The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-05


great m the world over Norway
had given &c humanity the poets
Wergeland and welhaven and Camilla
Collett. Ibsen's tremendous revolution
In favor Of realism is, however. not the
only side to be considered. He has at
least four periods. covering six ro-
mantle dramas. our transition works.
six realistic dramas and six plays of
twilight symbolism. The first set.
The Lady Of Ostral.'' The Feast Of
Solhang." Loves Comedy" The Vi
kings OF Helgeland' and THE Pre-
tenders make a national appeal.
Brand" peer Gynt," THE League Of
Youth" Emperor and G%alilean' make
the transition from romance to reality;
"A Dolls House, pillars Of So
ciety.' Ghosts" An Enemy OF the
People" THE wild Duck" "Hedda
Gabler' are the realistic plays that
startled the world and founded a new
school OF literature. "Rosmersholm,"
The Lady from the Sea- The Master
Builder Little Eyo,f," John Gabriel
Borkman' and when We Dead
Awaken" with their subtle psychology
and mystic insight, complete the prod.
uct Of one Of the giants of literature.
These plays quickened the modern
drama throughout Europe. influencing
playwrights as widely scattered as
Brandes. Hauptmann. Sudermann.
Brieux. Giacosa and Bernard Shaw.
Bjornsen, though a poetic and
charming writer and touched by mod
ern ideas. was never SO great a thought
force as Ibsen. His most lovely works
are the early ones. "Synnove Solbak-
KEN and "Arne." He is said to have
been one of the greatest orators the
northern world has ever known and
he was called "Norway's Uncrowned
King" Jonas Lie, almost as famous
In his own land as Ibsen and Born
sen, is only just becoming known,
through English TRANSACTIONS. to our
people. His novels dea. with the quiet
home life of his country without reach
ing Ibsen's heroic heights. Amalie
Skran and Alvilde Prydz are the best
known novelists. and both concern
themselves with women's lives and
problems.
Norwegian painting IL remarkable
for its bold drawing. strong. often stri-
lent color. with freshness OF tone.
strength and sincerity as noticeable
features. Naturalism obtained in Nor
way almost as soon as II reached
France. In the early sos our stall
wart Norwegians stood out as leaders,
Thanlow, Krohg, Werenskiold and
Munthe. Munich wen a step beyond.
His pictures are social studies OF dis
ease. poverty and vice. Lund stands
foremost among portrait painters.
Norway has given its quota to the
worlds music. the foremost name be-
ing doubtless that OF Grieg.
The national sport is skiing and on
Sunday all Christiania takes to the
hills whence cometh their health and
salvation They are hardy noun
tain climbers and are beginning now
to harness their wonderful water
power for industrial purposes. One
of the chief industries is the produc-
ton of Norwegian saltpetre. sodium
nitrate. ammonia nitrate and cor GEN.
trated nitrate acid. Water power is
now being extensively used for cleo
trifying railroads. The use Of cleo
tricity is also accelerating the manu-
facture OF ood products and facili-
tating the mining Of low grade iron
ores. Copper mines. nickel. zinc. lead
n sulphur are industrial assets.
Norway contains something Ike
thirty million horsepower, Of which
only about half a million have been
employed to turn the wheels Of COM
merce. The Industrial outlook IL
therefore full Of promise.
OF its fisheries Bergen stands first
as the biggest fish emporium OF the
world. Many are the byproducts once
thrown aside now zealously preserved
OF the fish market. The heads OF
fishes are used for manure and fod-
der. the roe for bait, the liver for
cod liver oil. The trade in herring
reaches enormous figures. bringing in
1912 IL 1896. 500 kroner.
As Is natural. Norway has been
particularly famed for its explorers,
Of whom IT is only necessary to men,
ton Amundsen in the Antarctic and
Nansen in the Arctic Circle.
The temperament OF the Swede is
Inherently conservative. His language
is stately and sonorous. In 1914
$4,000 farmers, picked representatives
OF the rural population. assembled in
Stockholm n marched to the Royal
Castle to tell the King that they were
ready to bear any added taxation
necessary for national defence. The
Swedish peasant has never been sub
merged and IL as free to-day as in
the day of the Vikings. The total
military strength OF Sweden amounts
to about 4S5 900 men: every man IL
bound to serve as conscript. being
liable to service from the age of 20
to AZ. The navy possessed last year
twelve coast defence ships. Dread
noughts are impracticabie in the shall
low waters of the Baltic. The navy
relies upon boats of high speed and
light draught. The King has pro-
posed "A avy of two divisions, each
composed Of four armored ships, four
divisions Of d~estroyers. each OF -four
ships, two divisions OF subma-
rines. An a%eronautic fleet is 10 be
organized. the expenses to he paid
by a progressive defence tax on large
fortunes and incomes.
Among Sweden's best writer's loom,
first, August Strindberg and Selma
I.agerlof, Ellen Key has thrown her
self enthusiastically. IL not always
wisely, into the modern problems OF
feminism with a style that is perfer-
vid, ecstatic and confused. Feminism
is not so new or so strange n phe-
nomenon in Scandinavia as elsewhere.
The woman comrade has been known
fer centuries. Indeed there Is no time
lnoup tn histnry wbap tho mon ~ tho