Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1893-12-30
paint II win be covered with q profus,ol

paint Il win be covered with o profusior
4 of carving, often In imitation of various
articles of tableware.
In the angle where the stairs ascend tc
/ the second story another curious closet OF
/ cupboard is let IN 20 the projsction- This
| VIII contain the family store of books and
what not for the long winter nighta' smuse
meat. A hinge pine table stands In the
center of the room, and Its legs win be
fairly founcsd with carvings. Usually Q
| smaller pine table is placed ss the aide OF
the room with the bsst chair or stool be.
hind ID, against the wall. This is the seat
| of bouor. but no guest must ever occupy
1t without invitation from the bonder OF
| his wife.
There are O number of shelves always
laid on pegs or psrohed on grotesque
carved brackets; and the stools and chair.
are q curious collection of home hand.
work. ! have seen In many peasAnts'
houses more than Q score of chairs carved
out of solid oross-sections of huge pine
| trees. The seat In followed deep and
| wide; The back In worked ont thin and
round with . fns oval top, in which L. ont
q curved ncle for the hand In order 10 cas-
ily move the -hsir from place 10 place:
wide, we'll fashioned and carved srm-rests
arc st each side; and the bottom of this
curious piece of furniture is always
worked out ss true, thin and pstfect as an
inverted chopplng bowl or esuldron ket-
tie.
Usually the beads of the household
slsep In this comfortable living room, and
the bed viii always be found In the long
recess behind the angle of the stairs. In
many instances the beds are simply buuks
built against the wall; and In most of thess
the chief portion of the bed clothing OBJ
serysble VIII be skins Of sheep, or Of the
reindeer, beautifully dressed and the hide
itsslf cured as soft as loosely woven wool.
In not few of the more pretentious peas
ant homes the beds In thsse reeesses are
suMoiently wonderful for exhibition at
worlds tairs- They are big enough for
giants to rest In, and are from four 10 ave
feet above the floor. Steps lead up to
them, and the single eorner-Post and the
aide rail which shows, In addition 10 being
carved or painted In the most fantastic
manner, will be covered, along with the
sides OF the ascending steps, with painted
texts and notices, while q gaily painted
rude panel Let down from the ceiling above
the front of the bed bears In fsring letters
the names of the bonder and his wife and
the date of their marriage.
In the larger gaards.there will be q best
room, usually the length of the living
room, but narrower, and II this IL not
possessed, the chamber above the large
living room bears ths same relation 10 the
Norwegian peasant home. It Ia In either
case sort of show room, where the pcs
sessions of the femsls members of the
family are on exhibition, and q sort of
huge family closet 1t furniture is always
as rude and simple and of as primitive
construction as that In other portions of
the house, but It Is more gsrdily painted.
Curious old pine bureaus and chitfoniers
are here, marvellous In design and color
ing, red, yellow and blue paint predomi-
mating. These contain the family under
wear and all the general drspery.
One always has painted upon 1t the
maiden name of the housewife and the
date of her marriage, forming 9 sort of
permanent marriage Certificate; and un-
doubtedly In this, packed carefully away
In aromatic leaves and bits of ancient
fnery, will be found thA. most glorious
bauble 10 eyes and heart of al Norwegian
women, the huge bridal crown of hand
wrought silver or gill;. have been shown
some which were said to be over six hnn-
dred years old, so6 no doubt there are
hundreds of these huge and CANDY relics
In Norway which have descended in IN
the days Of Olaf the Saint and HAkon the
Good.
If this room bs the chamber, all sround
the wall win be ranged q curious collection
of little pine trunks o. chests. Some are
elaborately carved and all are gEudny
painted. When . daughter Of the house
passes from RirIhoOd % mAidenhood abe fs
given one of these chests. Her name is
painted or carved upon II; and from this
moment the highest ambition of her life
aside from honorable marriage is the hll-
Inc af thfa oka r-fs ha1lH-4
wear, trinkets, silver ornAmentAtions aud
gowns, so that by the time she Is bstrothed
she can make q fine showing of Accumuls-
ted krick -knscks and necessary articles to
her lover and her envious companions;
and there is no taerihce abe will not make
or drudgery she viii not ohesrfully under
take to worthily accomplish this object.
If this room be the chamber stin, num-
bers of hunks are b1iit against the oppo-
site wall. Depending from ropes strung
soross the ceiling are rows of dresses-
Many are wofully plain, bot here and
there are glints Of tinsel and gimp, bits Of
wonderful ooloring In grotssqus emhroi-
dery, and fashings of silver buttons, clasps
and brooches. Along the walls here and
there are hung curious emhrolderiss, chief
wrsppings, others seem to bs patterns for
bodices or best aprons; but most of them
simply express the Nor Jsegisn peasant vo-
man's ambition to provide unmistakable
evidences of her skill with the needle.
Brighter than all these, however, are the
flowers which fll the windows of every
Norwegian home. Huge fuchsiss and gor-
geous geraniums are most common; and
these with the wonderful luxuriapcs of the
wild mountain fora almost bring TO Nor
way in summer the seeming of the odor
r
The inbred sturdiness and Independence
of character of all Norwegian peasants are
best illustrated In the simple yet skilfully
made belongings of these hamlet-like
nomes. Their handicrsft Is wonderful.
The timber for their homes has been felled
and fashioned by Themselves. Every
structure In the countIy-fsrm- house,
storhaus, dairy, bake house, barn, smithy,
shed and bell tower, Is built by the peas
ant himself. Every article of furniture
he possesses has been wrought by his own
hand. He beste out his cutlery on his
own anvil, and carves its handles. Al
the utensils of the dsiry-oheese-mold
tubs, frkins, bowls, churns, miiking-psils
and presses are of wood and of home
manufacture. Yokes for the sseter girls
necks, baskets, saddles, harness, snow
ploughs, and even comfortable stoll-carts
and eledges are all made in the little fami-
| ly workshop during the long winter
months.
The peasant tAns hides for the family
supply of boots and shoes, and makes all
the latter beside his own fireplace Near
| ly every article of clothing is made on the
premises by the housewife and her dsugh-
ters. The wool Is esrded and spun al
home, the stockings. blouses and scsrfs
are knit at home, and the woolen cloth fol
| the family clothing Is woven In the cham
l hsr aAha tthsst-ronrra % or In the hrRn old