The age-herald., 1897-09-12

essary, but noticed they jolrid in, too. after bit.
 You Americans make so much noise about things. We Swedes enjoy it just as much, even if we don't express go much"
 That was the way keen young wo- man expressed it to me. Well, perhaps we do make a bit more noise on Fourth of July night when we are young, and ring some mellow church chimes and toot few whistles and blow up a baby cannon or two, and one may even hear a hearty American laugh in a public place and ths whole town will not go into mourning over the sin of the laugh ter. We do make a good deal of Eoise, some of us, but for my part I'd rather have little more laughter and see a little, less sadn5ss. Still, we could hardly call the Swedes or Norwegians a sad people; perhaps quiet is~ the bet ter word. You can find the epitome of my thought in the low somber tones of much that has been painted by these northland artists on the walls of their fiue-art department, a striking and creditable exhibition
 The other evening" attended the con-. cert given in honor of the visiting jour- nalists of Europe. It was held in the Royal opera house, and the best singers of song-loving Stockholm-the pick of the royal opera-appeared. True, the au- dience was made up of many who were not Swedes, as well as those who were, but when such singers appear in America-well, the stereotyped inter- views with the foreign prima donnas tells the story-American audiences know what is good, and when it is good they say so in royal style. Even when the white-haired old king came in and made his bows to the throng after the last curtain there were more waving hats and huzzas. I don't like bolster ousness in people who have passed the colt age of youth, but l do like to hear a frank, outspoken word, ringing, hearty laugh the cheering piccolo of an American whistle-am l not right?
 There are iron-workers, too, in Old Stoekholm- those who make heavy wares, horssshoes and tools and the like. those who patiently pound out all sorts of quaint designs for gates, for trellis work for ornamental furnishings in hardware, for all manner of uses to which iron may be put for strength and beauty combined. And then there are shops where you may buy all manner of odd trinkets-girls caps from Dala- roe, aprons from the same province, peasant-girls pockets to hang by the side. and little dolls dressed in queer Swedish fashion pottery of interesting designs, and all the manifold results of the sloyd work of the schools-articles in wood or iron or cloth or what not And you can have almost anything you want to eat or drink at the cafes under green trees or along the long shady side of the market place or in rooms so small but a half-dozen can sit at once and sip their coffee or choco- late.
 Water, water-what's that?"
 I received these words at the hands of a Swedish waiting girl who spoke Eng fish excellently. She seemed genuinely perplexed. She seemed, too to have quite an excellent English vocabulary, but she either was unfamiliar with the word or else she was a consummate &C., tress.
 'Water, water" repeating it after me; q don't believe we have it on the bill, sir; I don't just know. What is water, anyway"
 You see, I don't drink some things that some other people do, and water is one of the things do drink and when she asked the usual question, would I have beer, or ale, or stout, or what, told her I'd take water. Finally I returned to try to break the ice, so to speak by trying Swedish on her. She looked at me moment, a half-per- plexed half-amused expression on hsr face, and then, with a beaming smile, she said:
 "Oh, vatten, vatten; yes, yes, of course we have water, but I really couldn't remember what it was, I hear it so seldom.''
 If there is anybody else who dimes at the restaurants of Sweden who doesn't drink liquor, I'd like ito make his pho tograph for the Record as one of the curiositi5s of modern Scandinavian life. But it would not be fair to the temper ance forces of Sweden to leave out of account their work for the last twenty or twenty-five years. They have done much not only to prevent many from using intoxicating liquors, but they have brought actual drunkenness itno a disgrace it never before enjoyed, so to speak and they have made them selves felt as a political factor, too. The othsr day, near the exposition grounds, there was a cold-water demonstration, having many banners in the procession with Down with Spirits mottos on them, and it was estimated that fully 5000 persons participated.
 The exposition is going to come out a clear winner on expenses. About 1,000,- 900 kroner used for running expenses comes from the lottery which is held under the management of the exposi- ton. It is against ths law in Sweden to run lottery. The Swedes-if what I hear on all sides is true-are fond of lotteries, and so the riksdag undid its former prohibition work temporarily and allowed the exposton to run big tl,,aa 1,xoxx -it,er