Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-04-17
With SWBDEN'S STUDENTS.
LIFE AT UPsALA UNIVERSITY AND
ITS DIVERSIONS.
The Students Are Grouped In "Na-
tiOns' or "Landscapes," as the
People Were of Old-Their
Wild Oats Habits.

seventy miles north or the Swedish capital,
there is the little town of Upsaa and its
university. Young men. wearing wide
crowned white caps with yellow blue cock
ades. wander along the river shores and
dream under the venerable tree giants that
stand guard around the cathedral. They
are the hope of Sweden, remaining there
to the number OF 200 each year TO study.
The American who spends day or two in
Cpsala to catch a glimpse Of Swedish uni
ing feeling OF stangeness. IL is all so differ
enr from what he has seen in his own cOun-
try. and the life of the students seems 40
untrammeled that the visitor may feel in
clined to think that enjoyment, not studies.
Is the basis of its existence.
The visitor will look in vain for a cam
ground, no coveted fence. no hub. in IA
word, round which the entire life of the
Institution seems to turn. Dormtories there
are none. The student makes claim TO
manhood when he has taken his illusions
and his slender mustache to Upsala. and.
ike man. he lives where he chooses.
tered all around the town, and there is
hardly family. from the archbishop's
down to the humble artisans. that can not
boast OF one or more boarders.
Neither Will it pay for the visitor TO look
for distinctions equivalent to those that
separate the freshmen, soPhomores, juniors.
Princeton. We are all students here, not
more more, not less, his host will tell with some
pTlue. Inc DOy VINO Is haunting MS Sluu-
ents cap for the first time has practically;
the same rights and privileges. social and
academical. as the man who is ready TO
les viii naturally tend to create acquaint-
ances and friendships. but. as a rule the
"theologian;", the medic" the ..,jurist,,
faculties or departments of learning of
the university-wlil mingie freely and in
discriminatory. But once in a while the
stranger will hear his host say of some
Il don't know. much of him. We belong
to different nations
Or perhaps he will say:
We do not belong to the same coteries
at all
Then he indicates the two lines along
which the corps of students is grouped.
Once upon time, some Thousand years
ago. Sweden was split up in number of
small kingdoms looking upon themseiyes rs I've
lect. dress. habits, and laws. The man
from Upland was foreigner" when he
entered the neighboring Westmanland. and
the warrior from Soedermanland fought
many bloody battle with his brothers. the
Oestgoeta, who dwelt across his forest
marked southern border. Time accomplished
Part after part was subdued and Joined to
the great whole-the real nation. The king
nd ater r ruled M by
To-day the landscape has ceased to exist,
even for administrative purposes. Slowly
teristies teri a have been en ~ toned down or entirely
wiped out. Yet the old distinctions con-
tinue to live in the minds of the people,
totypes @ 9 of % the nations tic Is" Of Of the @ two e great
universities at Upsala and Lund.
Student Clubs and Societies.
Students from the same Landscape" are
Joined into a club or society. Each one of
these societies. of which Upsala has thir-
teen, forms a nation. New generations of
students follow each other in never-ending
succession. but the nation lives on. the
same to-day as YESTERDAY. Each nation is
governed by curator, or president.
elected by the members, mostly from
among the younger professors. Common
suffrage forms the basis s, Of government. e sen
ing has this division into nations obtained
that 1t is officially recognized in the laws
and rules g9vernng the hsef ano wine
one of the nations. whether he wants 10 or
not.
Every nation possesses a well equipped
clubhouse with a stage Frequently used
for amateur performances). large assem-
bly, room. smaller, clubrooms. billiard room.
M budnss Of ow
architectural beauty of the little town and
many ioe of There is
much friendly rivalry between the different
nations. but instances Of hostility or ami
While the nation represents the official
and inherited connections of the student.
his individual predictions and affinities
of coterie-or rather coteries for most stud
ents belong to more than one. These are
as unstable as the nations are constant
May flies and shift like the coiors in the
Kaleidoscope. There are coteries Of all sorts
learned, foppish. aristocratic. rationalistic.
pietistic, gay, dull and Indifferent: coteries
that last through week or through 4
lifetime: coteries that are exclusive as the
Chinese emperor's court or hospitable as
lodging house for tramps: coteries with a
purpose and others actuated by the sole
desire of avoiding all purposes; coteries OF
snobs. of budding genluses ana OF you1ns ,idns
can be found in every other university. but
nowhere else do they seem to hold such
sway to the almost t;ons total exclusion Oh
Clubs and societies OF any description are
rare In Upsala. Greek letter societies are
pna SO nse .he purn
the last decades only few organizations
have come into existence and have sue
important Er1%et mt among s these is ':Verdandi.'
which is waging a successful battle against
the spirit Of conservatism that once per-
ened TO suffocate all new life, all move
ment in concert with the progressive spirit
of the times.
the American visitor can not fail TO OBJ
serve and comment on the freedom ana
regularity with which the young men fire.
quent public cafes and restaurants. There
are any number of such places to be found
in this little town. that has only 1000 in
habitants. and strong drinks form the main
stock in trade of them all. They are rare
ly empty in the morning. although the SEN
sible student frowns on what is deemed
early drinking in Igsaia They an are wei,
students like to indulge in a cup of coffee
ard a glass of Swedish punch before set
tling down to an evening Of hard work.
majority of youths are seeking relaxation
after days eXert:ons in the fields of learn
ing.
FOrhcarRnce Toward Revelers.
Parents and teachers display a good deal
of forbearance toward the youthful revel-
ers provided the studies are not neglected
TOO much. And on the whole it is consid-
cred quite the proper thing for young
man 10 SOW his wild oats at the university,
and then to he done with it. The last
this free and easy Bohemian life to surprise
the American observer But before Judging
these bacchanalian habits too harshly. he
would do we'll 10 take into consideration
the environments by which the Swedish
student is surrounded. The climate OF
Sweden although not suited to the taste
of Polar bears. seems almost to require
moderate amount of slipping. and II certain
ly allows such indulgences to an extent
with the climate of these our United States.
Inseparably connected with this cafe life
is the habit of drinking thou as the
be roughly transcribed. It means that the
parties concerned will exchange the formal
nj (you) or the cumbersome title for the
familiar '.du'' uhoW in addressing each
other. The. habit has all the sacredness
of age and immemorial usage, and it Is
abused accordingly. 1t is not uncommon
first time at some drinking bout. proceed
to discard the titles" or become broth.