The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-10

. Hsars rsmafhabie psrs"asi relationship
thar fhat shieh hma athough Win ~
Interruptions existed hssseeu fhssH and
HIsrn@pH IN ~ ehsneln9 eiffistsf y
mifrnfs . sheis sJSeh Nv ne IHisiler'tisl
hfs n theif epuntFy ANN aNsf haen
hes' ~tfre Nv Cbfiafithia bs nlHf hIofn@ln
hHf ~ pHrtieuiss iH,lfttoy bat arisen 10.
lseen fhsm ~ Tho nm~ WHOM lle"h 80
eepisai sfNptrv fusn' IN nHe FUfWeeiHn
fhssfrv ~ BERGEN In iNt n sHs durtre
tht4 nrfhHi ~ %aarRfN'htn hosryef thh'
theiF fH,sfr elue ebunHrtbtu NN pfefHf"l
IN fha f,ibpwiha yeafs tuphi me ihf'es ~
No a1 caliei 'natiupsl aeasrniHg w. go
r,sn gpgksl foeether Nv rrpre tcn'heflv
fssAlpu According w. ~ astlrle rulhi-het
IN sr5sHsvsrv IN iss1 on ths grrss'rn "
me lovful HurrtiHa n me isp suthufs ah"r
= sersesglpb N maNv yeafa. 'fhey lIei
fosetheg ehrn tha oht aHss hal ~ y" hNtett
itio ors itefafufe sssie They hf'sH'~l
ovef lhe aanr thought sed both ieveb1t"h
n IN rhris p,rirv, The Rinsshir lho'igm
Win 49, ~ t- RnH In Nofway' " Nos
ihe Thought e'nIprii~t Nv Rj0fns"n's hrs'
play Let ma, man h" Rims sho has
soma,h,ng ~ 10 Kir q ~ Ia whs, 80 fcad
In N, ~~rn tho Battiss Victorious Rims
svrrrc wa the herr ~ %RIornsoo's youth
II waa alan In describing tinaship that
th-rn srnanc,pa,sd I'LL hts powers' To hts
mind 'he leader. tho king NJ men. wa@ he
WIN vas not tlei down merriy ~ revisina
ihe NH. but WIN cotld ataer holdiy out Into
fhe nev, tho unknown, the fut1re SAGA,
hecauae he waa the fortunate mortal who
had been salseh by the thoughts ~ the az"
~ by q passion.
The editors In their introduction r.
cord that whsn ih~en's play The Feast
A. solhaug- appeared us60) Rj6rnson
hastenei to dirnct public attention to this
new and genuinely Norwegian contribution
10 tho dramatic literature Of the country,
and when two years later The vikings
~ Helgeland- was refused by the Christiania
Theatre he ardcntly supported lhecn's
demand that the play should he performed.
IL was Some time. however, before the two
men had much personal intercourse. IbSen
returned to ChristianIa In the min
OF 1851, but shortly aftcrward BjOrnson
left for Bergen to succeed him In the man
asement Of the Norwegian Theatre there,
and It waa not till the autumn OF 1869 that
Bjornson settled In Christiania again. From
this autumn dates the intimate friendship
DatWR9n the TWO hulnOEb n iiciAoirAfp
that was demonstrated both in public and
in private life. In the beginning OF 1890
Bjornson stood godfather to lbsen's only
son. In the preceding November the two
had founded the Norwegian Society;
the initiative was taken by lbsen, and
Bj6mson was president OF the society dur
ing the short period Of it's existence. In
1850 Bj6rnson went abroad and remained
ayay for three years. While absent he
sent home the play King Sverre' and the
lyric-dramatic trilogy 'Sigurd Slembe.'
which latter work was reviewed by lbsen.
The two authors met again in Bergen at
the Festival Of Song held in the summer
OF 1898, and both spent the following winter
In Christiania. Their intercourse during
this year brought them closer TO each other
than they had ever been before. They
felt that they were inspired by the same
ideas and the same hopes, n they suffered
the same bitter disappointment. With
anguish they watched the Danish brother
nations desperate struggle against the
superior power Of Germany and saw a
province with a population Of Scandinavian
race and speech wrenohed from Denmark
and INCORPORATED In a foreign kingdom.
while the Norwegian and Swedish kins-
men, in spite Of solemn promises, refrained
from Welding any assistance This was
a bitter disappointment, both as regarded
Scandinavia In general and their OWL
country In particular, and the experience
left its mark on the minds OF both-lbsen
being perhaps the moro deeply affected
OF the two, because he had seldom before
cherished such bright hopes. 1t appears,
indeed, that during the thirteen years
preoeding the Schleswig- Holstein war
doubt and dependency had been gnawing
at Ibsen's soul. He had been consumed
nv the fear that he might never attain to
the completeness and olearness' which
had been the dream Of his youth. Was
he never to feel himself free and whole'f
We're all kinds of outward bonds and con-
siderations to hamper his development,
! 40 that he should not be able to break
through what he himself called 'the crust
Of folly and frowardness'' Was he to be
merely a CLEVER author" and not a cham
pion of great ideas? With this question
he fought a solitary, silent fight, his critical
scepticism regarding the ideas which pre-
vailed in the world around him making
the fight all the harder.
Then it was that Bjornaon came to his
assistance in both spiritual and material
ways. The bracing influence exeroised
by Bjornson's powerful personality was
the outcome of the unfailing faith which
radiated from his whole being. The editors
assert that at least she was no doubter,
he had the natural simple confidence OF a
child in himself, in his fellow men, in all
good powers, and it was almost impossible
to help sharing his oonadenoe-there was
something contagious in it. From Bjorn-
sons faith Henrik Ibsen derived strength
for the battle with himself. He learned
from it to have self-oonfldence and to risk
everything for the faith that was in him.
1t was not a bright. glad faith, like Bjorn-
sons, but 1t meant a courage hat never
failed, q resolve that lasted a lifetime.
1t became confidence In his W ability
to realize himself and q complete and firm
belief In the ~self-propagating and self-de-
veloping power Of high ideals, the prao-
teal outcome OF which was a dauntless
endeavor to arouse his fellow oountrymen
and set them on the way to a freer, richer
future The editors add that when
Bjornson's life work comes to DO estimated,
it will not be reckoned one Of his least
deserts that at a difficult and dangerous
1T. - t.l-.l uoas;l. Ilaap fn 'AnA