Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1893-10-28

Peeps at Norway-PleaRures of a Sail
Along the Norwegian Cost-Thread-
Ing MaZes of GreWsome Islands,
Penetrating Mighty FiOrds and
Calling at Picturesque Coast sta
lions, Between Bergen and vadso
-Marvelous Coast Scenery with n
eerspective OF Glacier Capped
HeIshts-A Glimpse OF the Midnight
Sun.
LONDON, Oct. 5.
To the Editor OF tho JOURNAL AND COURIER:
At the outset of these brief sketches of
Norwegian scenes and folk, there is strong
and irresistable impulse upon me to make
the sort of confession few travellers IN for
eign lands are very willing to do. 1 have
no Morse blood in my veins. 1 am not
Norse scholar. l have not had the time to
even casually read the scsnt literature Of
travel in Norway. l never possessed
guide-book to that country. ] have a.
quired only few hundred words and a
few acore sentences of the Norwegian lam
gusge, and those compulsorily through
temporary exigency; and my wandeI;ngs
In this land of wondrous sterility and
| marvellous fertility, of dreadful heights
and awful depths, of savage grandeur and
sunnisst nooks, have only comprised three
short runaway trips from the British side
of the North ses.
Yet so much can be seen In 30 little time
in Norway; its scenic wonders are 40 inn
pressively and stsrtliugly maased; its gov
| eminent and social systems are 80 plain
and simple TO the stranger; and shove all,
Its people are so responsive, hospitabls and
kind, and so like good book set open be-
fore your eyes for the reading; that out Of
the little opportunity have had for obser-
vation and association, when 1 look back
to the stern north land and Its crsgs, val
leys and homes there is such a sense OF
panoramic completeness of sight, scene
and feeling, this tack OF remtniscsnce has
in 1t something like the tender pleasure OF
telling about olden scenes and fiiends.
This is no doubt tue for two reasons
One is that Norway's scenery is az tremen
dous, if that word may be used, as that Of
Switzerland, being vaster in extent and In
!; | fnitely more varied. When you lool
upon snow-cspped mountains above th'
clouds, a few Thousand feet of altitud,
more or less, in particular instances, ar
J almost incomprehensible TO sight or mind
/ and nearly all of these majestic present
J ments of inert nature in Norway have tina
added powerfully weird fascination Of I'm
mediate contiguity with fierce and thun
derous sea. Indeed, 1 am not sure bu
| IL would be a true statement that, consid
ering the many often soundless hord
piercing her entire western coast almost u
the Swedish boundary as arms of the sea
which they truly are, there ts no portiol
of Norway's measureless and trsnscenden
scenic glories which Is not intensified II
charm and sublimity by this peculiar ma
rine influence and effect. Because of this
In whatever land you may have stsod Il
awe before the uplifted, ragged ribs of on
good old globe, these Norway might
heights and chasms remain clearest, sharI
eet and longest in the ever-chsngipg pho
toersphs of the travellers memory.
The other reason is a purely ethicI
one. You cannot be among the people {
Norway, know them never 30 little, an
leave them, without having gained th'
most blessed of all consciousness to IL
traveller, of having come upon place
J the universal human allotment which
! sturdy, genuine aud true. There is 9
rectness without sffrout, simplicity wit
out ignorance, a sturdiness without nj
: gsrdliness, an honesty without sssum
ton, Q genislity without efusiveness,
N hospitality without trucking, and pie