Morris tribune., 1909-01-30
TIDINCS FROM
| SCANDINAVIA
News Of General Interest
from Three Countries.

SWEDEN, NORWAY, DENMARK
Great Interest Shown by the General
Public in the Winter Sports in Swe'
den-"Northern Games" Open to
Competition of Every Nationality
Seven Large, Well Kept Skating
Places In StockhoIm-Ski Tourna-
ments and Other Sports.
p SWEDEN.
Skating is an art very much priced
and practiced in Sweden at present.
Stockholm alone possesses seven
large, well kept skating places, one of
which is an open glaciarium, the 9TH
ers being on the natural ice of the sur
rounding lakes These rinks are as a
rule open before Christmas and contin-
ue till the end of March. There are in
addition, many smaller rinks in Stock
holm and its environs, so that there is
every facility for carrying on the
sport. Figure skating, long distance
skating, skate-sailing and ice yachting
are all indulged in and thousands of
people, both young and old, follow
either one form or other of these
sports on the ice. Skate-sailing es-
pecialIy seems to hold a higher place
in Sweden than in any other country
of Europe. The sport Is nowadays
carried on through nearly the whole
of central and southern Sweden, the
heavy snowfall in the north preventing
its exercise there. The Society for
the Promotion of Ski-Running" ar
ranges every winter number of great
national competitions and during
these days there is one ski tournament
after the other besides other invig-
Grating and amusing winter sports,
such as tobogganing, sledge-kicking,
etc. The northern games" are a
purely Swedish institution, which is
celebrated every fourth year. The
last was held in Stockholm in the
month of February, 1905, and the next
will be held next month. Next month,
therefore. there will be assembled the
leading sportsmen in all branches Of
winter sport from every part of the
country, to participate in matches and
a&hibition games. These competitions
continue daily for week with ski
running Of all kinds, skating, hockey,
ice-yachting, skate-sailing, trotting
matches, deep snow racing, distance
riding, long distance ski-running with
dispatches, military sports, etc, fol-
lowing each other all day long. In
the evening national dances, Scandi-
navian music, Swedish gymnastics and
fencing are performed indoors. These
northern games" are open to competi-
tors of every nationality. During the
sport week the capital is en- fete, and
the greatest interest is shown by the
general public. The northern games"
in Stockholm are the only ones of
their kind, and attract large numbers
of tourists to the country:
DR.. Sven Hedin has been chosen an
honorary member of the American
Geographical society and has by that
society been requested to deliver lee
ture when he makes his long promised
visit to America. A dispatch re-
ceived by the Aftonbladet states that
DR.. Hedin spent Christmas eve at
Mukden. He was due to arrive in
Tor 70
arrive in Stockholm last week and has
undoubtedly by this time been wined
and dined in royal Swedish fashion.
DR.. Hedin will need to take a few
weeks off to consider all the fiattering
lecture and newspaper offers that
have been made to him recently.
When it was learned in Sweden that
the old Roskilde cathedral had been
broken into by burglars steps were
taken by the authorities
to protect the historic collections and
sarcophogi in the Riddarholms church
in Stockholm. The seven silver
wreaths which were placed on King
Oscars coffin at the time of his funer-
al have been removed and placed in
the sachristy and a squad of police
men are on patrol duty near the Rid
darholms church at all nours. The
same protective measures have been
taken at the national museum.
Queen Victoria. whose health has
been very much impaired recently, de-
parted for Italy via Carlsruhe, Jan. 4,
and will remain there until the latter
part OF next spring. The queen has
spent the last ten or twelve winters
in Italy and it seems to be about the
only place that she has found suitable
TO her delicate health during the cold
months. The winters in Stockholm are
often damp and damp weather always
proves disastrous to the queens
health.
A Swedish correspondent informs us
that in proportion to its population,
Sweden possesses more railroad mile
age than any other country in Europe,
the figures Icing considerably in ex-
cocc of those of Switzerland which