Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1915-07-21
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 seandlnavlans
IN America.
NORWAY.

NORWAY.
A bit Of the history of Norway has
Just been corrected. Everybody in
Norway is familiar with the statement
that Premier Nicholson wired Bjorn-
son TO keep his mouth shut the eth of
June. 1905, the date OF the dissolution
of the union of Norway and Sweden
by the Norwegian storing. The state
ment worked admirably during that
dangerous crisis, and the real author
did not care to spoil the story by CIV
ing the facts. Exactly ten years later
the real story was told by Mr.. Mich
elet, an editor in Bergen. His correc-
ton is as follows: At l o'clock. June
Z, l took a trip uptown TO feel tie
pulse Of the public. Near the parl;
promenade met the late Nils Hougs,
an ardent admirer of Bjornson. He
accosted me in the following lam
guage: But isn't he grand? Have
you seen what Bjonson wired from
Rome TO Nicholson? Now we have
to stick together" Bjornson had
written many unwise things that year.
and in fit of indignation happened
TO say, Now it is time for him to
keep his mouth shut" The quickwit-
ted Nils Houge at once saw the point,
and proposed that We put the two
statements in our paper. Accordingly
we sat down 10 our "schooners" in
the Grand Cafe garden and prepared
the following for the paper:
Rome, June Z.
Premier Nicholson, Christiania:
Now We have TO stick together.
Ri. Bjornson.
christiania, June Z. 1905.
Bj. Bjornson. Rome:
Now you better keep your mouth
shut. Nicholson.
The whole stunt was intended as a
joke. But the joke proved TO be so
pat that in spite of all denials and
protests from the alleged authors ii
spread in Norway and foreign coun-
tries, and later in the summer it be-
came really unpleasant because the
Swedish newspapers began to dilate
on the "shut-yourmouth" policy Of
Nicholson.
These are the plain facts.
BY the death of II. L. Brakstad, Nor
way has lost one of her most valuable
representatives abroad. For great
many years he lived in London, and
by his contributions to the English
press re introduced the works of the
great poets of Norway to the world.
Bjornstjerne Bjornson used 10 boast
that he himself represented Norway
in Europe, but il was rarely men
toned that this was possible largely
through the untiring efforts of Brak-
stad. In later years Edmund Gosse.
an Englishman, became the recognized
authority on Ibsen and Bjornson in
the English speaking world, but Brak'
stad was his teacher and Indispensable
counsellor
All the textile factories in Chris
tiania have been compelled TO reduce
their output or account of a general
lack of dyestuffs. Some OF them have
been closed down altogether. Repre-
sentatives of the leading firms made
appeals to the German government to
permit the expectation OF dyestuffs TO
Norway, but all in vain. Finally the
government was induced TO take
hand in the matter, and then the Ger
man government permitted the ex-
portation of rs tons OF aniline to
Norway, which will enable the cotton
and wooden mills TO continue their
work for another month and half.
The tagging of fish has revealed
some remarkable migrations among
the finny tribes. On July is, 1914,
tag bearing the number 1919 was at
tached to a goldfish at Bear Island in
the Arctic ocean, and Feb. 20, 1915,
the same fish was caught at Bodo,
Norway. Last spring two other fishes
tagged at the place and date first
mentioned we're caught still farther
south, namely, one at Rost and one at
Aalesund. These migrations indicate
that the Goldfish spend at least part of
the summer on the extensive banks of
the Arctic ocean.
Only two persons in Christiania, both
of them widows, now hold retail liquor
for life. Now it is proposed
that the city buy their rights, one of
them to receive 1870, the other 1925 a
year for life.
The Norwegian Brewers union has
offered a prize of $40 for the best
malt barley raised in Norway.
The Gudbrandsdslen peoples high
school at the historic Huntorp farm
stead was dedicated a short time ago.
Invitations had been sent to about
sixty guests. who were received with
an address of welcome by the princi-
pal. Rasmus Stauri. President OF the
Odelsting Castberg responded on be-
half of Gudbrandsdalen. Provincial
n. LambrecH also made an
address in which he recalled the
events which took place at Huntorp
when Saint olav was king Of Norway
300 years ago. There was a general
in the evening.