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

Even the most rudimentary student oil
ethnology who might have CHANGED to visit
Woodward's Gardens yesterday would have
had 10 difficulty in pronounciDg that the
immen Sc majority of the 1900 persons there
assembled did not belong to the Latin race.
That is to say, they were MT French, or
Italians, or BelgianS. or Spaniards, or Mexi-
cans, or even typical native Americans,
whose facial characteristics favor the Latin
more than the Teutonic race. Nor were the
Teutonic characteristics typically deyel-
oped in the happy crowd. They were, in
fact, Scandinayiaus, pure and simple;
tawny- haired men, with bright, open faces,
high colOred cheeks and obvious signs OF
the sangune 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
ering was one Of people from the Baltic
shores, where 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 it should be enjoyed from Scandl-
naviau 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 this city aud In Oakland
had brought her baby with her. The fore
noon was principally spent in viewing the
menagerie, 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 indigGstible mOTSels TO the
pelicans and the ostrich they repaired to The
background along with the crowd that had
Just flushed listening to the opening eXer-
cises in front of the pavilion.
These exercises included an overture by
Borgell's Band; 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 Sean
dinaVian Chorus and audience, accompa-
MED by the band.
The effect of the national song was very
fine. The Norwegian flag fioated over the
pavilion side by side with the stars and
stripes, but the proper prominence was
given to Columbian dignity by the tricolored
drapeTy layishly displayed along the lines
of ascent
ATHLETIC SPORTS.
The sports iu the raCe-grouud began with
a pOie-climbing in which the winner was
not declared, there being no prize, but the
next event, running race for 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
ball. 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 Allyn, 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
ners. The running race Tor girls under II
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 10 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
representation OF the Norwegian Singers
Society at Minneapolis, and the hearty CO.
operation of the other Scandinavian nation
alties has enabled 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
commenced at Z o'clock and included the
following numbers: "Sta Stark" by the
scandinavian chorus; Greig's Drum basken
/ 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 Greg's 'Landkjend-
ing" with barytone solo by w. Nielsen, and
Scandinavian Choir US. 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 I;
G. Gjertsen, Treasurer; Christopher Olsen
and |. NJ. Jansen.