under twenty, but they bow
to each other, and make little civil
speeches, and pledge each other with
solemn salutation, all according to the
strlctest Swedish etiquette, as if they
were middle-aged gentlemen of high
dignity and position but slightly ac-
quainted with ono another. They GER
tainly take themselves very seriously.
The custom of pledging or health
drinking is survival from very ancient
times. The glass is raised, slight bow
pade, the word skal Qiterally bowl
pronounced, followed by another slight
bow, when the glass is replaced on the
table, generally empty; it is not de
ragueur, however, that it should be so,
but in Denmark, where a similar Gus
tom obtains, the glass must always be
drained to the last drop. To English
eyes it appears quaint to see this COM
plicated ceremonial observed toward
each other by college companions not
yet out of their teens.
Another point which soon attracts the
attention of visitors is the punctilious
honesty and truthfulness of the Swedes:
this is best seen in the many little in
cidents of daily life. When asking for
places at the theater, for instance, the
ticket clerk never fails to inform you If,
owing to the crowded state of the house,
better position would be secured with
cheaper ticket than the one asked
for. Again, when parcels are taken
out by steamers from Stockholm
to country places in the neigh
borhood they are just thrown out on
to the quay, where they frequently re-
main half the day without being claimed.
1t never seems to occur TO any one that
they could possibly bn taken by any one
but their rightful owners. On trip of
any length, as for instance to Gothen-
burg by canal, little book lies in the
saloon of the steamer in which each pas
senger keeps his own account of the
number OF meals, cafes, cognacs, etc.,
he may take during the journey. But,
indeed, it is impossible to talk to a
Swede for any length of time and not
see how incapable of any meanness or
dishonesty he must be. There is nearly
always simplicity and straightforward
ness of manner the very antipodcs of
affectation, which is certainly very
pleasing attribute, and which can
scarcely fail to convince the least OBJ
servant person that he has before him
man who thoroughly respects himself,
and who walks very steadfastly on the
straight line. The Swedes, you feel.
are nation of gentlemen down to the
coal-heaverS and the wharf-men.