Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1900-09-24
IN OLD COPENHAGEN


/ piled the Danish monarch, "but I can
safely lay my head to rest in the lap
OF any Of my subjects, can you do the
/ same?"
Contiguous with the tower is Trini-
tatis Kirke (Trinity church) built in
1889. Behind it are the humble graves
of the poets Johannes EWald and Jo-
han Herman Vessel. On the fat slab
resting upon Ewald only this much of
the inscription remains unobliterated:
<Denne Skalden, Johannes Ewald
Fodt den Is ov. 1743. Dode den II
Mai, 1881. Hans Sange Hores Med
Beundring af HVer-" Vessels mon
ument is but feet high and 2 broad.
In an enclosed green spot in the street
stands a small monument to the two
poets containing medallion portraits of
them. How humble these memorials to
lyric genius. Many a poor rustic rears
a more imposing stone above his dead
than has nation above these, it's
laureates. Poor Ewald! his laurels
were indeed stepped in the fountain of
tears. The son of sickly and mel
ancholy chaplain, he was left father
less at an early age, with frivolous
and tyrannical mother. Entering the
university at Is, he fell passionately in
love with the delicate, noble, majestic
Arense of some of his best songs, a
girl whose father later on married the
poets mother. Resolving on various
romantic modes of making himself
admired by the young lady, he first
learns Abyssinian for the purpose of
going as missionary to Africa. Then
he persuades a brother to run away
and join the Russian army with him in
hopes of speedy advancement. He
writes German poems in honor of Prus-
! sian court ladies, has remarkable adj
ventures, but gets no promotion, and
deserts to the Austrian army. His re-
ligion prevents advancement here also,
and broken in health and disappointed,
he deserts and makes his way back to
, Copenhagen. Two years of diligent
, work at the university end in bril-
liant examination, and just then
!; Arense marries another. From this
disappointment he never recovered.
, Plunging into dissipation, he gave his
serious thoughts only to poetry.
: Poverty, misfortune and acute suffering
from disease marked the rest of his
brief and stormy life, yet he poured
out lyric upon lyric and ode upon ode
as Danish poet had never done before
and finally died at the age of genius
: 81 years.
Near at hand is Vor Frues Kirke
: (church of our Lady, which was al
most destroyed by the bombardment of
the English in 1907 The works of
Thorwaldsen, by which it is adorned,
constitute it's chief attraction. It is a
gray old structure fronted with giant
Ionic columns, with biblical friezes by
Thorwaldsen over the entrance Along
the sides Of the interior are heroic
marble statues of the twelve apostles,
with suggestive individual pose and
emblemry. Above the altar stands the
robed Saviour with hands outstretched
low in tender benediction, while a
kneeling angel holds a seashell bap-
: tismal font before it. Four large brass
columns, worked in foliage and sur
mounted each by a pyre, stand on the
two sides of the altar The ceiling is
done in blue, with stars, while the
sides are rich in bas reliefs and friezes
from biblical history. The statues and
friezes are all among the masterpieces
of Thorwaldsen, who himself held the
first child baptised from it's font, the
daughter of mis- friend Herman Freund,
Whitsuntide, 1889.
The famous university of Copenha-
gen, where Won Moltke, among other
worthless, was educated, stands across
the way. It is low unimposing struc-
! ture in modified Gothic. Before it are
, busts of great scientists, theologians,
philanthropists and composers who
have been connected with it.
; The Holmen's Kirke, or church for
the royal navy, originally erected as
all anchor-smithy by Frederick II but
consecrated by Christian w, is re-
markable for chapel containing the
tombs of the great Admirals Niels Juel
and Tordensjold, whose gigantic stat
ues also adorn a nearby market place.
Juel in 18th century dress and re-
sembling Charles II of England stands
in a viking boat with a dragon front.
In his outstretched left hand is
mace, his right resting on sword at
his thigh.
Going up Amalie street one comes to
Amalie square where is seen the royal
residence and the great equestrian
statue of Christian V. Facing it stands
the great Marmor or Frederikskirke,
with it's immense gilded dome only
few feet smaller than St. Peters at
Rome. This church was begun by
Frederick V over a century ago and
has just been completed. Four great
Corinthian columns adorn the front
entrance of this mighty temple and
the dome, both outside and inside, is
| upheld by similar columns. In front
! of tbn ob11rch arn thn statues Of ST