The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-10-12

No one who sees the somewhat for
midable conjunction of alphabetic
characters that help to make up the
name of Prof. Boyesen needs hardly TO
be told that he is of foreign extraction
or that his origin is directly traceable to
the Scandinavian Peninsula. All this
is "given away" as it were, in the name
itself. 1t is indeed true that Prof.
Boyes halls from the LAND Of the
Midnight Sum-" the particular place of
his birth being Frederiksvaern, Norway.
and the time, September %, 1848. This
date discloses the further fact that
Prof. Boyesen is still young man, COM
paratively speaking. He did not leave
his native land until he was twenty, and
80 grew up to manhood amid the wild
and picturesque scenery and romantic
associations OF the North country. His
birthplace, Frederiksvaern, is small
seaport on the southern coast of Norway,
coast indented with the numerous
fjords running in between great cliffs
and high and desolate mountain ranges.
How often" says Prof Boyesen, in
speaking of this period of his life, "have
drifted through the summer days in
my sharp-keeled wherry, upon those
light, glittering waters, while the sea-
birds surged in airy waves above me,
and the white clouds with bewildering
distinctness pursued their tranquil
paths far down in the deep below. 1t
gave one feeling OF being suspended
in the midst of the vast blue space,
lowering between two infinites; and it
seemed at the moment often hard to
determine whether the real heavens
we're above or below
That his boyish nature was not only
deeply impressed with the wild scenery
of his native land, but with it's no less
wild and romatic history and traditions,
is evident also from his own words. He
says
II remember how as boy my whole
being thrilled with the proud conscious
ness that l was Norseman, Goth of
the pure old stock, descendant of
those daring vikings who conquered
Normandy and England, and who spread
the terror of their name even to Italy
and Constantinople.'
His mother died while he was still
young, and he was brought up by her
father. Judge Hjorth, of Systrand. His
most pronounced trait at this period
was his love of animals; he had several
hundred pigeons, and besides these
lot of rabbits, dogs, cows. and even
horses. All his pigeons were named
after characters in the books he read.
both historic and fictitious; and in his
Imagination they repeated the adven-
lures ascribed to the originals. His
literary ambitions took a pronounced
form in his early school days. and he
wrote reams OF poetry and tragedy
chiefly for his own delight and that of
his grandmother, who seems to have
sympathized with him more than any
one else. His father was cultured
man. but he had practical ideas and did
not altogether see how his precocious
son was to make his way in the home
country by writing poetry.
Norway is too small country to
support poets" his father said. If you
are serious in your aspirations to become
a man of letters" he added. you ought
to conquer language in which you can
address the great world-English,
French. or German-that is. if you have
anything to say which the world will
care to listen to-"
1t was partially in pursuit of his faith
er's advice that Boyesen came to Ameri
ca in 1869. 1t was not his intention then
to make this country his home, but
few months sufficed to change his de-
that time to the present his love and
loyalty for America and American in
situations have ever been increasing, so
that today no one is more thoroughly
than he.
Prof. Boyesen is a versatile and vol
luminous writer. both in prose and verse.
AS a story writer he sustains the best
traditions of his native land, the land of
Bjornsen and other great romancists.
His own best known romance is the
charming "Gunnar," thoroughly true
picture of Norwegian life and character.
How he came to find publisher for
'Gunnar" he has told us in his own way:
The book was written without the re-
hottest thought of publication, and it
was due to an accident that it ever saw