The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-04-30
TOPICS OF THE DAY IN CHRIsTIANIA

brought The Mormon question so much
to the front in America, it4may be 3of
! interest to- know what the followers
| Of Brigham Dung are doing in Nor
way. The latter-day-saint have for
years been pushing a propaganda
| for their religion in this coun-
| try, and they have made a number Of
proselytes. During the past winter
they have been especially energetic.
1 They have a church here and some
twenty prophets from America have
been here nearly all the time direct
ing the work. The chief among them
has just returned to the states, owing
to i'll health. 1 So far the Norwegian
authorities and church people have
i done nothing to interfere with the
I EMornnons here, but watch their doings#
with great suspicion. While the peo-
pie Of Norway enjoy full liberty as to
i religion, polygany will not be toler-
ated, and if detected will be heavily
/ punished. Should the Investigations
4 of the Smoot case result in a death
i blow to polygamy in America, there
are reasons to believe that Mormonism
1 will gradually die natural death in
i this country, as the average NorWe-
i gian man finds it hard job to sup
i port one wife, and but few Norwegian
4 women would agree to be satisfied
with the ownership of one-fourth or
one-fifth Of a husband, especially
when they have to support him be-
sides!
Common Schools in Norway.
The Norwegian primary school has
\ a seVen-year course, adapted for
children between and Ia It is
free: There is no obligation to attend
, the public primary school, but the OBJ
! legation of education exists, in that
, every child between s and Is in the
country, and between and / 5 in the
towns: not in RECEIPT of instruction
standard of the primary school in
struction within the fifteenth year, is
, referred to the primary, school, and
the attendance of the child there can
= be enforced by a fine imposed upon
the parents or guardians.
The primary school in each mu-
nicipality is governed by the school
board, which consists of priest, the
chairman of thes5municipal council,
or one of the&aIdermen, one Of the
teachers chosen by the body Of teach
!, or, women) chosen by the municipal
: council, as the council itself q de-
termines. In the towns, at least one
fourth of the members of the school
n6aEd, chosen by the eoRneil ar
dren in, the primary schools The
school 4board appoints the teachers
and a board Of inspection for every
primary school, and tits the duty Of
the board of inspection to maintain a
constant supervision of the school,
and take care that there is good at
tendance and order. For every coun-
ty there is also a county school
board, consisting of three members
chosen by the county council.
The department for ecclesiastical
matters and public Instructions is the
highest school authority in the coun-
i trV Nayt tha school Sirnotnrc
one for each Of the six dioceses, for
the superintendent of the primary
schools. Bishop and dean take part
in the superintendent and the priest
in supervising the instruction in re-
llglous knowledge.
In the country, every municipality Is
divided into school districts, the num-
Der of these, for the whole country, is
about 5000. Each school district has
it's primary school, with at least two
classes, one for children from 7 to 10
5 years of age Gnfant schooD, and for
" children from 10 to IA. The conpul-
r. sorry number Of school hours amounts
l., to twelve weeks per annum, and can
Il be increased to fifteen weeks
" Every school week amounts, in the
IS infant school to thirty, and in the up
is per school to thirty-siX lessons. Thus
to in the infant school each child has al
al least $50 lessons per annum, and the
ID number may be increased to $50 OF
ID $50; and in the upper school each
IN child receives at least 432 lessons an
Ia nually, and the Number may be In
ID creased to $40 or 1855. -.
re The primary schools intowns are
to as a rule divided into seven progress
t. sive classes. Instruction has to BIZ
r. given daily for a number Of hour!
ns amounting to from eighteen to TWEEN
ce ty-four a week. The total number
de of hours, however, must not exceed
d, thirty per week, voluntary instruction
lr included. The school year, after thu
ne subtraction Of the holidays, is in
or tended to number forty weeks.
hit The subjects in the primary schoo
re include religion, the Norwegian Ian
guage, arithmetic, elementary geom
Mt etry, writing, singing, geography
ee history, botany, zoology, the element
= of physics and the fundamental fea
ne lures Of hygiene, manual work, draw
to ing and gymnastics. Dinners ar
X provided. free Of charge, / for poo
ed school children, by the municipality
e. Christiania keeps a large steam
ed kitchen, "Skolekjolkkenet," runnin
re- for that purpose. M. A.
va In leaving his residuary estate to hi
~, sons only an English gentleman said h
"a "a Cid so not because his sons We're deare
- - to him than his daughters. but because h
oIs considered that men have harder strng
N gle In life.