Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-03
AMERICA IN NORWAY
Yankee Goods in the Land of
the Midnight Sun.
A RETURN INVASI ON
KRISTIANIA A PROSPEROUS AND
UP-TO-DATE CITY.
How the People Live-The New Prince
Regent-King Oscars
Thrift.
A RETURN INVASION
tcopyrig It. 1908, by Frank G. Carpenter.)

tCopyrig t. 1908 by Frank G. Carpenter)
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
KRISTIANIA, Norway.
For several generations the Norwegians
have been invading the United States. They
have gobbled the best farms of our great
northwest and have become the leaders
there in every branch of business and politi-
cal life Now the Simon pure Americans
are invading Norway in turn. l find them
here in Kristiania the capital and l see
their goods for sale in every block. Our
consul general tells me that every kind of
American ware, with the exception of tex
tiles, is sold here, and / can see that he
tells the truth when l walk the business
streets,
In the heart of the city is the Storthing,
or Parliament Building. Just opposite is an
American shoe store where the Norwegian
lawmakers get their understandings. On
the Torvet. chief market place, is the
office of an American cash register COM
pany, and in the street leading to it
shops filled with American hardware. Pass
ing them the other day l noticed Phladel
pha lawn mowers, Boston clotheSWringerS.
Indianapolis pitchforks and pumps from
four different localities. There were also
steel bells to call the Norwegian farmers
to dinner. axes for use in their logging
camps and hatchets and saws for every
one.
In another part of the town I found the
Mccormick, the Deering and the Wood
harvester agencies, well many kinds
of our farm tools, and near by was
tablishment where score of fair-haired,
blue-eyed Swedish girls were sewing away
on well-known American sewing machines.
l stop at the Victoria Hotel and am
awakened each morning by d rosy-cheeked
Chambermaid, who rolls a Grand Rapids
carpet sweeper through the halls and who.
when she brings in my hot water for shaw
ing lets up my curtain on its American
spring roller. These spring rollers are the
first l have seen in Europe. and they are
refreshing change to the European blinds,
which you roll up by hand and tie with
string.
Our Typewriters and Cameras.
The American typewriter is here and also
the American camera. bought snap shots
of bride and groom photographed by one
of our instruments, and you may get the
quaint costumes of all the QUITO the-way
regions as taken with our photograph
machines. Norway has recently purchased
a lot of our shoe making machinery, and a
factory has been established here in Kris
tania which is making sO-called American
shoes. They are even importing our leather
and are making their shoes on American
models.
AS to meats. all the various brands of
Chicago and Kansas City are as we'll known
here as at home and the fat of our Ameri-
can hogs pads tens of thousands of Nor
wegian ribs This country is one of the
lumber yards of Europe, but we ship certain
kinds of logs and boards to Kristiania. We
sell furniture here and l see Porto Rico
coffee and all sorts of California canned
stuff III the chief grocery stores of the city.
This is one Of the greatest fish countries of
the world, but the Norwegians buy Co.
lumbia river salmon and like 1t.
A Yankee City.
I like Erstiania. 1t Is more like an
American city than any other in Europe
Its Streets are wide and well paved, its
buildings are constructed on the American
plan and the residences on the outskirts
remind one of the better class homes of St
Paul and Minneapolis. Indeed the best
residence section here is not at all unlike
the best residence section of ST. Paul
The stores of the Norwegian capital are
similar to ours. They are smaller and
have more in the windows, but the goods
are well displayed and the merchants are
business like 1t Is the same with the
people. II you could take Langleys new
from Minneapolis to hristiania and be sud
denly dropped, you would hardly know
where YOU We're. You might suppose your
self in an American town. The faces on
the street would be much the same and
the dress not very different. This may come
from the large number of Norwegians In
America.
kristiania IS an up-to-date city It has
electric lights and electric cars The car
system put In by the Union Electrical
Company of Berlin, which is associate