The morning call., 1891-05-18
JOYOUS NORWkGIANS.
The Singing SOciety's Reunion at
WOOdWard's Gardens.
All the scandinavian Organizations Join in
the Event-A Typical Gathering
Of Korsemen.

Even the most rudimentary student OF
ethnology who might have CHANGED to visit
Woodward's Gardens yesterday would have
had 10 difficulty in pronouncing that the
immen Sc majority of the 40C0 persons there
assembled did not belong to the Latin race.
That is to say. they were MT French, or
Italians, or BelgianS, OF Spaniards, or MeXl-
cans or even typical native Americans,
whose facial characteristics favor the Latin
more than the Teutonic race. Nor were the
Teutonc characteristics typically deyel
oped in the happy crowd. They were, In
fact, Scandinavians, pure and simple;
tawny- haired men. with bright, open faces,
high-colOred cheeks, and obvious signs OF
the snnguine temperament which has been
their Inheritance from the days of Eric the
Red and the Vikings.
Then, too, the many golden-haired, blue
eyed women, blondes who owed naught TO
the bleaching art, proclaimed that the gath
erng was one Of people from the Baltic
shores, wnere brunette is as much OF
rarity as the traditional black swan. a
happy, simple-hearted, cOntented crowd OF
citizens, who, having come TO California TO
i've, as they openly said, wished to ENJOY
life as il should be enjoyed from Scandi-
nayiau point of view.
YOUNG AND OLD ASSEMBLED.
The fine weather brought out the children
In force and every young Norwegian, Swedish
and Danish mother In 5hiS city aud IN Oakland
had brought her baby with her. The fore
noon was principally spent in viewing the
meuagerie, and the big brown bear swal-
lowed enough cakes and miscellaneous
articles to give him dyspepsia for the rest
of the week. After the boys had grown
tired of throwing stones at the monkeys
and feeding indlgCsti0le mOrSels to the
pelcans and the ostrich they repaired to the
I,Io rt.tffh slta.d hot hnh
just flushed listening to the opening eXer
cises in front of the pavilion.
These exercises included an overture by
BorgelPs Band; a song in Norwegian,
How Beautiful My Fatherland," by the
Norwegian Singing Society, patriotic ora
ton by Claus Olsen and the Norwegian
national song, ia vi elsker.' by the Scan
dnaVian Chorus and audience, accompa-
MED by the band.
The effect of the national song was very
fine. The Norwegian flag fOated over the
pavilion side by side with the stars and
stripes, but the proper prominence was
given to Columbian d gnity by the tricolored
drapery layishly displayed along the lines
OF ascent.
ATHLETIC SPORTS.
The sports iu the race-ground began with
a pole-climbng in which the winner was
not declared, there being no prize. but the
next event, a running race Tor boys under
u years of age. brought out number OF
competitors. Reid won the first prize, a
tool-box, and Henning the second, bat and
bail. In the young mems running race
Bronson won the first and Burgessen the
second prize. a sack race followed, in
which all of the competitors took tumbles
except Albyn, who hoped in an easy win
ner, with Charley Nelson second. A tug Of
war between the tenOrs and basses of the
Singing Society resulted in favor of the
basSes, the stakes being cigars for The win
-, for uiFI darl
was won by Kitty OConnell, with Lily
Bronson as second. In the tug Of war for
single and married men the laughter was
too great to enable either to pull in earnest,
and no declaration of the result was made:
The heavy part of the programme was re-
served for the evening, when the grounds
were beautifully lighted up with Chinese
lanterns, and large but thoroughly re-
spectacle crowd assembled. The principal
object If the reunion, which Is the third OF
its kind, was TO provide funds for proper
represent ation OF the Norwegian Singers
Society at Minneapolis, and the hearty CO.
operation of the other Scandinavian nation
alities has enabled a very gratifying result
to be achieved.
EVENING EXERCISES.
Large as is the area of the pavilion. the
chorus was equal to the task OF filling it and
of giving proper force to the national and
patriotic anthems selected. The concert
cOihmehCeu III ClOch anu Hciuu6u tho
following numbers: sta Stark" by the
scandinavian chorus; Greig's "Brumbasken
/ Bumba," by the Norwegian Singing so
ciety; "Norden," by the Scandinavian
chorus; "Aftonen," by the Swedish Quar-
tet; ''Mein Herr. Thu Dich Auf," by the
German chorus, and Grieg's "Landkjend-
ing" with barytone solo by w. Nielsen, and
scandinavian chorus. The celebration con-
cluded with grand ball, Aug Johannesen
officiating as floor manager.
The Committee of Arrangements carried
out the programme without 4 hitcn. The
gentlemen thus entitled TO credit are: John
Dahl, President Martin Moe, Secretary
G. Gjertsen, Treasurer; Christopher Olsen
and |. NJ. Jansen.