New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1910-05-04

former and DTdmdtiSt.
| ACTIVE LEADER in PATRIOTISM
Challenged Late King Oscar to Duel,
Was Imprisoned and Escaped-En-
deared to countrymen For His In
dependence-Was Called the Hugo
Of the North.
Bjornstjerne Bjornson, the Norwegian
poet, novelist and dramatist, reformer
and advocate Of universal peace, who
recently died at Paris, has fondly been
called by NorWegians and others the
greatest of NorWegians. He was born
Dec. 8, 1882, in the parish Of Quichne,
in northern Norway. His early life
was spent In some of the widest and
most romantic parts Of Norway, the
scenes of which made deep impress
sion upon his mind and which have to
large extent colored many of his sue
cessful writings. More than a writer,
Bjornson endeared himself to his coun-
tryrnen for his outspoken independ-
ence, his radical political ideas and the
many popular movements which he
led toward sreviving a more widespread
sentiment Of national life In his land.
A Frenchman early called him the
Hugo Of the north, and the English
styled him "Norway's grand old man.
After studying in the gymnasium at
Christiania to prepare for the uniyer-
sity, which, like Ibsen, he failed to en-
ter, he became newspaper reporter
and at the age Of twenty wrote his
first drama, "Walborg," which was ac-
cepted at the National theater and
paid for; but, although needing the
money badly, he handed it back, doubt
ing the merits of his own work.
Norway's Patriotic Leader.
Always energetic in action, he began
the agitation in 1853, when only TWEEN
ty-one years of age, to Danish the Dam
ish language from Norway and en-
courage the use, Of the native tongue
in the newspapers, in literature, upon
the stage. and elsewhere. Two years
later Ibsen joined the movement with
zest, and from that time Bjornson was
recognized as the patriotic leader in
Norway. .s
! His most valuable achievement in
this respect was the writing Of the
Norwegian national hymn in 1859, ia,
vi Elsker Dette Laudet" eyes, We
Love This Country'D.e On May Il, the
day on which the Norwegians adopt
ed their present constitution in 1914,
the national festival, instituted by
| Bjornson, is celebrated and partakes
Of very much the same spirit as char
acterizes our Fourth of July. A little
later he aroused the hostility of the
Swedes by leading the movement
which resulted in the removal of the
Swedish emblem from the NorWeg:an
flag, although the Norwegian emblem
still remains upon the Swedish flag.
Challenged King Oscar to Duel.
Bjornson's independence did not stop
short of occasionally criticising the
late King Oscar, and, as showing his
radical republican ideas, the story is
told of how he once remarked to the
king that if he would abdicate the
throne he might attain higher honor
by becoming the first president of Nor
way. 1t is said the king took it as a
joke, but in Sweden it served to in
tensify Bjornson's unpopularity. Still
again, shortly after the king had dec
grated the author with cross Of hon.
or, Bjornson had the audacity to chal-
lenge his majesty to a duel, due to a
criticism that Bjornson learned the
king had made regarding one Of his
works. The supreme court construed
this as lese majesty and condemned
the writer to a year in prison, but he
escaped to Germany and did not re-
turn to Norway for several years.
AS the president Of the Students So
ciety in Christiania in 1869 Bjornson
attained fresh distinction as an orator
of pronounced ability, and in 1881 he
visited the United States, delivering
!AA1oiAy HASSCuLC &IGluIu Au0
purchased his farm at Aulestad, among
the mountains of central Norway, and
there, with the exception of several
years spent in Germany, France and
the Tyrol, he spent the greater part of
his time, living a simple although ac-
tive life among the peasantry whose
life and character he has ably describ-
ed in his works.
Director Of National Theater.
As a successful dramatist Bjornson
early attained distinction, and for a
number of years he was director Of
the National theater. In his poems he
finds the accents and forms Of the old
popular songs SO well that his coun-
trymen could repeat them almost with
out learning them, like some old airs
they had known and transmitted to
their children. All his so called village
stories enjoyed prodigious popularity.