Graham guardian., 1895-08-30
LEISURELY NORWAY.
The People There Take Their
Time at Everything
Americans Are Source of Wonderment
to the Slow Going NatiYes-An Ex-
cecdingly Courteous and Hos
pitable People.

pitable People.
These Norweglans are wonderfully
! patient people, says a correspondent of
the New York Post. They never hurry;
why should they? There is always
time enough. We breakfast at nine.
Monsieur goes to business at ten or 50,
and returns to his dinner, like all the
rest OF the Scandinavian world. at half
past two. We reach coffee and cigar
cites at about four, and then monsieur
goes back to his office, if he likes, for
two or three hours. We sometimes see
him again at supper at half-past eight,
but usually there is q game of whist. or
a geographical society lecture, or con-
cert, or friends birthday fete IAN oc-
casion never overlooked by your true
Norwegian, or some one has received
barrel of oysters, and would not,
could not, dream of opening them with
out champagne and company-mascu-
line company only. 1t seems to me that
there are entirely too many purely male
festivities here. In fact the men say
so themselves, and that they would en-
Joy many of the occasions much more
if the ladies were present. But sit is
not the custom of the country" "a rock
on which | am always foundering) to
omit or to change in such matters.
Monsieur only does as do all other men
of his age, which is elderly, and condi-
ton, which is solid.
have never accustomed myself to
the fact that one is expected to stop and
wait for all approaching carts or vehi-
cles of any class to pass before attempt
ing to cross street in town. am al
ways being stopped short on the curb
stone by frantic pull at my arm, and
some strange but agonized friendly
voice at my side begging to know if 1
don't see that sledge coming, a sledge
half block OFF! Perhaps it is because
the street traffic is comparatively small
that the vehicles always have the right
of way. And certainly, too, because
there is so much time. You need not
fancy that the driver will hasten the
jog of his stocliy little yellow pony,
when he sees you waiting. Nothing of
the sort. That is as it has been. 1t is
quite meet that You wait.
There is n curious feeling concerning
America over here, in one way and an
other. Morgenbladet, the chief con-
servative paper, an organ locally of the
first Importance, keeps sort of horror
chamber of Americana. The reason is,
suppose that in these very dark and
troublous political times, when not only
the union, but the monarchy itself, is
threatened and tottering, the conserva-
tive interest thinks it dangerous to al
low any virtue to appear in a republic,
and especially in ours, the most flour
ishing and therefore the most per-
nicious example of that invention of
evil bred. -. a<ss..
Dav after dav thev seem to rife the
cable dispatches for dreadful tales of
failures, crime and disaster, but if a
word of good or neutral import appears
it is only because it is too important to
be overlooked; it is very briefly ex-
pressed and usually gloomily comment
ed upon. .,-
l have often thought, in reading over
these dismal matters, that our papers
furnish us with far too much of such
material on large scale to make it
necessary for hostile foreign press to
betalxe itself, as Morgenbladet often
does, to accounts of obscure barber shop
affrays when it wishes to represent the
true inwardness of American daily life.
One result of the persistent inculcation
of this doctrine is that / have met sew
eral most cultivated gentlemen who
are remarkably versed in the ways and
manners of Tammany hall, but whose
study of America otherwise has con-
vinced them that it is a common GUS
tom among men of the better classes in
New York to wear pistols in their belts
whenever they go into the streets.
Although so many NoIwegians have
emigrated to America and are loyal and
prosperous in their adopted country, /
should say that the general mental at
titude towards America of the solid
portion of the population here is one of
distrust. They are an exceedingly hos
pitable and courteous people, and they
are glad to make you truly welcome
and to like you. But if you win their
esteem, as you will if you deserve it,
and are well bred, it will not be as an
American representative of America,
but as white crow.
On the whole, when impressions have
had time to formulate themselves one
feels that America is here regarded as
the land of imitation; of pinchbeck and
manufactures, untrust-
worthy stuffs, doctors made in min
ute, soulless hurry for wealth, disre-
gard for mental and spiritual pleasures
and ends, of raptness in the pursuit and
of the dollar; the country
where wealth is more than principle,
mind or breeding, and where vulgar
thirst for titles remains, other ambition
having been gratified. 1t made me
rather indignant when one of the boys
came home from school the other day
with the news that one of his masters
had been asserting as recognized fact
that every American girl of fortune is
provided with list of the eligible
titles of Europe, with notes regarding
their several merits and demerits, and
that she learns it as a part of her regu-
ar business. Yet it is too plainly to
be seen whence such ideas arise! One
,annot, in the face of the facts, contra
lict them as handsomely as one longs
10 do.