Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-05-07
of the Three Political
Divisions of the Scandinavia
Described by a Tutor.
The People Imagining the King Made
for Their Benefit. Have Little
Respect for Him.
The Romantic Marriage of Prince
Oscar With a COmmOner Rails
ed by His Instructor.

initiate the reader into the mysteries OF
court life in Sweden and Norway In
the first place there are but few court
stands and but scant opportunity for
arouslng popular passion, except in one
instance, and the oscasion for it might
easily be avoided.
Whenever King Oscar II. visits Nor
way he is accompanied by Swedish
escort who wear Swedish uniforms and
the yellow lining of their coat is a
standing grievence IN the eye Of the Nor
weigen people. Were King Ossar's at
tendents attired in court costumes witt a
red lining, all would go well; the crowd
would be delighted.
But as it is, whenever those officials ap-
pear IN the streets with their saffron lapels,
the national honor is at stake and the peo-
pie exclalm, why are we to be insulted
with the Yellow The fact is that great
riyary exists between the two countries
and mistake is made III thus bringing
Sweden to Norway; it creates, as have
said, an Ill feeling that cannot be got over.
The royal palaces at Stockholm and
Ch1istlania are very different. That at
Stockholm is aD imposing edifce, built in
the Italian renaissance style; while the
palace at Chrlstiania is square hiock of
uncertain architecture, but possesses,
however, the advantage of finer site than
any In Europe. The rooms in the palace
| In Stockholm are probably second to none
not even those at Versailles; they are
most tastefully and elegantly decorated.
In the Chrlstania palace the hall rooD' is
| fine, but the whole aspect of the place in
! duces an impression that the building was
never intended for royal residence.
4a+5 Lo. j l.
latter palace affords ne an opportunity of
depicting high life in Norway. At the
| appointed hour, from fifteen to twenty
guests assemble: they are received by the
austere chamberlain and the mistress of
honor. The guests, including those func-
tionaries, may be OF any rank, and are in
vlted by the express order of the king.
| The officer commanding the guards at
| tends, as matter of course.
| About twenty minutes after meeting.
the king makes his appearance. The in
voluntary expression which comes to every
ones lips is
What handsome man. His hand
some. forid face is set off by gray hair and
beard; but age only seems to add grace to
his person. His broad shoulders, tall and
erect figure, well becomes his office. He
is every inch king.
When Oscar H. enters the grand hall,
where the guests are assembled, he con-
verses for time with each person, then
! dinner is announced The guests file off
| into splendid room and seat themselves
at we'll furnished table, Toward the
end of the repast the king calls upon one
or another to take glass of wine. Nat
urally his guests all rise, but it may so
happen that some uncultured individual
| from the rural districts remains in his
seat. Some time ago it CHANGED that the
king wished to drink glass of wine with
a newely appointed chamberlin.
"4ou health!" graciously said his ma
jesty.
| Your health" responded the chamber
| lin, without rising from his chair.
| Your health!' again repeated the king
'Yo our health!" CURLY rel Joined his sub
ject, who remained sitting; whereupon
King Oscar put his glass down without
| drinking and turned to other guests,
| speaking on various topics. 1t is but a
few years ago that one lady,who had been
| appointed maid of honor, or to some other
| similar post forgot herself to such an ex-
, tent, or did not know manners, that the
| queen, it is said, told her point blank to go
and be instructed by the mistress of the
robes IN etiquette before she again ven
tured TO come to her presence.
The NOrwegians are In many ways a
peculiar people, owing to the fact that the
| customs OF the country permit of one
brother possibly being a poor village
blacksmith and another minister of state,
SO that their manners are either exaeeer-
| ated In would-be pollteness or coarse in
their notions OF ideal personal superiority
or equality to king or authorities.
The Swedes, Oh the other hand are a re-
fined people, and have gained for them
selves the proud title Of being the gentle
men" of northern Europe. Some French
writer witGily summarized his apprecia-
ton Of the Scandinavians when he said
The Swedes are the gentlemen, the Danes
are the Bourgeois, and tie Norwegians the
laborers of Scandinavian
In one sense the sturdy "laborers'' may
lay claim, If not to matters, at least to
personal respect in a rough way. The
Norwegian peasants are fine, hardy race of
men, who, in their own country are to be
| admired as honorable, kind herted people,
even if considered somewhat "slow'' and
boorish in their bearing.
They are however, vastly different from
what they were twenty years ago, and con-
tact with the outside world has taught
them many things. They have gradually
grown to be extortionate, ana often exact
| unreasonable sums from rich travellers for
| lodging and food.
The people. too, imagine that the king
| is made for their especial benefit. He is
not, to their minds. an object of ressect.
| They know that King Oscar II. is the
great grandson of French LAWYER. and
this deadens their enthusiasm aud defer
ence tor royalty. the more so as some OF
| those poor people can date their descent
| from the earliest times In Norwegian his
| tory and claim lineage with the old NOISE
kings; while they live like their fellow
peasant, and with them, they are proud of
their antique stock, and lock down on d
mar. their sovereign, who can only point
i back to some two generations and is not of
royal blood on the fathers side
| 1t thus happens in Norway when the
! storthing. or parliament is invited to &
| 1oIree at the palace, that YOU see d num-
Der of members attend in frock coats OF
an unknown age while the distention of
the lower part OF their trousers betrays
the presence of high Wellington top boots
underneath, in this costume they swagger
about, prcudo knowing hat they are the
defendants o kings. yet not TOO proud TO
work on their farms. while acknowledge
ing the king as their head at present, MOI
exhibiting tFeir superiority in an almost
| offensive manner.
A supper at the royal palace. Christi
ania, may be described as follows
| The guests. on entering the reception
room, and after bowling to the chamber
lin and she mistress of robes, finds him
self in overheated appointments In the
midst of crowd, where, somewhat IN
commoded by the closeness of the atmo-