Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1916-07-13
Sweden.


Prof. A. A. Stomberg Of the Univer-
sity of Minnesota, who Is enjoying a
visit to his native land, writes from
Stockholm his impressions Of the de-
velOpment of the country, industrially,
socially and along literary lines. He
says that the traveller who returns to
Sweden after an absence of 20 years
cannot fail to be nightly impressed
by the wonderful industrial and eco
monte development that has taken
place during the last two decades.
Equally impressive are the evidences
of revived and vigorous national SEN
tments and ideals in the artistic life
Of the nation-~in architecture. paint
ing, literature, and dramatic art. The
people of that country are known to
be very susceptible to foreign intiu-
ence and readily adopt ideas and GUS
toms from other lands, which, OF
course. in itself is not n fault; for no
nation can be sufficient unto itself. But
their great mistake, frequently, has
been found in their ready substitution
of the solid and meritOriOuS national
for the foreign of less value. The ever
lasting borrowing of foreign ideas has
not been conducive to original nation
III thought. But even a hurried eXcur-
sion into the domain where the prod
ucts of the modern Swedish artists
stand revealed will prove that, al-
though the old weakness remains
nj rl of
return TO national ideals. One Of
the most remarkable evidences Of this
Is found in the recently completed
MaSthuggs church In the city of Goth
| enhurg. AS planned by Sigfrid Ericli-
son, young architect of thrtyseven,
elevated point in the city as the EN-
| hodiment, not so much of religious
sentiment, as of bold and selconsciouS-
national spirit that dare s to eman-
cipate itself from the foreign and give
expression to vigorous northern ideals.
1t gives the impression of being a de-
| faint challenge TO those who still ques-
ton the adequacy of native forms in
| the construction Of artistically noble
| and impressive editices.
The designer of this Christian temple
has not hesitated to go back to the
| architectural designs to be found in
| Scandinavian homes and temples in pa
| gan times even to the Anhewn logs and
| round rafterS in the interior walls and
| A. tn piShnn frnynprfS
modern version of the old pagan Sean
| dinavian sagas, it is only crudities OF
| the ancient forms that have been elm
mated. There are radically divergent
| opinions as TO the Justification of such
forms In n modern Christian temple
II is only when it is viewed as noble
attempt to revive national type thai
the Gothenburg temple looms up before
us as Il truly impressive creation. The
work Of such artists as Zorn, liljefor;
and Carl Larson, which Is by no means
unknown in America. in "A similar way
bears the impress of renascent IA
tional sentiment, Zorn and Carl Lar
son live among the people they sketcf
on canvas and Liliefors spends IA great
part Of his time In lonely residence
among the deep northern forests IL
order to gain closer acquaintance
with the animals he paints. In III,
same way Selma Lagerloef, the mos
whose work has been rewarded by /
Nobel prize in literature, has succeeded
only when she has written about hel
own people and about her own pictur
esQue provinces.