Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1914-11-12
scandinavian NEWS
SUMMARY OF IMPORTANT HAP.
PENINGS IN FAR OFF
NORTHWEST.
ITEMS FROM THE OLD HOME
Resume Of the Most Important Events
In Sweden, Norway and Denmark,
Of Interest to the Seandinavians
In AMERICA.
NORWAY.

Before the outbreak of the war,
President Wilson's policy toward Mex
leo was freely and with considerable
bitterness stigmatized as unworthy
and controlled by the moneyed inter-
ests, to the end that American capt.
talists could reap rich harvest from
the woes of the unhappy people who
thus were the innocent victims of ras-
calls in the United States. Now that
the general war with all its real and
imaginary terrors is a fact, the offer
of President Wilson to act as arbi-
traitor between the warning powers is
hailed as possible although improba-
BILE means Of bringing back white
winged peace, and President Wilson is
represented as about the only man in
the world who could possibly effect
this, and all eyes turn to him as the
wise, disinterested and only mediator.
The many American visitors to Nor
way last summer have been to no
small extent instrumental also in ef-
fecting a change in sentiment in IA
vor of the United States of America.
They have, without exception, been
unhesitating and freely outspoken in
defense of American policies, and have
courageously met the criticisms of the
press and public. 1t is now freely ad-
mitted by the press and in many pub
lie utterances by leading men that the
visit of so many thousand representa-
tive American citizens to the country
has been the means of placing Ameri-
ca in better light and laying the
foundations for more cordial relations
along all lines for the future.
In the Copenhagen theatrical news
paper, Teatret. Nina Grieg, widow of
the composer, Edward Grieg. recently
described how he wrote music to
Peer Gynt." "One lovely day." she
writes, came letter from Ibsen, ask
ing whether Grieg would cooperate in
putting Peer Gynt' ON the stage.
Grieg was taken aback, for he could
not imagine a performance of work
so philosophical and so strongly i'm
bued with Ibsen's skepticism. For
several days he went about in a nerv-
Gus, restless state, in great doubt and
anxiety as to the heavy task, but the
more he saturated his mind with the
powerful poem the more clearly he
saw that he was the right man for a
work of such wild witchery and so per-
meated with the Norwegian spirit. And
so at last he girded himself for the
task and longed to have a go at it. But
! where could he find a workroom to
suit him? Finally, In the suburb of
Sandwich, outside Bergen, he found
pavilion, with windows on every
side, high up on hill, far removed
from the sight of men and with mag
nificent view Of the sea one one side
and the mountains on the other. Sol
veigs Song was the first number to
see the light and then 'Aase's Death
shall never forget the bright summer
evening up there on the mountains as
we sang and played together 'Solveig's
Song for the first time. Grieg himself
smiled, well pleased at the song. and
called it public lamp"
1t is estimated that the loss to the
tourist traffic caused by the war ex-
ceeds s2,500,000. Scores of tourist ho-
tells are on the verge of ruin. The
farmers who sold provisions to these
hotels also feel the loss severely. Most
of the hotels will pull through this sea-
son; but 1t may be taken for granted
that, no matter what happens on the
battlefields, the Morse tourist traffic
will be crippled for another year.
The women of Norway raised $45,-
900 for the equipment of seven field
hospitals. A dozen wagons belong to
each hospital and each one is large
enough to accommodate 100 wounded
soldiers. Everything that went into
the construction of the hospitals was
made in Norway and they are particu-
larly adapted to the peculiar needs Of
a northern climate.
The cabinet has taken a decidedly
Arm stand against those who oppose
the military activity of the people of
Norway. Those who violate the rules
laid down by the cabinet may be fined
or imprisoned
The wellknown and hospitable Mrs.
Ragnhild Aune, Tydalen, is eighty
years old, but she is still active and
last summer she was her sons dairy
maid" in the mountain pastures.
The work OF developing the water.
power at Tysse is continued in spite
of the money stringency caused by the
war. About $4,000 horsepower will be
needed for a large factory for the
production of carbide and cyanide. The
cost of the plant will be about one
million five hundred thousand dollars,
and 1t is expected to be ready for
operation in about year and a half.
Miss Mamma Michelet was the first
woman to study at the Agricultural
High school of Norway. She Is a
daughter of Professor Michelet.