The St. Johns herald., 1896-02-08
LEISURELY NORWAY.
The People There Take Their
 Time at Everything.
Americans Are Source of Tonderment to the slow-GoinS NativesEA An Ex- ceedingly Courteous and Hos
 pit2blc People.

These NOrwegIanS are WOnCerIully patient people, says correspondent of the New York Post. They never hurry; why should they? There is always time enough. Me breakfast at nine. Monsieur goes to business at ten or so, 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 sec him again at supper at kalf-raat eight, but usually there is g game of whist or q ccographical society lecture, or a con- cert, CT d friends birthday fctc tan oc- casion never overlooked by your true Norwcgian), or solnc enc las received q barrel of oysters, and would not, could not, dream of opening them with ont cllalnpagre and coIhpany-Tnascu- line corpany only. It seems to me that there gre entirely too r:any purely male festivities Ecrc. In fact the men say 70 themselves, and that they would en- ioy n,a1iy of the occasions much more if the lathes were present. But lit IS not the custom of the country Ca rock on which I am always foundcring) to omit or to change in such matters. Monsieur only does as do all other men of his age, which IS elderly, and condl- ton. which is solld.
 I have never accustomed myself to the fact that one Is expected tostop and wait for all approaching carts or vehl- eles of any claS, to pass before attempt ino to cross q street in town. l am al- ways being stopped short on the curb stone by frantic pull at my arm, and some strange but agonizcd friendly voice at my side begging to know Ii l lon't see that sledge coming, slcdGe half a block off. Perhaps 1t is because the street traffic is comparatively small hat the vehicles always have the right of way. And certainly, too, because thcrc is so much time. You need not ancy that the driver will hasten the iog of his stoclly little yellow pony, when he secs you waiting. Nothing oI the sort. That is as it has been. It Is quite meet that you wait.
 There is a curious feeling concerning America over here, in one way and an other. Morgcnbladct, the chief con ,ervativc paper, an organ locally of the first importance. keeps sort ot horror chamber of Americana. The reason IS, suppose, that in these very dark and roublous political times, when not only he union, but the monarchy itself, IS threatened aud tottering, the conservl- i've interest thinks it dangerous to al- .ow any virtue to appear in republic md especially in ours, the most flour sling and therefore the moso per licio1s example of that invention Of evil bred.
 Day after day they seem to rifle the able dispatches for dreadful tales ot ailurcs, crime and disaster, but if q word of good or neutral import appears tt is only because it is too important to 1 oe overlooked; it is very briefly ex- ,rcssed and usually gloomily comment d upon.
 have often thought, in reading over
 nese dismal matters. that our papers
 arnish us with far too much of such material on large scale to make it lecessary for hostile foreign press to ,etakc itself, as Morgcnbiadct often .loes. to accounts of obscure barber shop .,ffrava when it wishes to represent the rue inwardncss of American daily life. One result of the persistent incuIcat1on of this doctrine is that 1 have met ssv- eral most cultivated gentlemen who are remarkably vcrsed in the ways and manners of Tanlmany hall, but whose study of America otherwise has con viDced them that it is a conmon GUS tcla among men of the better classes izl New York 10 wear pistols in their belts whenever thcv 20 into the streets.
 Although SC many Nol wegians have emimrated to America and are loyal and prosperous in their adopted country, should say that the general mental at titudc towards America of tho solid portion of tho population here is one o1 | distrust. They are an exceedingly hos pitablo and courteous people, and they are giad to make you truly welcome and to like you. Dut if you win then esteem. as you will if you deserve it and arc well bred, 1t will not be as ar American representative of America but as a white crow.
 On the whole. when impressions have had time to formulate themselves on' feels that America is here regarded a' the land of inlation; of pinchbccll ant u,crctrioious manufactures, untruSt worthy stuifs, doctors made in ma ute, soulless hurry for wealth, disrc gard for mental and spiritus:l pleasure
 and ends, of raptncss in the pursuit dnC worship of the dollar; the countr. where wealth is more than principle
 mind or breeding, and where vUlga
 thirst for titles remains, other ambition having been Gratiiicd. It made m
 rather indignant whoa one of the boy came home from school the other da,
 with the news that one of his master he'd been asserting as a recognized fee
 tha. every American girl cf fortune provided with list of the cligibl titles of Europe, with notes rogardiai their several merits and d.eiaoris5. an that shc learns it as a part cf her rcGu
 lar business. Yet it is too p-2iaiy | be seen whence such ideas arise! Or
 cannot, in the face of the facts, contra diet them as handsomely as one long
 to do.