New-York tribune., 1903-07-10
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
Studies Of Danish and american
Life.

Jessie Brcchner. in her volume on Danish
Life in Town and Country" C. P. Putnam's
Sons), which follows the general plan of the
other books in a popular SERIES tells OF
thusiastic and energetic English woman who, on
her visit to the land Of Hamlet, overmas-
tered by the Shakespeare tradition. When she
arrived in Copenhagen she had all the assur-
ance Of Ireland. who in the closing years of the
eighteenth century published the play King
Lear" and a parl of Hamlet" from the original
manusCript-his assurance without his
successful dishonesty. She insisted that in one
Of Copenhagen's public libraries there were to
be found some original Shakespeare papers. She
did not know, unfortunately. in which library
they had been buried away. an ignorance that
added to her labors. The papers are still to be
found. And it may be that the investigator has
still a good deal Of Denmark to see in conse-
quence- At any rate. for those who do not go to
Denmark, or for people of this sort who go too
exclusively in the interests Of literary research
this book should be conveniently useful. The
author divides her description topically, ranking
the army and navy and trade unions with the
administration OF justice and the position Of
women. and giving little history and tradi-
ton and impressions of travel by the way
Comparing. the author does, the ways of
Denmark to those OF England, she is struck by
the contrast in the station of the church in the
two countries The Danish religious life she
notes, Is almost entirely confined TO the
nonal Church. Dissenters, Romanists and Jews
are few. On the other hand she found that
religion was mot on the whole certainly not in
Copenhagen, good form Church going is not
fashionable, and the congregations, while not
small represent a lower class in the social scale
than in England. The conduct Of the service is
also strikingly different. More spontaneous it
may be. but it lacks much of the solemnity and
dignity of the English ritual
It lacks the serenity and in many cases the
beauty Of the latter. There is less music, no
chants or psalms, fewer appointed prayers and,
as rule, a much longer sermon, which is the
mainstay of the service. There is often about
Danish church service homely promiscuous-
ness. which is apt distract the devotion of an
Englshmdn. People come and go during almost
the whole of the service; women often take or
their hats or bonnets; friendly and often cir
cumstantial greetings are exchanged
Wherever the author steps aside from the
course Of her exposition of scene or method Of
life to sum the qualities exhibited in COM
psrative estimate she never fails 10 apply Eng
land as measuring stick. The modesty of law
yers' charges would call scornful smile to the
face of Englishmen: a Danish boy who has
attended a Latin school knows a great deal
more than an English boy Of the same class;
Danish newspapers are in some respects much
better than German ones, though they cannot
be expected TO vie with the high class English
daily press-such is her customary application
Of standards. Though there need be no peculiar
objection TO description Of Denmark as it com
pares with England. this method is not the best
for a sympathetic Interpretation of a foreign
people
Several excellent photographs of buildings,
views and paintings are reproduced in illustra-
ton