Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-03-01
HENRIK wERGELAND.


KrIstofier Jansen delivered his sec.
ond lecture In the Fourteenth Ward
meeting house last night to n delighted
audience. lIls theme was Henrik
Worgeland, one Of the most prominent
characters IN the history Of young
Norway. wergelaud IL a household
word In every cabin as well as In the
palaces Of the country, and the lecturer
could hardly have chosen a better
subject for his discourse. The SOUND OF
that name Is passport TO the good will
Of tho hardy Sous Of Norway. Mr..
I Jansen handled bis theme with TX.
qulsitc skill. Every suntence was n
vivid picture Of the fluctuations, or tri.
umphs, or aspirations Of that great
scholar, poet and statesman. The au
dlence saw Deiorr them panorama Of
the life and death Of u great man A
synopsis OF the lecture eau give but a
faint idea Of IL.
II we ssk. the lecturer said, why
| Henrik Werge land has attained such
popularity In his country, the scholar
will say, Because be was such great
/ poet; aud this II true. But the COM
mon people, who have not even read
his poems, will ray, Because he was
man Of the people, tho friend Of the
/ poor, the standard bearer Of liberty;
and this l. also true. Wergeland was
a part Of Norway; representative Of
his time, with it, virtues as well rs Its
vices.
lie wns born ut lldswold, the place
whore the cradle VI Norwegian liberty
stood, and here In the beautiful sur.
roundinge Of that almost sacred spot,
IL he grew up, he learned to love li6-
erty and his country. Very early his
taste for poesy was unaffected. A. a
boy In the school he used 10 vex his
teacher by writing verses instead Of
studying grammar. 10 draw carica'
lures was another pastlme Of his.
Notwithstanding this, he progressed
well Ia his studies, and at the age u
seventeen he had taken his degree OF
BA.
At this age he was carried into the
malstrom Of life. lie loved everybody
and had TO suffer accordingly, before
lac had iearnt 20 know q little more Of
the stern realities Of life. During this
time his desire for ex pressing his feel.
ings In poetry seemed uncomfortable.
II > friends used TO shy, they could
hardly hold his attention for few
minutes at "a time. But there was one
class Of people who always caught his
par and his heart. He never turned n
] I.Uaar ux.Fap NuaN hHnH atliuar him "a ,
~ possible. His mother had even To
hide the bedclothes to save them Tor
the use OF the family.
His study NJ Eidsvold was n
curiosity. wergelnnd loved nature
and iron, nature his ornaments were
taken. He was surrounded with pieces
OF ore, rocks, mossce. His chair was
made OF wood, partly covered with
bark. In one corner was q human
skull. over the door was mn
Eolsharp and rabbits, pigeons,
Etc., shared the room with
him. One wall was covered with the
constitution Of the country, painted In
, large letters and guarded by two
gigantic peasants. In such surround
Jugs he wrote most OF his works.
II II natural to fnl such lantast
/, early In love. He had many al.
ventures Ia this line, and In later Year,
: they gave him subjects for numerous
! leafs. That he suffered as few people
7 nave done Ia evident however, from
the frequent expressions OF despaii
that escape him when rejecting on
his experiences. His ideal love was .
being whom he always calls = ella, q
star that probably shone only in his
Imagination.
: The greatest poeticsl work OF Verge
, land IL poem entitled "CTentiOn, Mar
and Messiah" This was composed
when he was but twsnty-Ono year, o
age, aud II was revised shortly befor,
he died. In this great work he ex
presses his political aud religious creed
IL has been called the bible Uf tho Re
publlosns and II IL an embodiment o
? the principles now advocated by Tia,
. Uuitarlaus.
, The poem was born out Of the re
Elections Of the author on himself ant
, stella. Finding two powers contend
! ing within him for the supremacy, on,
Y seeking 10 draw him down In sin ant
I. the other trying 10 elevate him 10 God
=, he concludes that man 10 inhabited a
It were by a duality of spiritual forces
8 One he calls Abriel, the fallen spirit
u and the other Ohelfol. On this concel
n ton he constructs his views Of III
4. creation Of man, the iall aud redemJ
ton. He follows tho development q
tho race. describes the work OF Jesu
y OF Nazareth and ends with CLOWN
J., paintings Of the millennial kingdom
i, He had great visions while writing thi
y poem. He even predicted such thing
y as the construction OF the Suez cana
Is the formation II peace societies, worn
q mems organizations, etc. Jesus Is I
- him only the great teacher. His r,
y demptlon lies In the work lie pei
formed, not In His death. And tn
redemption Of man will DO oiitcte
by carrying out His prccepts. Tn,
world will finally be redeemed, whe
Ia every one OF Gods children Is fire
"a from lhetyranuy Of kings and ofprlesl
- every home being n temple sanotihe
70 TO God aud every man being his ow
Ii king ami his own priest.
lie The lecturer continued to describ
the work OF WeTgeland M n politician
Tho year 1880 was u remarkable peTio
e In the history VI Norway. The peopl
e. had gained Independence, but the
M did not know how TO use II. A d,
., maud was raised 10 get rid OF every
thing that savored u Denmark 1
NJ Danish rule. so far did the demant
o. 20, that those who wore clothes ,
m foreign make or mad imported wiz
M land food on their tablesiwero looked vi
w ON a. traitors. This went too land III
people were split into two parties, tn
Danish and the Norwegian. Wergolan
Of cOurse became the leader Of III
Norwegian party, while Welhave