The Mankato free press., 1923-10-19
Back From Sweden
With Tales of Land
Mrs. w. A. Becker Relates
Stories of What She Saw
And Heard

Mrs. W. A. Becker has just arriv-
ed from the Land OF the Midnight
Sun" For the past year she has been
visiting her parents in Sweden. This
is her second trip to her home, which
is at Ostersund, on lake Stors1o
Oviken. Back Of her home Is the
Fjell, pine covered mountain, which
together from one or the most
scenic places in all Sweden. -.
Sweden is practically a land OF
lakes" said Mrs. Becker, "and canals
run every place. The canal route
across Sweden naturally takes ad-
vantage of all the intervening water
ways and is just changing from
river to canal and from canal to
lake. There are water locks every
place. The landscape along these
canals are charming and one OF
peaceful beauty. At times bridge
swings noiselessly to let one pass.
Hour after hour, mansions, estates,
and well kept farms succeeding one
another on each side,~ present the
pictures of a pastoral paradise.
There are silvery birches, majestic
oaks and quivering aspen trees
growing along the canals. THE peo-
pie work very hard in my country.
Sdlu MTS. beChSE anu ~tIS "OAhSh
work out in the fields as do the men.
After their work they then do the
cooking. and housework. They do
not seem to mind it and I believe
they are among the happiest people
of the earth. They have many
good times, aid and assist each other
all they can. Being practically land
Of lakes and entirely surrounded by
water, it has one of the most de-
lightful climates to be found any
place."
While in Sweden, Mrs. Becker Of
item ran down to Stockholm, the
fcapital. This she says is an unQues-
| tionably a pleasure loving city. On
one side Of the city is beautiful lake
Malar, eighty miles in length, filed
rendered beautiful, not alone by ma
palaces and little villages. Here the
people extract all the happiness
possible from the sunshine of which
they are so woefully deprived of in
winter
when 1 first went back there
after my stay in America l had to
learn to sleep in the daytime" con-
tinued Mrs. Becker. I'm June, July
and the first part of August the
nights have no darkness. Although
there is no sunshine, one can sew
on the doorstep at any hour during
the night. There is beautiful twi-
light radiance, mysterious and en-
chanting which fingers at that sea-
son until midnight in the northern
skies, spreading a silvery sheen upon
the surface of the land and the sea.
The people do not work any longer
because it is light, but have their
regular hours for retiring and aris-
ing. Mrs. Becker also travelled in
Norway. visiting the principal cities
and historic places.
Sweden has practically recovered
from the effects Of the war, and al
though money is scarce, yet the
people have enough food. Russia,
our next door neighbor has been
having a very hard time of it and
the people are very much discourag-
ed We hear from the papers there
that Germany is in very straighteded
circumstances and the people do not
have enough to eat. This summer
young German lad came to our
home and wanted to sell us a suit
case Of German marks. He found at
last he could not give them away
| Mrs. Becker is a graduated nurse
and was at Fort Smelling for ten
months during the war, nursing the
sick soldiers. She was planning to
go overseas when the armistice was
signed.