The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-02-23
FARCE DANCES and POEMS.
AMUSEMENTS or THE SONS OF
THE MORSE SEA KINGS.

" 49,
on Remote Isles Of the North Sea
-Courting In the Dance - Poetry
In the Peoples Everyday hfe.
There are about twelve thousand people
.cattered over the twenty-odd rocks or
lslets which constitute the Farce group
Every man in the country Is In some way
the descendant OF a king, that Is. the Morse
,ea kings who fed to the islands in the
ninth century and peopled them.
In spite Of his homespuns. bis turf hut
and his primitive life. every good Faroese
h. conscious and proud OF his ancestry,
and he bears himself like a Highland prince.
Ua has no newspapers or social problems,
hn, he knows the history Of his island home
and he Ia a constant reader OF books, mostly
nanish. but not OF the dime novel order.
nj. literary taste Is inferior only TO that
~ the Icelanders. who for a thousand years
have raised and maintained an ideal Of
national literature OF merit.
The Faroase dresses well. His chestnut
hrovn Jacket, trimmed with silver buttons,
and his comfortable knickerbockers, are
made from the pure, unadulterated wool
~ the Faroese mountain sheep. His warm,
h.ndknit stockings, equal to those Of the
Scottish H~ighlanders, would fetch high
nr;ces in America.
His boat has served as a model for Euro
man builders. who under the name Of
rbaleboat supply navies with ar imitation
Of the original, surf fighting Farce shell.
His house is-well. mighty uncomfortable.
but snug to him, apparently. He drinks
excellent coffee, He gets the pure bean
by the sack. Each household roasts its
own supply. and a fresh quantity is ground
each time coffee is made, 80 that none Of
the flavor is lost. Sleeps or goats cream
added makes a beverage that even fine
hotels might take pride in duplicating.
A Farce eiderdown cap usually contains
enough material for the making Of a thirty
dollar muf. The value would be twice
this amount II king eiderdown were used.
The most remarkable feature Of life in
this little group Of islands where the Atiahtio
They dance not merely for the fun Of 1t.
or TO show of their new clothes Dancing
with the Faroese Is, TO a great extent, what
athletics are to US, Q sort OF exercise enjoyed
by young and old alike.
During the summer months the Faroeee
gets plenty Of exercise fowling In the
mountains, fishing on the deep, tending
the sheep and raising his garden produce.
But when winter fills the sounds between
the islands with drifting ice, there is nothing
for him TO do outside, and 80 he hugs the
peat fire and whites away the time story
telling and dancing.
II is not merely a Zig or two, but the dano-
ing goes on for hours n sometimes for
DAYS. The Faro6se dances away his cares,
and il good fortune knocks at his door,
he dances as eagerly Dancing seems to
be the panacpa for all kinds OF Farce trouble.
and Il is the feature OF betrothals. weddings
aud other festivities
Between Christmas and Lent, Farce
dancing reaches it's elimination in fire.
aucncy. On Christmas night the great
SAGA Of "Oluva Kvadet" is sung. The
unhappy Queen OLIVIA faithfulnees to the
King, which il the theme of the song, IL
Doubtless intended as a reminder to young
couples who engage themselves during
dancing time
rs II in defiance Of the warning youths
and maidens seem TO prefer to link their
lives together under the very notes OF the
DIVA refrain AT any rate the great
majority Of betrothals occur during dano-
ing time.
There being no parlors in Farce cottages
nor corners to hide in and tell the fairy
tales Of the heart, the young people are
obliged to do their counting in the open,
that is. as the dance goes on. and under the
eyes Of every one ~partaking III you have
been counting a Faroese girl for some time
and wish to get her yes OF mo- you will
have to line up alongside her in the dance
and make your proposal then.
Take care that sharp eyes do not detect
your secret and your purpose before you
lpive got what you want-the girls yes"
y they fine you out before o succeed
they will point their fingers at you n sing
ditties with sarcastic little filings at you.
At the same time the tempo Of the dance
will be increased, and If you don't withdraw
Il is likely to develop into a sort Of native
can-can. OF course, as soon as the dirty
making sport Of you begins to circulate
among the crowd the girls all prick up
their ears, and the particular girl you may
be heading for gets out OF your reach at
once.
II you are a shrewd man you will retreat;
you can always try again. II you are
obstinate you may always be sure Of a re-
fusal, for no Faroese girl will take a man
who is too clumsy to get hold OF her hand
Absolutely nothing Ia said during. the
counting. The man says nothing, and the
girl a y nothing. II he can but get hold
of her hand-that Is his only chance.
A slight pressure from hers, and be Z
and clap hands.
The dance stops. With smiling faces
and expectant looks the crowd face the
lovers in deep silence TO see that the fret
kiss Is bestowed according. TO Faroese rule.
The dance Is then renewed with vigor.
That's a neat and handy and straightfor-
ward way Of counting. The Faroese style
ts well suited TO people who NOW their
own mind. and marriages there are happy,
divorces exceedingly scarce.
A refusal is even more prompt. The
young man having secured the girls hand
che quickly snatches II away from him
and turns her ba ok on him. There he
stands then, the target for a shower Of
sarcastic speeches, the blushing &, awkward
victim Of the cold shoulder literally.
4 Faroese wedding without dancing
before and after was never heard OF. Not
infrequently the priest gathers up his long,
sable robe and joins the dancers. The
dancing and singing are sometimes kept up
Tor several days after the wedding, but
no orgies ever occur. as the Faroese is a
very sensible man and moderate drinker.
The dancing chiefly INDUCED in by the
Faroese is unlike anything American ball
rooms can boast, but very much like that
IN vogue in medieval Europe, especially
the folk dances of Denmark and Norway.
III you wish TO see how the famous @carole-
was trodden, the chain-dance of troubadour
times, which went all over Europe, you
viii. md a pretty correct imitation OF IL
In the Faroese -Kjanedands" with its solo
and the slow, impressive, stately steps of
the dancers. Apparently every move
nent which used 10 make this dance
popular among mediGval lords and ladies
II here faithfully reproduced by men and
women i'm bOmpsnuns upnn ealitarv