Morris tribune., 1906-08-18
NORWAY
Chrjstiania.

why do NOrSemen Emigrate? ap-
peared recently in the Nylaende, from
the pen Of Agnes Mathilde Werge4a-...
now a member of the faculty Of
Wyoming university. One of the rea.
sons would seem to be that Norway
by very nature of her rugged, majestic
beauty is too cold too barren and toe
unyielding. to afford to her children
more than the barest of livings-and
men cannot live from beauty alone.
But in her own mind DR.. Wergeland
is convinced that the chief reason is
neither this nor that the Morse do not
love their homeland enough, but that
they love one another too little. There
under the high heavens spread over
breezy field and ford, there is such an
oppressive spiritual atmosphere Of mar.
roWminded intolerance. Of unlOvin2
readiness to raise teacup storms, Of
caviling, of inSOlence, private and
political, Of clerical and aesthetic
arrogance, that the Norseman, though
scarcely knowing why, longs to get
away from it all and to breathe q
frosher, sWeeter air. No wonder the
people emigrate. eNclaims DR.. Verge
land. There is peculiar hardness and
urbendableness in the NOrseman'a
nature, and the mild virtues of for
bearance grow but sparseIy in his SUP
roundings. That is perhaps the rea-
son why the Morse emigrant brings
to his new homeland for the first four
or five years nothing but an open
mouth and a silent neutrality-suspicious.
establishment! And that is why to
come home after spending some years
abroad is so often like coming from
open fields into narrow alleys, where
the fancies and prejudices Of centuries
still lie sleeping in the cutters. But
DR.. Wergeland is too good a patriot to
have written in this fashion, says the
Review of Reviews. ''without definite
hope that it would do good. To the
charge that Norway is a poor country
she replies that Norway is rich in OPP
portunities. Let but a spirit of love
link her children together in a pa
triotic resolve to find these out and
make the most Of them and their re-
ward will not be wanting.
DR.. Andre Hansen. the Norwegian
economic writer. contributes to Sam
tiden (Christiania) long descriptive
article on Norway's emigration prob
lem, in which he makes the following
significant reference: 'After having
educated men better than other cOun-
tries. they leave their native land at
the age of productivity. Some esti-
mates have been made as to what the
rearing and educating costs, and at
what sum the man Of age can be
capitalized. In conservative figures
the loss for Norway amounts, thus, to
Toe, 100000 crowns ($26OOO0,OOO). 1.-THE
question arises now, why cannot this
great capital be spent at home? The
answer must essentially be the same
as that given by Germany-that is to
say. before industry has reached
another development Norway will,
just as all other farming countries
send away the surplus of it's popula-
ton. Because Norway is an old farm
ing country, the most productive
ground was occupied long ago; it has
even been proved that farms exist on
the same spot where they were laid
down 800 years ago"
There are now, according to official
figures, 100000 Norwegian born in
habitants in the United States and
still larger number of children of Nor
wegian parentage. In another genera
ton or two there will be as many
American citizens of pure Norwegian
pedigree as there are inhabitants in
the mother country.
King Haakon and Queen Maud
have on three different occasions paid
visit to Lerfossen. The royal couple
seem delighted with this part of the
country
The "Mylingen" departed for Spitz-
bergen few days ago with a party
Of Norwegian Americans, who go there
to engage in gold prospecting.
Miss Ada Musgrove, a wealthy Eng
ishwoman, has presented her sum-
mer villa, SolstraaleO. at Tysnaes, to
little Crownprince Olaf.